ARE N/A COCKTAILS A MUST? O
ne of the fastest-growing trends in bars and restaurants is an increased offering of high-quality, non-alcoholic beverages. As an industry very much based in liquor, wine, and beer sales, modern restaurants must adapt to this new wave of demand from guests. In 2024, as many guests are focusing on personal wellness and sobriety, thoughtful, non-alcoholic, offerings have become paramount. Historically, restaurants treated non-alcoholic beverages as an afterthought. Some bars and restaurants had non-alcohol beers, and a few offered non-alcohol wines and cocktails, often lacking in taste and preparation. As demand grows, expect restaurants to put more effort into their non-alcoholic choices. Creating a flavorful non-alcoholic cocktail requires getting creative with the use of ingredients. When vegan
menu items grew in popularity, chefs reached deep into their ingredient repertoire to create tasty recipes without traditional ingredients like butter, cheese, and meat. It required understanding flavors and the synergies between them. Creating flavorful and satisfying non-alcoholic beverages that complement your meal will require the same rigor from beverage managers. Not all non-alcoholic beverages are the same. The difference between non-alcoholic and zero-proof offerings is often misunderstood. Beverages are considered non-alcoholic when they simply feature no alcohol. This can include craft sodas, coffee drinks, tea, or cocktails made from just juices, syrups, or other beverages. Zero-proof beverages are made in the style of a specific type of alcohol, but are distilled or brewed in such a way that they
contain no alcohol. This can include non-alcoholic beer, wine, and zero- proof spirits. Many modern distillers are making the move to creating non-alcoholic spirits like vodka, whiskey, or tequila, that look and taste like the traditional spirit, but feature no alcohol. Marble Room Bar Manager, Chris Jew, says, “The beverage industry is keeping up with how people are living their daily lives. People are more health conscious. The alcohol-free beverage industry is one of the largest growing sectors, only behind tequila and hard seltzers”. In the coming years, expect to see more fine-dining restaurants increase the breadth and quality of their non- alcoholic offerings to meet the growing demand of their clientele.
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