Illustrated by Brendan Lynch/Axios
Try a dry January in 2023 and you might still have a watering hole.
Important reasons: Traditionally alcohol-focused spaces, such as bars and bottle shops, are increasingly abandoning booze in favor of high-quality, non-alcoholic alternatives to make it easier to achieve New Year’s resolutions. I’m here.
State of play: Gallup polls show that while the rate of alcohol consumption among American adults has remained stable for years at about 63%, Americans have been drinking less alcohol per week than at any point since 2000. increase.
- According to Axios’ Erica Pandey, young people are increasingly choosing to pursue a “cold curiosity” lifestyle by limiting their alcohol intake for health and wellness reasons rather than for alcoholism. I’m here.
Big picture: Even government agencies are taking notice of this trend.
- For the first time this month, the Liquor Commission of Virginia is running an advertising campaign encouraging people to drink less in the non-alcoholic or low-alcoholic beverage trade.
4 places to facilitate ‘cold curiosity’ in 2023
bar: Salt Lake City’s Curiosity is a zero-proof bar (and bottle shop!) where mixed drinks cost about $11. A wide selection of non-alcoholic wines and beers are also available.
- If that price bothers you, keep in mind that the ingredients are high-end. Nightcap elixirs sell for about $40 a bottle online, and the glitz (like Luxardo cherries) is comparable to other Same with high end bars.
Bottle shop: Marigold in Minneapolis is a comfortable, alcohol-free, boutique-like space. They sell non-alcoholic versions of nearly every liquor store staple, including tequila, wine, cocktail mixes, and beer.
- Prices vary, but are mostly comparable to what you’d pay for a mid-range alcoholic version. Wines from $25-35, spirits from $30.
festival: Charlotte’s Counterculture Club will host an alcohol-free festival later this month, celebrating a healthier lifestyle with drinks, live music, panels and yoga.
- “Our mission is to challenge the mainstream idea that alcohol is necessary to have a good life,” club founder Molly Luger told Axios.
THC focused: Minneapolis’s Trail Magic Taproom is Minnesota’s first THC taproom, and as more states move toward legalizing marijuana, it’s aimed at those who want to skip alcohol but want a buzz.
Axios’ Erin Alberty, Laura Barrero, Audrey Kennedy, and Ned Oliver contributed to this story.
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