Expect non-alcoholic bottles to start taking up more bar shelf space.
Since Seedlip hit the market in 2015 with the world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirit, the producer’s success has proven that many people want to drink, but not everyone wants to get tipsy. No. Many beverage brands are now flocking for restaurant and storefront space.
In the United States, sales of non-alcoholic beverages are booming as more people prioritize a healthy lifestyle and millennials feel less social pressure to drink. In his year to August 2022, according to NielsenIQ, non-alcoholic beverage sales for him reached $395 million, a 20.6% year-over-year growth. The wine category was worth over $52 million, he increased 23.2% over that period. Sales of non-alcoholic spirits increased him 88.4% year-over-year.
Exhibit A is Boisson’s rapid success as a non-alcoholic beverage shop. Less than two years after opening a store in Brooklyn, New York during the pandemic, co-founder Nick Bodkins has expanded his booze-free brand to eight brick-and-mortar stores between there and Los Angeles. In addition to selling over 100 unique premium non-alcoholic beverages, Boisson also sells uniquely named wine labels.
Boisson Blanc tastes like a floral, tart white wine. It’s hard to imagine that it doesn’t contain alcohol. Bodkins has teamed up with German-based winemaker Johannes Leitz. He says that Leitz “goes through a traditional winemaking process” that removes the alcohol at low temperatures in a vacuum, making it zero-proof. , it tastes very much like wine.
This is just one of the innovative techniques employed by non-alcoholic producers. Another trend is to spike drinks with adaptogenic herbs that support the immune system by helping the body adapt to stress, creating new drinks with health benefits.
Here are the best new fake wines, cocktails and liqueurs to seek out, just in time for a dry January.
Beverage White from Beverage
As a non-alcoholic wine, Boisson looks a lot like a classic Riesling. Co-founder of cross-strait non-alcoholic boutique brand Boisson, his Bodkins taps the winemaker behind Weingut Leitz to create his famous German Rheingau wine from a blend of grapes grown in his wine region. The result is this floral, acid-rich white. $16 for 750ml
Non to 7
Think of this as Lambrusco without the booze. Sophisticated crimson sparklers with a tart, spicy, leathery background are blended with ingredients such as sour cherries, cold brew coffee and garam masala to create a blend of acid, tannins and tannins found in some red wines. Imitate spices. Founder Aaron Trotman launched a line of non-alcoholic beverages in Australia three years ago. Each “breed” is designated by a number. At the beginning of December, the 750ml made him available for US$29.
pink salt from proxy
Like any good rosé, this bottle is very drinkable. The pretty pink drink has notes of grapefruit and juicy strawberry, while White His Tea adds richness. It embodies summer, but like all rosés, it can be enjoyed all year round. For pairing, try this refreshing drink with fish or vegetable-based dishes. $150 for six 750ml bottles
Studio Null Sparkling Verdejo
With a wire cage covering the cork, the effervescence of this 2019 vintage could be mistaken for champagne. But the single-variety Sparkling His White is produced at his Diez Siglos His winery in northern Spain using the region’s most famous grape, Verdejo. The brewed wine is dealcoholized by vacuum distillation, making it an almond- and lemon-forward liquor-free alternative to cava. $36 for 750ml
Sparks from 3 Spirit Blurred Vines
This deep pink strawberry and red currant flavored alternative to rosé champagne also serves as a ‘functional drink’.Its energy-enhancing abilities come thanks to the addition of guayusa (a caffeinated leaf from a tree native to the Amazon, brewed as a tea) and schizophrenia berry to support endurance, but the alcohol-free elixir Also works as an agent. $27 for 750ml
Lacewing in Tilden Cocktail
This handsome bottle contains a multidimensional and balanced mocktail that tastes like a margarita crossed with a Moscow mule. Exotic, floral notes come from the addition of Sichuan pepper and lychee. Founders Mariah Wood and Vanessa Royle set out to create a spiritless drink fit for special occasions. It will start shipping in January. $29 for 750ml
perch spiny paloma
Tequila fans, this is for you. After 10 years at the liquor conglomerate Diageo Plc, her co-founder of Parch, Ila Byrne, developed her adaptogenic formula, spiked with immune-supporting botanicals like ginseng and ashwagandha. Canned Mocktails branched out in a cleaner direction in her line. Agave-based Paloma Her cocktail riff trades tequila for Blue Weber Her Agave Her nectar and blends jicama and prickly pear cactus juices and citrus. Find tacos to serve. $44 for eight 8.4 oz cans
Aurora’s Lolo Hop Cascadia Field Blend
These cute canned beverages rely on three varieties of hops grown in the Pacific Northwest—a plant that brewers add to their beer to give it a bitter taste—for its floral flavor.But this newly released booze-free spritz omits the bitterness and instead offers a floral note of grapefruit.$21 for six 12-ounce cans.
Wilderton’s bittersweet aperitif
Rejoice, Aperol and Campari Spritz fans. An alcohol-free summer informal drink is now available. Wilderton founder Seth O’Malley obsessed with his spirit of Italian botanicals and created this drink that tastes like an aperitif or a sweet vermouth. Bittersweet notes of orange and grapefruit combine with her blend of botanicals such as gentian, bay leaf and sandalwood. $37 for 750ml
Lyre’s Highland Malt
With Lyre’s, an Australian-based brand that makes a myriad of mock spirits, including absinthe and dark rum, you can build an entire bar without liquor. The company has already won several beverage awards for these products. Now, founders Mark Livings and Karl Hartmann have introduced the first drink meant to be sipped refreshingly. It’s a woody, cereal and toffee flavored, highland inspired malt his whiskey. $36 for 700ml
pathfinder hemp and root
Hendrick’s Gin brand creator Steven Grasse, Diageo alum Guy Escolme, and cannabis veterinarian Chris Abbott have teamed up to create this amaro-inspired cannabis-based spirit.Angelica root, Add a blend of wormwood, saffron, and more to a distilled hemp base to produce an herbal (though not psychoactive) bittersweet elixir. $40 for 750ml