Once upon a time – nearly yesterday, really – a non-drinker at a bar or restaurant in the US had only a few beverage options. You could order a lemonade that felt like it was laughing at you. Maybe a club soda with lime and a splash of cran if you were feeling feisty. It took the world nearly drinking itself into liver-failing oblivion (the year was 2020; the impetus, I think you know) before the fledgling industry of non-alcoholic drinks, mocktails, and cookbooks could really take off.
Some experts point to Gen Z as fueling the rise in NA options. Marketplace reports that where 42 percent of Millennials drink on a regular basis, it’s only 21 percent for Gen Z. But, considering that Gen Z is still mostly young enough to have to ask an older friend to buy, these stats might not tell the whole truth. Regardless, it’s interesting to see that the buzziest (or is it unbuzziest?) products in the NA spirits are often beautifully designed bottles made by and marketed toward Millennials and up (the disposable income crowd). Could it be that the rise in NA is for a generation-spanning desire to simply drink less?
In 2018, non-alcoholic spirits accounted for 0.22 percent of total alcohol sales. A smidge. By 2022, they were 0.47 percent. A generously poured smidge. As of the latest findings by NielsenIQ, NA beer sales grew 19.5 percent between 2021 and 2022, while sales of beer with alcohol were down 1.2 percent. The greatest gains, though, are in the non-alcoholic spirits category — a $5 million market where sales increased 88.4 percent in one year — and since those are tastier as per my personal research, we’ll stay here for a while.
“It’s thriving,” says Natasha David, the author of Drink Lightly and a creative beverage director who crafts bar programs for restaurants nationwide. Just don’t call it a mocktail. “The word has a lot of baggage,” laughs David. “It’s got the word ‘mock’ in it.”
With the rising demand for NA options, expectations at bars and restaurants have changed. So have menus. Every bar program David oversees has spiritless options on it, though she still has to fight some clients to add NA sections to menus: “[I tell them], ‘Let’s do it, and if no one’s buying them, you can have the space back on the menu.’ But I know of no non-alcoholic drinks coming off any menu that I’ve done in the last few years. They’re all there.”
For whatever reason that you’re not drinking (in fact, 82 percent of NA product buyers are people who buy alcoholic booze, too), there should be a drink that’s just as festive, thoughtful, and delicious as an Aperol spritz.
At Le Suprême, a new French bistro-esque Detroit spot David wrote the drinks menu for, you can order an NA version of the classic cocktail Death in the Afternoon (and, hopefully, stave off death another day) from the sans alcool section of the menu. C’est chic. Nicely parallel to the restaurant’s absinthe program, this version is made with Lyre’s non-alcoholic absinthe and French Bloom’s non-alcoholic sparkling wine. “It looks like a cocktail-cocktail,” she says. It has a drier flavor profile than most NA cocktails, which tend to be juicy and refreshing. “This really feels like a champagne cocktail, which I love.”
Lately, I’ve been more intrigued by the flavors in NA drinks than their boozy menu-mates. Listen to the ingredients in “Beets Nothing” at the buzzy new Jac’s on Bond: beet, lemon, pistachio, dill, and coconut yogurt. Does it come with a fork?
I’ve also noticed a few trends: Celery is a popular ingredient. Takes on spritzes seem to be carrying on the sbagliato summer. Ghia, the botanical non-alcoholic spirit the color of hazy rubies, is the drinks industry’s teacher’s pet. Shrubs — bubbly drinks made with fermented fruit vinegars — are everywhere that farmers’ market produce is worshiped. The only thing I didn’t see was an NA espresso martini; maybe because when you realize it’s just an iced latte, the magic wears off.
The state of the don’t-call-it-a-mocktail is strong. However, not all imitation gins taste like gin (or taste good at all). I’ve sampled tragic faux tequila that turned out to be agave syrup-spiked water. Unholy un-wines. Canned aperitifs that mix ambition with delusion in equal measure. Even some of the leaders in the category have changed their formulas over time because they’re still figuring this whole thing out. After extensive research, however, here are the most delicious ways to dive in.
The dupes
Phony Negroni
Unlike a classic negroni, it’s fizzy, alcohol-free, and lighter bodied. It’s a perfect balance of sweet and bitter cherry-herbal notes. You won’t find a better NA cocktail out there. Bottled, premixed NA "cocktails" worth grabbing the next time you're at your local upscale market or bottle shop.
Optimist Gin
Don’t make a dry martini with it, but do mix it with grapefruit soda or a splash of fruit vinegar and tonic. You won’t miss the missing ingredient.
Little Saints
These CBD and adaptogen-spiked faux cocktails have a Goop-y side, but with a squeeze of lime, that spicy margarita sings.
The originals
Casamara Club
An herbal, amaro-inspired soda for the person who loves fernet, radicchio, and good design.
LIMO Calamansi Sparkling Lemonade
Not marketed as an NA drink, this is the mixer of your dreams. Lightly sweet from actual citrus juice, it has a bright and tropical, yet real flavor — hey, that’s hard to find in a can.
AMASS
The sophisticated one. Use as you would clear liquors for a mysterious botanical flavor that takes getting used to — like alcohol, honestly.
Unified Ferments Nilgiri Green
For natural winos, this company makes complex and refreshing fermented teas that will keep your wine glasses from getting dusty.
The old-schoolers
Sanbitter
Real heads know that you’re usually best off buying San Pellegrino’s Sanbitter aperitif soda from Italian grocers. It comes in stubby short bottles and tastes like a Campari-ish cream soda.
Chinotto
Real heads will also tell you that when you’re at the Italian grocer, pick up some shorty bottles of Chinotto, a less sweet non-alc soda that’s like a tame root beer; add a slice of orange for best results.
The darling
Ghia
This botanical NA liqueur has a deep, bitter, and strong flavor and a full body that feels like a substantial drink after a long day. David mixes it with Something & Nothing’s yuzu soda (or any flavored seltzer) and “whatever citrus I have lying around.”
The order
Vibe Shift
This spicy, zero-proof cocktail at the New York institution Death & Co. playfully mixes a bunch of NA products: Seedlip, a garden-y NA spirit; a nearly 0 percent ABV beer; and Pathfinder, a fermented hemp spirit, with a spicy dose of ginger and… is that cinnamon?
The cookbook
Drink Lightly
David’s cookbook begins with low-ABV cocktails and ends with creative non-alcoholic recipes for all skill levels.
The recipe
Celery Tonic from Estela, NYC
A spirit-free cocktail with a cult following, the Celery Tonic at Estela is intensely green and refreshing. Make the celery juice at home if you have a juicer, or pick up a few shots from your local juicery.
1 ½ oz AMASS Riverine
¾ oz fresh lemon juice
¾ oz celery syrup (Stir 1:1 measures of celery juice and sugar until dissolved, store in fridge.)
~1 oz tonic
Add ingredients to shaker. Shake and strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass, top with tonic, and garnish with a lemon twist.
