According to a January 2020 Nielsen report, non-alcoholic substitutes for alcoholic beverages are having much more than a “moment.”
Their research found that Dry January – a month off from drinking booze — is continuing to spread as a worldwide trend. (I have not personally experienced the phenomenon, although friends who have accepted the challenge report that they are happy to have re-set their drinking clocks.)
More importantly, “social moderation and health and wellness are not limited to January, and the year-round lifestyle provides retailers and restaurants with a huge opportunity to grow soft drinks sales. At U.S. retail, non-alcoholic beverages are worth $7 billion more than just four years ago, and $3.2 billion more in the last year alone.
Another Nielsen report full of fantastic sales charts also concludes that consumers are seemingly integrating non-alcoholic beer and wine in their overall consumption pattern.
Do bars and restaurants suffer from lower cocktail sales? Interestingly, people will pay for pricey non-alcoholic creations. The growth of shrubs, syrups and drinking vinegars make mocktails something fun to make at home and something festive and social for a night out.
Interesting non-alcoholic drinks and mixers
Martinelli’s has still got it going on, at a price anyone can swallow. To mix it up, check out
- Belvoir Fruit Farms
- Shrub Farm
- Galvanina Italian fruit sodas
- Purely Drinks drinking vinegars
- and so many near-beers, rounded up by Esquire
We’ll drink to that!
