How Bars Are Responding To Demand For Better Non-Alcoholic Beverages

Jess Cording is a dietitian and health coach who covers wellness.

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Apr 29, 2024,08:43am EDT

Updated Apr 30, 2024, 11:57am EDT

According to the International Wine and Spirit Research’s Drinks Market Analysis, non-alcoholic (NA) drink consumption is expected to increase by a third by 2026. Consumers are reaching on low- or no-alcohol drinks more often. While ready-to-drink products like NA beers and wines leading that growth but with a lot of innovation also expected in the NA spirits category.

People are drinking less alcohol. Here's how bars are responding. getty

A 2023 survey by Casinos.us looking at NA trends in the United States found that 67% of Americans are actively reducing their alcohol consumption and that while 86% of Americans don’t have access to a sober bar, 51% want access. New York City had the highest number of sober bars, with 23 at the time of the study, and Mesa, AZ close behind with 21. Other cities with more than ten sober bars included Denzer, CO, San Francisco, CA, and Oakland, CA.

41% of drinkers surveyed reported they were decreasing intake because they want a lifestyle change. About a third said they were cutting back for physical health reasons, and 23% were considering reducing consumption to improve their mental health.

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How bars are responding to the increased demand for NA beverages

Jessica Manchenton, a bartender and Market Manager for Empirical Spirits, says, “At most bars nowadays, it’s compulsory to have at least one non-alcoholic cocktail on the menu, if not more. The general attitude of the public has shifted.” A few years ago, she explains, “if you went to a bar and wanted to drink a mocktail, your options would have been flavored lemonade or juice. Now bars are putting more intention behind their NA offerings, especially because of the boom in creation of NA spirits. Some places will also have an NA beer or sparkling cider that’s NA, and bartenders will have the ability to make something simple, even if there’s not a predetermined menu behind it.”

Jane Yang, Bar Manager at Chaplin’s in Washington DC, says, “I think COVID shifted things. People were cooped up in the house and that led to a lot of people drinking.” As people began to reflect on their habits, they started to decide on “things they wanted to change upon returning to ‘normalcy.’ With 2023 being the first full ‘normal’ year post-pandemic, I have seen multiple peers quit drinking, cut back on drinking, or go ‘California sober’.” Or sometimes, she adds, customers simply want to drink something that tastes delicious with no alcohol in it. “Having a low to no section on menus is becoming a standard in cocktail bars.”

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