Drinking without the booze: Zero-proof drinks continue to be popular at bars, restaurants

As the "sober curious" craze continues to spill over to bars and restaurants across the country, Columbus establishments are joining in on the rise of nonalcoholic offerings. 

With local establishments such as DEMARK, VASO Rooftop Lounge, Watershed Kitchen & Bar and others adding alcohol-free options, patrons are basking in the growing shift to zero-proof spirits and prime "mocktails."

"For me, the trend overall rounds out the offering of hospitality on the scope of the restaurant and bar industry," said Joshua Gandee, beverage director at Watershed. "I feel like it was a part that was missing for a long time, so now to have that on a menu or as part of the conversation, shows inclusivity for individuals who don't drink at all, aren't drinking for the night or are taking a round off."

Gandee, who celebrated three years of sobriety last fall, said the expansion of these beverages allows nondrinking customers to socialize alongside their friends without feeling left out. Instead of having a flat carbonated drink or diluted alternative, bartenders have forged more intentional and well-crafted flavors. 

James DeFrance, a bartender at the Refectory Restaurant on the Northwest Side, attributes the rise in alcohol-free items to the surge in demand.

"Nowadays, there are so many different groups of people who may want to have an interesting drink experience but aren't looking to drink," he said. "There are people with medical conditions, dietary restrictions, religious restrictions; they're pregnant or there's just not a time they are drinking." 

In his nine years of sobriety, Brandon Bir, 38, said he's noticed an added effort to accommodate nonalcoholic drinkers in the past few years. Rather than pour up tasteless mocktails, the Gahanna resident said local bars and bartenders have been more intentional in their craftsmanship, which has enhanced his and others' drinking experiences.

"It was really difficult to find those beverages, but more and more you see nonalcoholic spirits on bar shelves and people empathizing with people who don't want to drink alcohol," he said. "It's really grown in popularity over the last two years and it's accelerating."

According to the International Wines and Spirits Record, a market-research firm that tracks worldwide alcohol trends, global sales of no- and low-alcohol beverages are surging. 

The London-based company released a new study in February that examined sales of beer, wine, spirits and ready-to-drink products that contain little or no alcohol.

The firm claims the consumption of these products is expected to increase 31% by 2024 across 10 markets — the U.S., Canada, the UK, France, Germany, South Africa, Brazil, Spain, Japan and Australia. 

“What we’re seeing is a moderation trend that’s sweeping across key global markets, and that’s bringing with it increased demand for reduced alcohol, or alcohol-free drinks,” says Mark Meek, CEO of London-based IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, in the study.

"While the traditional alcohol market’s greater exposure to bars and restaurants saw it struggle in the wake of mass venue closures across the world, no/low categories have seen largely positive, albeit muted, growth, with a volume consumption increase in the 10 markets of approximately +1% in 2020" according to information included in the study.

With this shift, DeFrance said the Refectory — which will celebrate its 45th anniversary later this year — and other entities have added nonalcoholic cocktails and beer brands to supplement the growing trend.

For bartenders or establishments unwilling to offer these options, DeFrance said they are wrongfully disregarding a large sector of patrons who are looking for an enjoyable experience without the booze.

"You're missing the point and the opportunity to please somebody who is willing to pay for it, at which point, you're completely not on the right track," DeFrance said. 

Although he understands the importance of alcohol-free drinks, on a personal level, DENMARK General Manager Sean Taylor said he's not much of a fan. 

Taylor said alcohol-free cocktails and beers don't capture the same enriching and lush flavors that come from barrel-aging and other features. Instead, whiskeys typically taste like malt syrup and gins taste like pickle juice, he said.

"When people come up to the bar, they still want to feel included; they want something that makes them feel like they're a part of the group," Taylor said. "But the thing that makes a cocktail a cocktail is the alcohol, and those flavors are almost impossible to replicate without having alcohol in them."

Although he's not a fan of the no-proof craze, Taylor said these options fit within the "culinary tree of flavors," one that encourages bartenders to use an assortment of complex ingredients and additives to make a "mocktail" taste as close to a traditional cocktail as possible. 

As hospitality specialists, Taylor said it's important customers are able to enjoy themselves — alcohol-filled or not. And because of the growing trend and need for no-proof options, he's developing a nonalcoholic menu at DENMARK.

"They (patrons) don't have to drink a Coke while their friends are having whatever they're drinking," he said. "Inclusiveness is important, especially for Columbus. We can't disclude anyone, especially non-drinkers."

With the addition of more nonalcoholic drinks, Gandee said it's pushed him and other bartenders to rethink how to craft no-proof cocktails and for bars to carry more zero-proof brews.

At Watershed, he's been focused on seasonality, locality and the freshness of his ingredients to substitute the taste of gin, whiskey and other alcoholic components. With that, he's exchanged ideas on how to extract specific flavors to draw out the richness of nonalcoholic spirits with his bar staff.

These elements are sparking bartenders' curiosity about the implementation of more health-inspired drinks, Taylor said. Ingredients such as avocado, fresh-grated ginger, tonic syrup, apple cider vinegar, CBD and others have been in use, he said, as more mixologists have dabbled in experimental pairings.

"We're a little behind in Ohio," Taylor said. "If you go to places like Portland or Los Angeles, they're doing CBD-infused cocktails where what you're vibing is actually good for you."

In time, Taylor hopes every cocktail bar or restaurant will have no-proof options on their menu.

"I think we have years of evolution ahead of this," he said. "We have some bars who never considered putting a zero-proof spirit list on their menus who are now doing it or considering it. 

As the trend continues to evolve, Gandee anticipates the conversations around sobriety and alcohol-free menu items will change. Although he's certain the world's shared affinity for alcohol will remain, his hope is that more establishments will begin developing these spirits, and meeting the increased demand among the city's bar-goers. 

– The Columbus Dispatch