Zero-alcohol beverages are having a moment, and Utah (surprise!) is all in to dry out.
Small Lake City
By Bill Frost @bill_frost
As we're staring down another Dry January—a popular month to abstain from alcohol after overdoing it through the holidays—consider this: What if you could enjoy your drinks and still participate in the 31-day booze-free challenge?
Also consider this: Dry February? It's three days shorter and, therefore, better. It's literally math.
But if you insist on sticking with the dreariest of all months to dry out, you might want to try a non-alcoholic beverage that mimics the taste and feel of the real thing.
Non-alcoholic spirits have come a long way since the "near beer" you scoffed at in the '90s, and trade sites like TheDrinksBusiness.com project that no- and low-alcohol drinks will account for almost 4% of the global spirits market by the end of 2024.
Now for the Utah angle: Locally, NA booze is flying off the shelves, and it's not just religious folks who are buying. According to BeverageDaily.com, 43% of no- and low-alcohol drinkers are "substitutors," tipplers who switch between full-strength, low- and no-alcohol beverages depending on the occasion. Kind of like intermittent fasting, Don Draper-style.
"We've sold over 3,000 cases through October," says Lance Lee, retail sales manager for Salt Lake City wine and spirits distributor Vine Lore (and, full disclosure, a friend of mine long before he got into the booze biz). "An increase of 213% year-to-date."
Even though that total doesn't account for the November–December holiday party rush, Utahns still drank a sobering amount of NA cocktails this year. From a sales perspective, Vine Lore only supplies NA products to a limited number of local outlets: Big boxes like Harmon's and Whole Foods on the macro side; and smaller shops like Rocky Mountain Mixers and Boozetique on the micro.
"Imagine if Smith's, Target, Trader Joe's, WinCo and all the Associated Foods locations jumped on board," Lee adds. "We've just scratched the surface of what's possible."
But most importantly, is a tasty drink possible with booze-free booze?
NA wines, which come in zero-alcohol and alcohol-subtracted varieties, can pass the tongue for the real thing, but faux whiskey, tequila, or gin is best served in a mixed cocktail. Unless you're drinking on a hyper-ironic level, put the shot glasses away.
Just think: Instead of white-knuckling it through Dry January, you could enjoy some nightly mocktails, wake up refreshed with a decaf coffee and relax in the afternoons with THC-free gummies. We're talking Peak Utah here, people.
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