Caleño tropical non-alcoholic spirits , a leading brand in the U . K ., earlier this year launched in the U . S . after gaining a listing with renowned dry drinks retailer Boisson .
ISH , a Copenhagen , Denmark-based producer of nonalcoholic wines , spirits and cocktails , became available here last fall , online and distributed in all 50 states through ZeroProof .
Optimist Drinks , a collection of Los Angeles-inspired distilled botanical spirits made without alcohol , hit the market in early 2021 . And Zero Proof , a Black- and LGBTQ + -owned business launched in January 2022 , includes zero-proof gin , bourbon and tequila .
A number of established spirit brands have launched no-proof versions . For instance , Martini & Rossi in early 2022 unveiled two new non-alcoholic aperitivos — Floreale and Vibrante .
Beverage professionals are also interested in sharing their expertise in crafting nonalcoholic drinks . The inaugural No / Low Tour — a celebration of nonalcoholic and low-ABV drinks at cocktail events this year — kicked off at Seattle Cocktail Week this past March .
Split into two components — educational seminars and bar pop ups that challenge the expectations of no- / low-ABV cocktails — the No / Low tour is the brainchild of nonprofit Focus on Health and Mover & Shaker , a virtual content creator for hospitality . The No / Low Tour will stop at five more cocktail events in 2023 : Bar Convent Brooklyn ; Aspen Food & Wine ; Tales of the Cocktail ; Portland Cocktail Week ; and Black Restaurant Week .
Proceeds from the No / Low Tour will benefit Another Round Another Rally , a nonprofit financial and educational resource for the hospitality industry . Brand sponsors for the tour include , Ritual , Fever Tree , Lustau , All The Bitter , Pathfinder , Luxardo , Campari and Aplos .
CREATIVE INTERPRETATIONS From fine-dining establishments and craft cocktail bars to chain restaurants and hotels , savvy operators have recently launched or improved their nonalcoholic offerings . Here are just a few .
The San Francisco Proper hotel has a unique and inventive zero-proof cocktail menu , available year-round at its signature restaurant Villon . The menu , designed by Bon Vivant Hospitality ’ s Josh Harris , divides up a 49-drink cocktail list into seven menus with seven cocktails each ; 7x7 is a reference to San Francisco ’ s square mileage . One section , “ 7 X The Wagon ,” is devoted to noproof cocktails .
When reopening Villon post-pandemic in 2022 , Harris was “ excited at the opportunity to add a new section of zero-proof cocktails to the menu without marginalizing non-drinkers , making the overall experience more inclusive .”
His goal with the program is to position these drinks as nonalcoholic counterparts while keeping flavor and experience in mind .
To keep the quality high and experience consistent across the board , Harris uses a variety of high-end , zero-proof spirits , including Seedlip , Amass and Figlia Aperitivo . The 7 X The Wagon drinks
Spirit-free sips at Villon restaurant in San Francisco include the Coasting Wagon , left , with Martni & Rossi Vibrante , Leitz “ Eins Zwei Zero ” sparkling riesling and Fever Tree tonic , and Radio Flyer Wagon , above , with Figlia
Aperitivo , grapefruit , cold-brew coffee , lime and tonic .
are priced at $ 18 , the same as the spirited cocktails . Menu highlights include the Radio Flyer Wagon , made with Figlia Aperitivo , grapefruit , cold-brew coffee , lime and tonic ; Wagon Vault ( Seedlip Garden 108 , Martini & Rossi Floreale , castelvetrano olives and brine ); Paddy Wagon ( For Bitter For Worse Smoke No . 56 , Ghia aperitif and lime ); and Coasting Wagon ( Martni & Rossi Vibrante , Leitz “ Eins Zwei Zero ” sparkling riesling and Fever Tree tonic ).
Sorry Charlie ’ s , a seafood spot in Savannah , GA , in January introduced new nonalcoholic cocktails at The Bamboo Room , the restaurant ’ s second-floor Tiki bar . These include the Not an Old Fashioned , with Kentucky 74 “ bourbon ,” Earl Gray tea , cinnamon syrup and a spray of an orange rind , and the Coconut Water Daiquiri , with fresh coconut water , lime juice and simple syrup .
The Desmond restaurant in the Kimpton Alma San Diego hotel for Dry January offered a specially curated menu of craft mocktails featuring Lyre ’ s non-alcoholic spirits . They included the Sunrise Spritz ( Lyre ’ s Italian orange and Fever Tree soda ); the Rose Cooler ( Lyre ’ s gin , lemon , mint syrup , rosewater and Fever Tree soda ); and an Espresso Martini ( Lyre ’ s coffee , espresso and oatmilk ).
At The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club in East Nashville , bar lead Laura Unterberg commits just as much thought and creative integrity into her nonalcoholic beverages as she does any other drink on the menu . Some of Unterberg ’ s more notable mocktails include Batteries Not Included , made with The Pathfinder Amaro , Untitled Art Chocolate Milk Stout , Elegy cold-brew foam , and chocolate biscuit ; Cool In Nippon , with yuzu , orange blossom , hops and seltzer ; and
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