This story is part of a partnership between “City Lights” / WABE” and Rough Draft Atlanta called “The Beverage Beat with Beth McKibben.” As a “City Lights” contributor, McKibben joins the program monthly to highlight her most recent Rough Draft story on Atlanta’s cocktail, wine, coffee, and nonalcoholic beverage scene.
With the sunset of 2024, you may be considering your resolutions for the coming year. One of those commitments might be to your health, including exercising, eating better, and drinking less alcohol.
While exercising could mean joining a gym, attending spin classes, or taking up running, and eating better could mean stocking up on fruits and vegetables, people reevaluating their relationship with alcohol often kick off the new year with “Dry January.”
The month-long challenge of drinking no alcohol is meant to cleanse the body and mind after weeks of overindulging during the holidays.
But for some, that 30-day reset has transformed into a year-round practice of total or partial sobriety. It’s also led to a paradigm shift in our collective attitude toward alcohol over the last decade. We have a much better understanding now of the effects of alcohol on the body and brain and its links to certain cancers, our mental health, and decline in cognitive functioning as we age.
Even more interesting, however, is the fact that Gen Z and younger Millennials – people ages 18 to 30 – drink less alcohol on average than their Gen X parents and Boomer grandparents.
Recent reports estimate Gen Z drinks around 20% less than previous generations, with people citing the benefits to their overall physical and mental health as reasons for opting for low alcohol consumption or not drinking at all.
This commitment to no or low alcohol consumption by Gen Z and people dipping their toes into a sober curious world beyond Dry January has translated into a booming multi-billion-dollar nonalcoholic and functional beverage market. Think pre- and pro-biotic sodas, super-caffeinated herbal tea drinks like yerba mate, drinks infused with CBD, energy-boosting beverages, and enhancers for water like collagen and Liquid IV.
Related Story: Seeking alternatives to alcohol, young people are fueling the functional beverage trend
Zero-proof spirits have also entered the chat, including nonalcoholic spirits meant to replicate the taste and texture of gin, tequila, whiskey, and rum but with zero ABV and zero hangover.
There are whole lines of canned nonalcoholic cocktails on the market, like the Phony Negroni and Ghia’s refreshing spritzes in flavors such as sumac and chili or lime and salt. Simply pop the top, pour over ice, and add a twist of lemon, lime, or orange.
Nonalcoholic beers have become nearly indistinguishable from their boozier brethren. Unlike the O’Doul’s of yesteryear, NA beers these days taste like the real thing, including Sierra Nevada’s Trail Pass Golden Ale and Athletic Lite from Atheltic Brewing Co.
While many bottle shops around Atlanta include a robust nonalcoholic section, shops like Soberish in Kirkwood and The Zero Co. in Poncey-Highland feature stocked shelves of booze-free spirits, NA canned cocktails, and low- and no-ABV beer and wine.
Mehrnush Saadat, owner of Soberish, said her customers are a mixed bag of people who are sober and people looking to curb their alcohol consumption.
While those committed to long-term sobriety and recovery are seeking products to help maintain this lifestyle, Saadat said the sober curious folks are experimenting with various products to find a balance between drinking booze and nonalcoholic beverages. Both groups of people are committed to wellness.
“Customers often tell us that they are looking to reduce or eliminate alcohol for a variety of reasons—health concerns, mental clarity, better sleep, or because they’re tired of the hangover cycle,” Saadat said. “Many have realized they feel better without alcohol, and they’re actively seeking ways to socialize and enjoy themselves without it.”
Saadat founded Soberish after her own wellness journey had her seeking alternatives to traditional medicine to treat anxiety and chronic back pain. This included herbal remedies and CBD but also drinking much less alcohol.
The improvement in her overall health, she said, sparked the idea for Soberish, which opened last year. Here, she sells a broad range of nonalcoholic spirits, cocktails, and mixers, along with CBD, THC, and functional mushroom products. Saadat opened a second location of Soberish earlier this fall at Serenbe.
NA beverage company ISH and its line of zero-proof rum, tequila, and gin, and canned cocktails like a lime daiquiri, Paloma, and the G&T have become the shop’s most popular brand with customers.
Another crowdpleaser, Saadat said, is a brand called Little Saints. It features a line of zero-proof cocktails with adaptogens – or drinks infused with mushrooms or herbs with healing, anti-inflammatory, or calming properties.
Holiday Spritz with Roots Vermouth
• 2 oz. Roots Non-Alcoholic Vermouth (rosso or bianco)
• 1 oz. cranberry juice (fresh or no-sugar added for a cleaner taste)
• 1/2 oz. fresh orange juice
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup (adjust to taste)
• Sparkling water (or club soda)
• Fresh rosemary sprig (for garnish)
• Orange peel (for garnish)
• Ice
Directions: In a mixing glass or shaker, combine the Roots Vermouth, cranberry juice, orange juice, and simple syrup. Add ice and stir or shake gently to combine and chill. Strain into a rocks glass or wine glass filled with ice. Top with sparkling water or club soda to give it a refreshing fizz. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a twist of orange peel. Optional: Add a few fresh cranberries to float in the drink for an extra pop of color.
Even at local bars and restaurants around Atlanta, you’ll likely see zero-proof spirits brands like ISH, Ritual, and Seedlip living alongside gin, bourbon, rum, and tequila. It’s something you wouldn’t have seen ten years ago in Atlanta when your nonalcoholic beverage choices at a bar included lemonade, soda, sparkling water, and if you were lucky, a fizzy drink with some fresh herbs. It translated to uninspiring, soulless options for people abstaining from alcohol, and often made them feel awkward and unwelcome as patrons.
But that attitude toward nonalcoholic mixed drinks is changing, with bartenders dedicating entire sections of their drinks menus to zero-proof cocktails.
Nick Hassiotis, co-owner of Foundation Social Eatery in Alpharetta, has been in the restaurant industry for 25 years, much of it in Atlanta. That includes a stint as director of food and beverage at Hotel Clermont and its Michelin-rated restaurant, Tiny Lou’s, before departing to open Foundation Social Eatery with Chef Mel Toledo.
Hassiotis has witnessed the evolution of Atlanta dining over the last two decades and the emerging trends behind the bar. It came as no surprise to him when bartenders finally moved beyond slinging souped-up juices and herbaceous takes on fizzy water as their only NA cocktail options.
He believes part of that shift comes down to how society now views drinking culture in general and peoples’ personal concerns over how much alcohol is healthy for them to drink.
“I think there has been a large shift as a society to look at drinking culture and thinking about if it’s largely healthy,” said Hassiotis. “I think consumers have changed, and if restaurants aren’t willing to keep up with consumer needs, they’ll fall behind. ‘Inclusion’ is a big word in the world right now.”
One of the most popular nonalcoholic cocktails on the menu at Foundation Social Eatery is the Grey Fox, made with Earl Grey tea, a blood orange oleo saccharum, lemon juice, and egg white. It’s strained into a Collins glass over ice and topped off with zippy ginger beer.
The Grey Fox from Foundation Social Eatery
• 2.5 oz Earl Grey tea
• 1 oz blood orange-thyme oleo saccharum (or mixed citrus)
• .75 oz lemon juice
• 1 egg white
Directions: Dry shake for 10-15 seconds. Add ice and wet shake for 10-15 seconds. Strain into Collins glass over ice. Fill with ginger beer. Garnish with straw and dehydrated blood orange.
But for Aja Wolfe, simply serving nonalcoholic cocktails at a bar doesn’t go far enough for her. She wanted an inclusive space with just as much energy as a traditional bar where people could socialize and gather for drinks without booze.
Wolfe opened The Sober Social last year in Castleberry Hill where she serves spirit-free cocktails, NA drinks infused with CBD, energizing herbal tea blends, and beverages featuring medicinal herbs for stress relief. Many of the cocktails are based on classic recipes and other well-known drinks, like the espresso martini made at the Sober Social with a shot of espresso and Kentucky 74 NA bourbon. The coupe it’s served in features a rim of toffee caramel to add a hint of sweetness to each sip.
Like traditional bars in Atlanta, The Sober Social also hosts weekly events for people to attend, like karaoke, networking evenings, and game nights.
“Having complex, interesting NA beverages on a menu is a no-brainer for a number of reasons,” said Hassiotis. “You probably already have the ingredients on hand. It gives bartenders another avenue to be creative and develop flavors. There are guests who want them and are willing to pay for them. Why wouldn’t a restaurant offer creative, spirit-free cocktails?”