Something is visible through its absence in a new type of bars that are opening all over the world: alcoholic beverages.
These bars are designed for people who want to stay sober and offer craft non-alcoholic beverages such as cocktails. At 0% Alcohol-Free Experience, a futuristic bar in Tokyo, people can enjoy a mixture of non-alcoholic white wine, sake and blueberries in glasses with sugar frames. On a recent afternoon at Sans Bar in Austin, Texas, guests sat at outdoor tables with live music, bottles of non-alcoholic IPA beer and drinks such as watermelon mockarita, using an alternative to tequila.
Sober bars are not a new phenomenon. They first appeared in the 19th century. But while in the past they were aimed at people who do not drink alcohol or who recover from alcoholism, the new ones greet the sober and curious drinkers.
“A lot of people want to drink less alcohol,” said Chris Marshall, founder of Sans Bar.
Marshall, who has been sober for 14 years, opened the bar after working as an addiction counselor. But he estimates that 75% of his customers also drink alcohol in other bars or at home.
“It’s easier that way,” said Sondra Prineaux, a regular customer at Sans Bar. “I don’t have to worry about leaving my car here and calling Uber to go home. And I wake up without a headache. “
This trend toward sobriety is fueled by initiatives such as Dry January, in which people pledge not to drink alcohol that month and a growing interest in living a healthier life, said Brandy Rand, chief operating officer for America. From the IWSR Drinks Market Analysis.
Alcohol consumption last year in ten major markets, including the United States, Germany, Japan and Brazil, fell by 5%, according to the IWSR. On the other hand, the consumption of alcoholic or low-alcohol beverages increased by 1% over the same period.
Consumption of soft and non-alcoholic beverages is still much lower than that of alcoholic beverages, but Rand notes that it is growing at a rate two to three times faster than that of alcoholic beverages.
This increase is partly due to the emergence of new products. From small producers like Ritual Zero Proof – a Chicago-based company that sells alcohol-free whiskey, gin and tequila – to big companies like Anheuser-Busch, which has had last year’s Budweiser Zero non-alcoholic beer.
“I have a big problem: Too many options,” said Douglas Watters, who opened Spirited Away in New York in November. Sell beer, wine and other soft drinks.
Watters said the blockade of the coronavirus pandemic led him to rethink his habit of closing the day with a cocktail. He started experimenting with soft drinks and in August he decided to open his own business. He said that many of his clients are sober, but that pregnant women or women with health problems also go. Some train for marathons, while others just want to limit the amount of alcohol they consume.
“There are a lot of people, especially last year, who analyze what they drink and what they feel,” he said.
Joshua James, a veteran bartender, came to the same conclusion during the pandemic. After working at Friendship House, a substance abuse unit, she recently opened Ocean Beach Café, a non-alcoholic bar in San Francisco.
“I wanted to destigmatize words like addiction, recovery and sobriety,” he said. “There are thousands of reasons not to drink so much.”
He added that the coronavirus has accelerated changes in people’s drinking habits. But the pandemic blockades affected the new bars. Some, such as The Virgin Mary Bar in Dublin and Zeroliq in Berlin, have been temporarily closed. Getaway, New York, has become a coffee shop to withstand the storm.
Billy Wynne, co-owner of Awake in Denver, says his clients tend to be in their thirties or forties, especially women. Some people tell you that they have been waiting for a bar like yours for years.
“This is not a passing fad,” Wynne said. “People are not aware of the negative impact of alcohol in their lives and then they change their minds.”