“The world of nonalcoholic spirits is absolutely exploding,” says Jacquie Bols, owner of Jacquie’s Gourmet Catering. “Not only are there a ton of interesting varieties of A/F (alcohol-free) spirits being developed, but bartenders are happily crafting amazing and creative nonalcoholic cocktails. It’s becoming quite trendy to offer a variety of A/F cocktails at an increasing number of parties we cater.”
According to the Alcoholic Beverage Commission, “Growth of non-alcoholic beverage trends across the U.S. is being reflected in sales figures. Between August 2021 and August 2022, total dollar sales of non-alcoholic drinks in the US stood at $395 million, showing a year-on-year growth of +20.6%.”
The reasons are interesting:
Our bartenders and party planners certainly see and appreciate this trend – which won’t be going away any time soon.
How does this affect the next event you plan?
“Don’t make non-alcohol cocktails an after-thought,” suggests one of our favorite bartenders. “Instead, plan on offering several types of A/F bar choices – maybe even headline them.”
At one recent wedding reception, the bride and groom both offered a specialty non-alcoholic cocktail in their honor. “We’ve found attendees really appreciate not having to resort to club soda or flavored sodas for their drink of choice.”
Says Jacquie Bols, “Our bartenders have discovered several tasty and delicious substitutes for bourbon, gin, rum and vodka, and can easily make great cocktails with each of them.”
So why not add A/F drinks to your next event? It’s healthy, trendy, inclusive, and now… absolutely delicious!
