Summer sober sips can be so much more than soda: Jasmine Mangalaseril
Waterloo region bars and restaurants are mixing up fun drinks
It wasn't that long ago when the only non-alcoholic options at bars and restaurants were pops, juices, and water, and maybe the occasional Shirley Temple or virgin pina colada.
"We've come a long way with accessibility to non-alcoholic experience," says Wes Klassen, sommelier and co-owner of Kitchener's Odd Duck Wine and Provisions.
"You can't just offer all the cool things alcohol-wise and food-wise and dessert-wise and then just fall off with your other options."
Bob Huitema, president of DistillX Beverages in Toronto, worked for global leaders in food and drink before he launched Søbrii 0-Spirits five years ago. He said Canadians' decreasing drinking habits have been known since the 2000s.
"We'd already recognised then that every generation was drinking less than the generation previously," explained Huitema. "In general, that is what the trend has been. Boomers drank more than Generation X. Generation X drank more than Millennials. And so on and so forth."
According to a 2019 Canadian Alcohol and Drugs Survey, about 75 per cent of Canadian adults drink, but more and more people are choosing not to drink as much or as often.
That's something Odd Duck's bar manager Emma Osmond has noticed.
"People who aren't imbibing, not only people who are sober or sober-curious, also take sober breaks," Osmond said. "Maybe they just don't feel like drinking one night but still want something pretty, something cute, something refreshing and not just full of sugar to sip on."
WATCH | Emma Osmond with some sober sips for summer:
Part of health-conscious lifestyle
At Neøni, a specialty non-alcoholic beverage shop at the St. Jacob's Market, owner Ian Harvey finds his customers come in for reasons ranging from reducing alcohol as part of a more health-conscious lifestyle to cutting it out entirely because of health issues or medications.
Some beverages are made by infusing water with botanicals. Others are made by de-alcoholizing beverages like wine or gin.
Meanwhile, many non-alcoholic beers are made by stopping the fermentation process before alcohol is produced.
One thing to keep in mind is the better the full-proof wine and spirit, chances are the better the de-alcoholized version will be.
Huitema said it took about a year of trial and error, working with Niagara College's Research and Innovation Division, to get the flavours right for Søbrii 0-Gin.
"Gins are very interesting, particularly the ingredients," Huitema said. "There are several common (botanicals), but there's a lot of variability in terms of different gin styles and different botanicals that you use."
Sober shops
Neøni opened in 2022 as one of the province's first physical sober beverage shops. Harvey gave up alcohol 30 years ago and was prompted to launch his business after better-quality products began appearing.
Today, his shelves are stocked with beers, wines, spirits, premixed drinks, and bitters made in Canada and around the world.
"I'm very very fussy about it as a consumer myself because I really enjoy beers and wines and spirits," Harvey explained.
"People do want high quality wines and beers and they're looking for spirits they can make into cocktails."
Whether you're sober curious or want options for your next get-together, the experts offer the following advice:
- Stating the obvious: You're not going to get full-proof buzz from zero-proof beverages.
- Tempt your tastebuds: Keep an eye out for public tastings hosted by makers and distributors.
- Start with what you know: If you like IPAs (for example), start with non-alcoholic versions.
- Red wines are tough to get right: White wines, such as pino grigios are often more successful than reds (but there are some good shirazes and cabernet sauvignons).
- This bourbon's made for sipping: Many dealcoholized spirits are meant for mixed drinks, but there are a few good sipping bourbons.
- Go on a pantry raid: Fresh herbs often translate into flavourful cocktails and don't be afraid to spice it up or experiment with baking extracts.
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