Something is notable for its absence in a new type of bars opening around the world: alcoholic drinks.
These bars are for people who want to stay sober and offer non-alcoholic craft drinks such as cocktails. At the 0% Alcohol-Free Experience, a futuristic bar in Tokyo, people can enjoy a mix of non-alcoholic white wine, sake and blueberries in sugar-rimmed glasses. On a recent afternoon at the Sans Bar in Austin, Texas, customers were seated at tables outside, with live music, bottled non-alcoholic IPA beers, and drinks like watermelon mockarita, with an alternative to tequila.
Sober bars are not a new phenomenon. They first appeared in the 19th century, but while in the past they focused on people who don’t drink alcohol or are recovering from alcoholism, the new ones welcome both 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,” said Sans Bar, regular customer Sondra Prineaux. “I don’t have to worry about leaving the car here and calling Uber to go home. And I wake up without a headache.”
This trend toward sobriety has been 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, America’s director of operations. From IWSR Drinks Market Analysis.
According to IWSR, alcohol consumption decreased by 5% last year in ten major markets, including the United States, Germany, Japan and Brazil. In contrast, consumption of alcoholic or low-alcohol drinks increased by 1% over the same period.
The consumption of soft and non-alcoholic drinks is still much lower than that of alcoholic drinks, but Rand notes that it is increasing two to three times faster than that of alcoholic drinks.
This increase is partly driven by the appearance of new products. From those offered by small producers like Ritual Zero Proof – a Chicago company that sells whiskey, gin and tequila without alcohol – to big companies like Anheuser-Busch, which has had a non-alcoholic Budweiser Zero beer since last year.
“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 non-alcoholic drinks.
Watters said the lockdown from the coronavirus pandemic prompted him to reconsider his habit of ending the day with a cocktail. He started experimenting with non-alcoholic drinks and decided to open his own business in August. He said 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 how they feel,” he said.
Joshua James, an experienced bartender, came to the same conclusion during the pandemic. After working at the Friendship House, a substance abuse institution, she recently opened the Ocean Beach Café, an alcohol-free bar in San Francisco.
“I wanted to destigmatize words like addiction, recovery and sobriety,” he said. “There are thousands of reasons not to drink that much.”
He added that the coronavirus has accelerated changes in people’s drinking habits. But pandemic lockdowns hurt the new bars. Some, such as The Virgin Mary Bar in Dublin and Zeroliq in Berlin, were temporarily closed. Getaway, in New York, became a cafe to weather the storm.
Billy Wynne, co-owner of Awake in Denver, says his clients are usually in their 30s or 40s, mostly women. Some tell you they’ve been waiting for years for a bar like yours.
“This isn’t a passing fad,” Wynne said. “People are unaware of the negative impact of alcohol on their lives and then change their minds.”