On the wagon
Recent statistics show that more and more people are cutting down on alcohol. This is not just being driven by health concerns and drink driving laws though. Recent figures from the Health Survey for England show that in just a few years non-drinkers have risen from 9% of the adult population to 17%.
Meanwhile the 10,000 participants reported that complete abstention was becoming “mainstream”. Other statistics show that 24% of adults under 30, no longer drink alcohol at all.
Despite this trend it's difficult to get a decent choice of either soft drinks or non-alcoholic beers, ciders, spirits or wines. To emphasise the point, at least a quarter of people under 30 walking into a bar will be looking for something without any alcohol. And yet, although you can choose between 25 varieties of gin you still have a depressing choice between J2O juices or coke from a gun dispenser attached to a large bag in a box. Meanwhile, supermarkets still have a tiny range of non-alcoholic drinks, mostly from the big producers desperately trying to cash in on the zeitgeist. My problem is, that they taste non-alcoholic and 'thin' and don't have a satisfying kick to remind me I'm drinking something grown up.
There is a real opportunity here for the independents and enterprising retailers are reporting that events encouraging customers to come and taste new non-alcoholic drinks are proving hugely popular. This would work well in a deli or farm shop with so much more novelty than a cheese tasting.
Recently on The FoodTalk Show, Laura Willoughby from Club Soda was a studio guest. Club Soda is the joining together of two people, Jussi a (now) moderate drinking Finn, and Laura who used to be a ‘no off switch’ drinker who had decided that being alcohol-free suits her best.
They believed that moderation and going alcohol-free are achievable goals and require the same behaviour change techniques to get there. So, they developed Club Soda as a Mindful Drinking Movement. Their comprehensive website has a myriad of support materials, links, guidance and interesting articles. Their vision is to achieve a world where nobody has to feel out of place if they're not drinking.
Laura led me to her favourite website that she believes has the best supply of non-alcoholic small producers from the UK, Europe and beyond. It's called drydrinker.com. For the purposes of research, I decided to order a selection from the site for a big tasting session and was pleasantly surprised. My favourite was Krombacher Weizen Wheat Beer which is 0% alcohol. You genuinely would believe this is an ordinary craft wheat beer. Other impressive brands include Braxzz, Big Drop, Kosmic, Infinite Session and St Peter's Without.
Non-alcoholic cider is a good bet too, but I was more sceptical of the non-alcoholic spirits and wines. Having tried a good selection though, I would not hesitate to drink Duchess Gin and Tonic, Elkingtons Gin Rhubarb and Teetotal GnT, probably instead of a normal gin and tonic - and to be honest I never thought I would say that.
I am a great fan of wine, but I still could not find anything that was low alcohol that I would serve to my dinner guests. The nearest was Pierre Zero Prestige red wine (not cheap at £7.99), which I would force on myself if I was driving but would never drink out of choice . . . unlike the amazing range of beers.
Sue Nelson
