The growth of teetotalism and sober-curiosity

We all know the tale, terraces and rooftops reopening, and off we go drinking.

But lately, the tale has somewhat been changing with the rise of the teetotalist or sober-curious movement and so, off we go drinking, but not necessarily alcohol. Unsurprisingly, we are seeing more and more brands investing or emerging in the non-alcoholic beverage segment.

By far the fastest growing segment, non-alcoholic beverages made up $1.3 trillion of the market in 2023. With an expected CAGR of 7%, it is expected to reach $3 trillion in 2035 and is growing faster than its alcoholic alter-egos.

That growth has many factors but there is probably no bigger factor than the rise of the wellness culture and health awareness. More and more people are concerned with health and longevity. Unsurprisingly, alcohol is not necessarily helping with that quest. Amongst consumers, the younger generation is leading the movement and no wonder the hashtag #sobercurious has over 89,000 videos on TikTok. In fact, teetotalism is on the rise and an interesting statistic in the US shows that the share of teetoal college students in the US has risen from 20% to 28% in less than a decade.

Many brands are leading the way and we urge you to quench your thirst with them this summer. To get you started, here are some of the best non-alcoholic champagnes, wines, spirits and cocktail-mixers on the market.

Hard to think of a celebration without champagne but if you are teetotal or sober-curious or even pregnant, French Bloom has your back. The French-female-founded non-alcoholic label offers a white and rosé version, both sharing a beautiful taste and we love the art direction of the bottles. A mix of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir bio with other organic natural ingredients, notably citrus notes, French Bloom then undergoes an alcohol-removal process up until reaching an alcohol-free state.

On the spirit side, Seedlip was one of the pioneers of its category creating a tasty and complex spirit from natural ingredients.

On the other side of the channel, in France, the female-founded JNPR brand has created an incredible collection of spirits from the juniper plant (hence the brand name), the key ingredient to produce gin, all sugar-free and with no compromise on the flavours reminiscing drinkers of the best spirits.

Two others of my personal favourites include Belgian-founded Nona who creates incredible cocktail mixers; the Spritz which needs no describing, June which is similar to Gin, Ginger with yuzu, verbena and naturally ginger. French-based Ousia is another fantastic trailblazer and make one of the best non-alcoholic spritz in my opinion.

In other words, Aara is the first Art of Living Curator, emerging as a unique but so important trend in a time when consumers are starting to see the downsides of mass market. Consumers no longer want to settle for basic or even subpar experiences and that is why we see the multiplication of concepts all trying to woo the guests at once.

If even sommeliers like Benoit d’Onofrio turn to the non-alcoholic side to become as he coined it the first “sobrelier”, that is no surprise that the large conglomerates have also caught on the trend. That’s the case of Martini with its non-alcoholic spritz and Nestle with Perrier and San Pelligrino’s glamorous soft drinks inspired by cocktails such as the Virgin Collins that are tasty and chic enough (you will note Perrier’s name for the line “Chic”) to bring to a classy picnic or drink at Rolland Garros. Branding, product packaging and art direction are huge success factors as with any brand but is especially of the essence for non alcoholic brands to drive adoption and stickiness and reduce social stigma so as to make it “cool to be sober”.

83% of consumers of non-alcoholic beverages also consume alcohol so it is not for the few but very much for the many, especially as consumers are also seeking less sweet alternatives without compromising on taste and complexity. The opportunity is hence important for the hospitality sector.

The hospitality bottom line: Hotels, bars and restaurants should offer more of these sophisticated alternatives made possible by pioneering and innovative brands instead of the classical virgin mojito or any soda alternative that are usually very sweet, sometimes infantilising, and let us be honest, not very qualitative. Consumers ask for more creativity, more complexity with drinks that are chic and socially inclusive enough. A very important point to keep in mind is that most of these options can be priced on par with alcoholic drinks; hence not hurting hospitality’s bottom line on beverages.

A great action plan for these hospitality players would be:

1. To meet with the aforementioned brands and many of the other talented ones in the industry. In fact, try to meet with as many as you can over time. Find the ones that you connect with the most, that fit your brands, your values, your menus and your guests’ known tastes. If you are Paris-based, La Grande Epicerie has its “non alcoholic cellar” which is a good place to discover high quality curated brands on your own.
2. Make the development of that offering a priority: that means enable your cocktail masters to explore their creativity and try options, test with guests, reiterate. That will enable them to constitute a permanent base of classics and then keep creating according to the seasons, wants and needs and their inspirations. We recommend 5 options and creations.
3. Explore what other hospitality players are offering. A hotel leading the way is La Fantaisie with their rooftop bar offering incredible cocktails and a large nonalcoholic selection including the Ousia spritz.

So what are you waiting for?

Go for an aperitivo ! Non-alcoholic bien sûr !