{"id":4510,"date":"2022-02-28T12:18:17","date_gmt":"2022-02-28T12:18:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/CAIiECKtO86timakgUqQNCmCZRIqFggEKg0IACoGCAowtdQGMNBcMNe0uAY"},"modified":"2022-02-28T12:18:17","modified_gmt":"2022-02-28T12:18:17","slug":"its-growing-every-day-the-rise-of-non-alcoholic-bottle-shops-and-bars-wine-enthusiast-wine-enthusiast-magazine-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=4510","title":{"rendered":"‘It’s Growing Every Day’: The Rise of Non-Alcoholic Bottle Shops and Bars | Wine Enthusiast – Wine Enthusiast Magazine Online"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the pandemic began, Amy Howlett found herself having a cocktail every night. Her porch happy hour with neighbors was \u201cthe only avenue for social interaction,\u201d says the New Jersey-based small business owner. Soon, though, imbibing daily started to make her feel sluggish.<\/p>\n

Not wanting to give up the ritual completely, Howlett started experimenting with different alcohol-free happy hour options, and discovered a plethora of non-alcoholic (NA) brands.<\/p>\n

She started selling these NA wines, beers, spirits and cocktails at General Store Cooperative<\/a>, the retail incubator space she co-founded in Maplewood. Customers snapped them up.<\/p>\n

\"Inside<\/a>
Inside Sipple \/ Photo by Therron Francis <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After a lot of testing, research and feedback, Howlett opened The Essential Spirits<\/a> in September 2021, setting up a dedicated space in the cooperative as well as an ecommerce business. The shop carries more than 150 alcohol-free beers, spirits, wines and cocktails, plus CBD and beverages with adaptogens, or plants or herbs purported to have stress-reduction properties and other health benefits. The Essential Spirits also carries artisanal bitters, shrubs, drink mixes and barware.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe like to say we\u2019re a cocktail shop with everything but the booze,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Howlett\u2019s business is not the only such bottle-shop-sans-booze. The demand for <\/a>NA beverages was up 60% from July 2020 to 2021. And Nielsen reports<\/a> retail sales of NA beverages over recent years has surged by billions of dollars.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
\n
Subscribe to<\/span> Wine Enthusiast Newsletters<\/span> Get the latest news, reviews, recipes and gear sent to your inbox.<\/span> <\/p>\n
\n

Thank You!<\/span> We’ve received your email address, and soon you will start getting exclusive offers and news from Wine Enthusiast.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Privacy Policy<\/a> <\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In the last few years, NA stores have been opening all over the country, from The Open Road<\/a> in Pittsburgh, which started in January 2020, to Boisson\u2019s<\/a> five New York City locations, all of which opened in 2021. That same year, Sipple<\/a> debuted in Houston and, in 2020, Awake<\/a> in Denver. Many of these shops are also bars and aim to be community hubs. And, like The Essential Spirits, many sell their bottles online, too.<\/p>\n

\"Co-founders<\/a>
Co-founders of The Dry Goods Beverage Co., Adrienne Stillman Krausz and Jake Krausz \/ Photo by Alex Bentson
\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Digital retailers like Better Rhodes<\/a>, which started in 2020, and The Dry Goods Beverage Company<\/a>, which launched in 2021, have also proliferated. Both ship nationally and Better Rhodes also ships to Canada.<\/p>\n

Laura Silverman keeps track of these new bottle shops<\/a>, online marketplaces and subscription services on Zero Proof Nation<\/a>, an online community and resource for all things non-alcoholic. Silverman started to explore zero-proof brands and beverages in 2017 after a decade of sobriety. Before that, she says, \u201cthere were no sexy, healthy non-alcoholic options to choose from.\u201d<\/p>\n

She started Zero Proof Nation in 2019 on Instagram<\/a>, and credits the growth of these bottle shops to a number of factors. There\u2019s the rising popularity of the sober curious movement and months like Sober October and Dry January; over a fifth of U.S. adult consumers participated in the latter in 2019, Nielsen also reported<\/a>. She also thinks the pandemic caused many to reevaluate their relationship with alcohol. Early studies do show<\/a> alcohol consumption increased related to Covid-19 stress.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A selection of non-alcoholic wine, spirits and cocktail alternatives from The Dry Goods Beverage Co. \/ Photo by Alex Bentson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chris Becker, founder of Better Rhodes, does find that mindful drinkers, as well as those abstaining from alcohol for health reasons, make up a large portion of his customer base. But there are many others, too, from those who are sober, to pregnant people, to the folks he calls \u2018420s,\u2019 who \u201cget their buzz in other ways,\u201d to hosts looking to have non-alcoholic options for their guests and more.<\/p>\n

In 2020, according to drinks brand accelerator Distill Ventures<\/a>, 11 non-alcoholic brands launched in the U.K. and 12 in the U.S. Since then, Silverman estimates that \u201chundreds of NA brands formed in the last two years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Howlett, who took a course<\/a> for aspiring booze-free entrepreneurs with Austin\u2019s Sans Bar<\/a> prior to launching The Essential Spirits, says some of her most popular products include Ghia<\/a>, a non-alcoholic aperitif; Ritual<\/a>, zero-proof spirits; Monday Gin<\/a>; Vinada<\/a>, a non-alcoholic wine; NA beer Athletic<\/a>; CBD seltzers Bimble<\/a> and Recess<\/a>; CBD beverages from Vybes<\/a> and Curious Elixirs<\/a>, non-alcoholic craft cocktails made with adaptogens.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A selection of bottles from Better Rhodes and Chris Becker, the digital store\u2019s founder \/ Photos courtesy of Better Rhodes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Still, she says, \u201cthere are lots of brands out there,\u201d from local makers to giants like Heineken<\/a> getting into the NA game, \u201cand it\u2019s growing every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though some traditional liquor retailers, such as Total Wine & More<\/a> and Drizly<\/a>, also carry NA beverages, Silverman says that retailers devoted to non-alcoholic beverages provide an important alternative. They \u201callow a safe space for people to browse without the potential triggers of alcohol,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Many also provide community, doubling as sober bars or event spaces. While Covid-19 continues to present challenges when it comes to gathering, Howlett, who\u2019s at work on a second location, says, \u201cHaving a brick-and mortar ties us to a local community,\u201d giving her space to run tastings, book clubs and trivia nights. She also runs virtual connections like The Essential Spirits\u2019 Facebook group and online events.<\/p>\n

\"Boisson's<\/a>
Boisson\u2019s Cobble Hill location \/ Photo by Walter Wall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important for people who are cutting down on drinking or trying to cut it out completely to have social outlets,\u201d says Howlett.<\/p>\n

Becker of Better Rhodes estimates his online marketplace carries over 400 products from just under 100 producers (bestsellers include Luminara Wines\u2019 Noughty Sparkling Ros\u00e9<\/a> and Chardonnay<\/a>). He didn\u2019t originally plan to have a retail space to showcase them. Since opening a showroom in September 2021, however, the Madison, Connecticut, shop has also been used for tastings, events, photography and podcasts; it\u2019s where the company\u2019s 20 employees sample new products and create recipes.<\/p>\n

Brands, too, find the bubbling up of bottle shops to be beneficial. Chris Boyd, cofounder of Drink Monday<\/a>, which makes zero-alcohol gin<\/a> and whiskey<\/a>, says his Southern California-based company will always be digitally native.<\/p>\n

But Boyd and cofounder Ben Acott love seeing \u201cevery zero-proof shop and sober bar that opens up.\u201d Their drinks are in stock at around half a dozen such retailers, and they have a goal of increasing their presence in them this year. \u201cWe know our customers want the opportunity to see, touch and taste,\u201d says Boyd. \u201c[That] can\u2019t be done through a website or an app.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sipple<\/a>
Sipple owners Danny and Helenita Frounfelkner \/ Photo by Therron Francis <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

19 Non-Alcoholic Retailers, Brands and Bars Nationwide<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re curious about this emerging category, check out these digital and brick-and-mortar NA retailers.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. BeClink<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. No & Low<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. The Essential Spirits<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. The Open Road<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Boisson<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Sipple<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Awake<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Better Rhodes<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. The Dry Goods Beverage Company<\/a><\/li>\n
  10. Sans Bar<\/a><\/li>\n
  11. Ghia<\/a><\/li>\n
  12. Ritual<\/a><\/li>\n
  13. Monday Gin<\/a><\/li>\n
  14. Vinada<\/a><\/li>\n
  15. Athletic Brewing<\/a><\/li>\n
  16. Recess<\/a><\/li>\n
  17. Vybes<\/a><\/li>\n
  18. Curious Elixirs<\/a><\/li>\n
  19. Bimble<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    When the pandemic began, Amy Howlett found herself having a cocktail every night. Her porch happy hour with neighbors was \u201cthe only avenue for social interaction,\u201d says the New Jersey-based small business owner. Soon, though, imbibing daily started to make her feel sluggish. Not wanting to give up the ritual completely, Howlett started experimenting with different alcohol-free happy hour options, and discovered a plethora of non-alcoholic (NA) brands. She started selling these NA wines, beers, spirits and cocktails at General Store Cooperative, the retail incubator space she co-founded in Maplewood. Customers snapped them up. Inside Sipple \/ Photo by Therron… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-connecticut-cbd-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4510"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4510\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}