The mocktail comes of age

What do you get when you mix the quest for a healthier lifestyle, less disposable income, caution about drinking and driving and a desire to socialize? The answer is mocktails, of course!

A recent survey of London bartenders found that 61% of consumers want more non-alcoholic drink choices and in Los Angeles, 83% of bar managers say so-called no-proof drinking is a growing trend.

And it’s a trend that seems driven by, you guessed it, Millennials – 45% of whom say they’re open to quitting drinking to improve their health – and by women who are the biggest consumers of mocktails.

The good news is, where once non-alcohol drinkers had to resort to a hum-drum Arnold Palmer, the options for today’s teetotalers are exploding. Today’s mocktail bartenders are experimenting with berries, vegetable purees, herbs, spices, syrups and flavored waters to create beverages that, while they may not make you tipsy, will certainly make you blissful.

 Here are just a few of the booze-free delights making the rounds at your friendly neighborhood bar or lounge:

·       Scorpio Sisters: A mouthwatering concoction of kiwi, ginger, coconut cream, pineapple and lime juices and rose flower water – from Nitecap in New York

·       Liebling: Apricot, Chinese almond milk, grapefruit, lemon and Osmanthus (a fragrant Asian flowering plant), served on the rocks – from Trick Dog in San Francisco

·       Designated Driver: A delicious blend of lime, cinnamon, orange, pineapple, bitters and soda – from Shameful Tiki in Toronto

·       Nearly Negroni: A reimagined classic that uses Seedlip 94, non-alcoholic aromatized wine and bitter sweet cordial instead of gin, Campari or vermouth – from The Savoy’s American Bar in London

What your favorite festive mocktails? Please share your mixes with the Shop Talk blog community forum.

Did you know: Who coined the term?

Mocktail, aka a mock cocktail, first appeared in an ad in 1979. As for the term “cocktail”, it first appeared in 1806. (Source)