YOU’RE WATCHING KOAT ACTION SEVEN NEWS. NEW DATA FROM THE INTERNATIONAL WINE AND SPIRITS RECORD SHOWS A DECLINE IN ALCOHOL SALES SINCE 2021. MANY STEPPING AWAY FROM THE BOTTLE EVEN LONGER THAN DRY JANUARY. FAITH EGBUONU EXPLAINS WHY. A MOCKTAIL OR NONALCOHOLIC BEER? IT IS YOUR CHOICE, AND PERHAPS THE BETTER OPTION, DEPENDING ON WHO YOU ASK. KIND OF LIKE A FANCY DRINK. GONE ARE THE DAYS OF BINGE DRINKING. AT LEAST THAT IS WHAT CHRISTINE WIRTH TELLS US. IT’S DEFINITELY BECOMING MORE ACCEPTABLE FOR SURE. JUST THE CHOICE TO SAY NO OR NO THANK YOU OR I’M OKAY. I’M LIKE, I’VE BEEN SAYING THAT MY WHOLE LIFE AND I GET SO MANY LOOKS OR PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO LIKE, BUT COME ON. BUT YOU HAVEN’T TRIED THIS. AND I’M LIKE, NO, TRUST ME, IT’S NOT FOR ME. I FEEL GREAT NOT DRINKING. DATA FROM THE INTERNATIONAL WINE AND SPIRITS RECORD SHOWS A SHARP DECLINE IN ALCOHOL SALES SINCE 2021. HANGOVERS SUCK. NEXT IS BLUES SMOKEHOUSE, GENERAL MANAGER DIEGO CHAVEZ TELLING US HE AND HIS TEAM HAD TO PIVOT TO MEET THE DEMAND. WE INTRODUCED A MOCKTAIL MENU AND ANY OF OUR DRINKS THAT WE HAVE HERE, WE COULD DO MOCKTAILS. I HAVE A MOCKTAIL MOJITO WITH OUR OWN BERRY SIRUP. WE HAVE STRAWBERRY VANILLA MULE THAT WE MAKE OUR OWN VANILLA SIMPLE SIRUP TO REPLACE THE VODKA WITH, AND THE REQUEST FOR NONALCOHOLIC BEERS HAS NOW TAKEN OFF. IT’S LIKE, OKAY, THEY’RE COMING TO A BREWERY, BUT THEY’RE NOT DRINKING. AND GRANTED, OUR FOOD IS PHENOMENAL, BUT YOU STILL WANT TO GET SOM
Non-alcoholic beverages gain popularity as alcohol sales decline
“It’s becoming more acceptable— the choice to say ‘no,’ or ‘no, thank you, I’m ok,” Kristine Werth said
Alcohol sales have declined with non-alcoholic options, such as mocktails and non-alcoholic beers being one’s drink of choice with local breweries and bars adapting to meet the demand. New data from the International Wine and Spirits Record indicates a sharp decline in alcohol sales since 2021. MORE: Alcohol spend still stubbornly low despite rising confidence salesOn Wednesday, January 7, 2025, KOAT spoke with Nexus Blue Smokehouse general manager, Diego Chavez. He explained how his team adapted to the shift in consumer preferences. “We introduced a mocktail menu and any of our drinks that we have here— we can do mocktails. I have a mocktail mojito with our own berry syrup. We have strawberry vanilla, that we make our own vanilla simple syrup to replace the vodka with. Then, we just got in business with Athletic. They give us non-athletic beers,” Chavez told KOAT. “We switched over to the non-alcoholic beers, probably early beginning last year, because we started to notice a lot of people were coming in asking for it, or they just weren’t drinking. Granted, our food is phenomenal, but you still want to get some drinks going. It worked out great, man. We’re selling just as much of the mocktail as we are everything else,” Chavez said. “I feel great not drinking. It’s definitely becoming more acceptable. Just the choice to say, ‘no or no, thank you’ or ‘I’m okay.’ I’ve been saying that my whole life and I get so many looks or people are like— But come on, you haven’t tried this. I’m just like, ‘no, trust me, it’s not for me,” Kristine Werth, who noted she isn’t a drinker. “There’s obvious physical drawbacks from drinking alcohol, but I would say that there’s an equal amount of mental benefits to not drinking alcohol, just in my experience,” Werth said. Stay updated on the latest news updates with the KOAT app. Download here
Alcohol sales have declined with non-alcoholic options, such as mocktails and non-alcoholic beers being one’s drink of choice with local breweries and bars adapting to meet the demand. New data from the International Wine and Spirits Record indicates a sharp decline in alcohol sales since 2021.
MORE: Alcohol spend still stubbornly low despite rising confidence sales
On Wednesday, January 7, 2025, KOAT spoke with Nexus Blue Smokehouse general manager, Diego Chavez. He explained how his team adapted to the shift in consumer preferences.
“We introduced a mocktail menu and any of our drinks that we have here— we can do mocktails. I have a mocktail mojito with our own berry syrup. We have strawberry vanilla, that we make our own vanilla simple syrup to replace the vodka with. Then, we just got in business with Athletic. They give us non-athletic beers,” Chavez told KOAT.
“We switched over to the non-alcoholic beers, probably early beginning last year, because we started to notice a lot of people were coming in asking for it, or they just weren’t drinking. Granted, our food is phenomenal, but you still want to get some drinks going. It worked out great, man. We’re selling just as much of the mocktail as we are everything else,” Chavez said.
“I feel great not drinking. It’s definitely becoming more acceptable. Just the choice to say, ‘no or no, thank you’ or ‘I’m okay.’ I’ve been saying that my whole life and I get so many looks or people are like— But come on, you haven’t tried this. I’m just like, ‘no, trust me, it’s not for me,” Kristine Werth, who noted she isn’t a drinker.
“There’s obvious physical drawbacks from drinking alcohol, but I would say that there’s an equal amount of mental benefits to not drinking alcohol, just in my experience,” Werth said.
Stay updated on the latest news updates with the KOAT app. Download here
