As more and more people choose to reduce or eliminate their consumption of alcoholic beverages, the non-alcoholic beverage industry has become one of the fastest-growing markets. This can be seen with popular New Zealand Wine Label Giesen, having just invested over a million dollars in refining its non-alcoholic wine range following the highly successful launch of Giesen 0% last year.
With a growing number of people choosing not to drink alcohol, we know it's important to have great alternatives so you can still enjoy those social moments and not feel left out. We take a look at some of our favourite Non-alcoholic brands and how they're doing things a bit differently.
MONDAY
Geelong-based husband and wife duo created Monday Distillery to ensure there was a delicious and sophisticated alternative to alcoholic drinks to ensure nobody feels left out. Their motto? "Live on your own terms. Be true to you, rather than bow to the crowd".
Monday Distillery is all about enjoying those social times where you want to go out and have fun yet still stay elegantly composed. Presented in chic, glass bottles with beautiful graphic design, these are perfect for enjoying those social times and still loving yourself the next day.
“I believe society is increasingly conscious of what we are putting into our bodies. This is leading to a major shift in the beverage market" says owner Sam Manning.
BRUNSWICK ACES
The home of alcohol-free, Brunswick Aces is Australia's first non-alcoholic bar and bottleshop housed in Brunswick, Melbourne. It's attached to the Brunswick Aces distillery, the original project of a group of seven friends who wanted to host all-inclusive events, including those not drinking (specifically alcohol). With the non-alcoholic market booming, the distillery produces 3,000 litres of juniper-based beverages each week.
The bar stocks just one alcoholic beverage (a gin and tonic) in a nod to the one non-alc beverage you tend to get at most bars, and serves an array of non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits from a range of brands joining the movement. Cocktails are made with alcohol-free spirits and served with a variety of juices and syrups, using elaborate garnishes and served in fancy glassware just as you would find in any Melbourne bar.
NON
When it comes to wine, Aaron Trotman of NON says plainly, "we want people to push the boundaries with our drinks". He saw a rise in the hospitality industry of more and more people choosing not to drink in restaurants and saw an opportunity to create a product that would fill a need. Take the lunchtime business meeting as an example. When enjoying a fine meal over an important occasion, it's important to have an alternative so you can still enjoy the full "wining and dining" experience without the effects of alcohol.
NON sees opportunity in boundaries, blending the lines between chef and winemaker to create truly unique products. "Our latest release, NON #6, is kind of like a cross between a bloody Mary and a chardonnay,” Aaron explains. “We infused tomatoes and charred red peppers for the top notes, then added in a few different herbal notes like coriander seeds and included nutritional yeast (often seen in vegan cooking) to replicate the creamy finish to a chardonnay.”
LYRE'S
Like the lyrebird itself, Lyre's is the master of imitation, recreating the flavours of classic spirits and liqueurs from rum, gin and whiskey, to absinthe, amaretto, and Campari.
“What we set out to do is create non-alcoholic homages to the greatest flavours known to humankind – in liquor,” says Lyre’s co-founder Mark Livings.
With Lyre's, you have the freedom to drink your drink, your way. You can choose to reduce your intake by choosing from their low-alcohol products or go all the way to zero without having to compromise on flavour. This is one of Livings' measures of success - ensuring their products would stand up to the flavour test of all your favourite classic cocktails.
