The trend towards mocktails is something that hospitality venues can’t afford to ignore.
Whether the choice to alcohol-free is an occasional choice, or a lifestyle decision, the reality is that a growing number of people are thirsty for a more exciting variety of non-alcoholic beverages – and that means that mocktails are bigger and better than ever.
Natalie Battaglia is the founder of the popular mocktail recipe blog, The Mindful Mocktail. She creates simple, delicious non-alcoholic cocktails and encourages her readers to explore a life with less alcohol. Referred to as a thought leader in the alcohol-free space, Natalie has a passion for making non-alcoholic drinks exciting.
How the pandemic changed our drinking habits
With a global shift towards non-alcoholic drinking emerging before the pandemic, the recent world events have led to even more people seeking greater choice when it comes to what they drink.
“Research shows that, as we entered the pandemic and for a period of time following, alcohol consumption spiked in Australia,” says Natalie. “This was a dangerous combination, with individuals drinking at home (often alone), instead of in social situations – and for many people, using alcohol became a coping mechanism.”
Once Australians realised that the pandemic was not a temporary thing, but instead, something we’d need to live with long-term, many chose to put down the bottle (or at least reduce their intake) and make a change to their habits.
This, combined with an increasing amount of exceptional alcohol-free alternatives coming to the market, meant the demand for mocktails spiked – and continues.
Who’s ordering mocktails?
“It is true that millennials are leading the way when it comes to reducing their alcohol intake or abstaining altogether,” says Natalie. “But in my experience, there are Australians of all ages embracing mindful drinking or sobriety. I speak to women daily in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond who are wanting to reduce or cut out alcohol – and they are changing their lives by doing so.”
For hospitality venues keen to tap into this increasingly discerning demographic, adding deliciously different mocktails to your drinks menu can deliver an important point of difference. But don’t think that mocktails are only the choice of women…
“There’s no denying a large portion of these conversations are being driven by women, but brands like Heaps Normal have had incredible success, and a huge percentage of their market is men,” Natalie adds.
The reasons behind it are about more than just COVID-19 – although Natalie says that it’s clear it has been an important influence.
“We have never been more aware of the effects of alcohol, both physically and mentally. After the last two years it makes sense that individuals are doing everything they can to protect both their physical and mental health. For many men and women, that means reducing their alcohol intake,” she says.
Add more mocktails to your menu
Natalie believes that, for hospitality venues to cater to the growing number of people seeking non-alcoholic options,there needs to be a wider offering of non-alcoholic drinks on the menu, including mocktails, non-alcoholic beer and wine. To do so, venues need to understand the difference in products and invest time into researching what will enhance their menu and attract grateful customers.
“The quality of alcohol-free wine and beer has increased dramatically over the last few years, with ‘grape juice’ a thing of the past. With high-quality wines made with premium grapes available, people like me want to be able to have a red wine with our steak, or a glass of sparkling with our oysters,” she adds. “The issue is that many of the readily available alcohol-free wines and beers are often not the best choice. There are far superior wines and beers out there who are true rivals to their alcoholic counterparts.”
Unfortunately, too many venues still view non-alcoholic drinks as the poor cousin on the drinks menu and don’t make an effort to add interesting choices.
To counter this – and give venue managers access to quality information around non-alcoholic drinks that will add a special buzz to any drinks menu, Natalie recommends connecting with Dry But Wet – a brand she describes as a “trailblazer in the alcohol-free drinks space”.
“She spends much of her time rating and reviewing non-alcoholic beverages and offers a consultancy service for venues,” says Natalie. This service includes helping the venue create an alcohol-free drinks menu with only the best alcohol alternatives, as well as connecting venues with distributors and training the staff on the product.
Non-drinkers should never be ignored
From Natalie’s research, non-drinkers are now the decision-makers when it comes to choosing a venue for a dinner or event. While someone who drinks alcohol can buy their drink of choice in any venue, a non-drinker doesn’t have that same luxury, so will always push to dine at a venue that has an inclusive alcohol-free menu.
“By having a decent alcohol-free range, non-drinkers won’t just attend a venue, they will be loyal return customers and bring new people with them. Venues that don’t offer decent non-alcoholic options are leaving money on the table,” says Natalie.
The best thing about the wide range of alcohol-free spirits available now, Natalie adds, is that it’s not difficult to create an easy, delicious mocktail offering.
“If a venue wanted to make things really simple, I would suggest offering the patrons non-alcoholic versions of their cocktails, and simply replacing the full-strength spirit with an alcohol-free one. Brands like Lyres also make it so easy to create an alcohol-free cocktail menu, and are happy to liaise with venues to help create their selection,” she says.
Overall, non-drinkers just want choice, and to not be stuck choosing between soda and juice. Anthony, the publican at Victoria Hotel, Footscray, has had huge success introducing a range of high-quality, alcohol-free options. He says it best in a recent podcast:
“The decision to give up booze isn’t a financial factor for most people. They are happy to spend money. If you delve into the demographics of people that are sober, they are better educated, they have more disposable income, they are happy to spend – these are all the demographics you want in your venue.”
For Natalie personally, “I have happily paid up to $20 for a mocktail and up to $30 corkage to bring my own non-alcoholic wine to a venue if they don’t offer it on the menu – this is extremely common within the alcohol-free community.”
Serving up choice
That insight highlights the fact that, for many, the choice to abstain from alcohol is not financially driven – a truth that Natalie says more venues need to understand and cater to.
“I feel like most venues do this quite well, but essentially, we just want mocktails to get the same special treatment cocktails do – think dehydrated citrus, lemon or lime twists and herb garnishes.”
Adding mocktails to any venue menu is about delivering more choice – to ensure your business remains relevant and welcoming to a range of client demands. By serving up fun flavours of non-alcoholic drinks that cater to under-age patrons, as well as those looking for fresh beverage options that offer more than limited soft drink or juice ranges, your menu can explore new ways to make seasonal adjustments that make the most of interesting ingredients – and keep your clientele coming back for more.
To learn about more ways to attract new patrons – and add greater value to your loyal and local customers – talk to our hospitality consulting team at Perfectly Paired.
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