Go soft or go home

Designated drivers amongst a group of Christmas revellers can boost the dwell time of the whole party as well as their spend, here we explore how to give the drivers just as good a time as the drinkers.

            Death by drink driving: changing a nation

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The festivities around Christmas are always tempered by warnings about the dangers of drinking and driving, and the mayhem it can cause to the lives of victims and perpetrators alike. But there is an underlying message of hope behind the grim stats – the overall picture is improving year on year.

Coke boss talks sugar levy and new products

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From the long-running Designated Driver campaign to the sugar levy proposal, Rob Harris has plenty on his plate as the ‘new boy’ at Coca-Cola European Partners.

How Scotland’s drink-drive law change has changed pubs

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Scotland’s lower drink drive limits have had a profound effect on the pub trade, leaving a significant amount of sites with a decline in trade. Has this led to a crisis or opened up opportunities for change?

Embrace the soft drink opportunities afforded by Christmas

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Well it’s been quite a year, with Leicester City winning the Premier League, Trump’s election, the Referendum and the biggest upset of all, Danny Baker being the first out of the jungle.

Revisiting the ‘near beer’ category

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Are brewers finally managing to create no and low-alcohol beers that are genuinely palatable, rather than the curate’s egg we have endured for so many years before?

Soft swaps for alcoholic drinks

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This month, the on-trade will witness the highest sales of alcohol compared with the rest of the year. Can soft drinks equal the likes of beer, spirits and Champagne, or are they likely to wane during the festive cheer?

The rise of alcohol-free beer

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They may have endured snide remarks and sidelong glances in the past, but low and no-ABV beers are enjoying a renaissance on the back of the current trend towards healthier living.

Food and soft drink pairing

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No one bats an eyelid when wines are paired with specific dishes, and it should be no different with soft drinks.

Inside Rab Ha’s

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Rab Ha’s is named after a 19th-century lover of great food and drink. Manager Karen Pringle talks about how the site now aims to deliver great food and drink for the 21st century.

Inside Thorley Taverns

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Christmas may be a time for groups of revellers to let their hair down and party like there’s no tomorrow, but it also a time for licensees and pub operators to face up to their responsibilities and reward the designated drivers in those parties with free soft drinks.

Inside the New Queen Inn

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Since taking on Dorset pub the New Queen Inn in early 2016, licensee Will Everingham and his wife, Lorraine, have put their own stamp on the site by developing both its interior and its soft-drink offer.