Cocktail specialists on the rise of low & no alcohol drinks

Operators in the on-trade cocktail sector quizzed by The Morning Advertiser​ said that although low & no drinks currently do not make up a high percentage of their sales, that figure will increase as time goes on.

Cardiff cocktail bar the Penny, which sits at No.48 on the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list​ serves low & no options alongside a full range of alcohol-based drinks.

General manger Liam Jones said: “Over a 30-day period, working from our reports, low & no cocktails are under 5% of our sales. There’s been no marked difference comparable to last year in sales with this year.

“Sales aren’t increasing solely related to our bar, we’re a spirits-led venue that attracts avid drinkers and while there may be an uptake in other places, I find we don’t particularly see that trend.”

Jamie Hazeel, manging director of London-based Little Door & Co​, which runs five sites – each based on a fictional flat sharing theme – agreed.

He said: “[Low & no does not make up] very high percentage [of sales] at all. We haven’t seen a trend in either direction which has a significant impact on our business.

“It’s clear, on a wider level, more people are preferring to drink less. However, this hasn’t manifested itself to us in a meaningfully larger proportion of people requesting low and no options.

A great summer​

“I actually think they are more stable – and that people are more likely to adjust their behaviours and choices of venues than their drinks choices.”

On the subject of low & no becoming bigger in the future, Hazeel said: “We are very lucky to be performing very well at the moment and are enjoying a great summer.

“Low & no is definitely here to stay. However, I think in the upcoming years, the more significant pattern will be how people change their social lives in response to drinking less – and what this means for the various hospitality sectors.”

Jones of the Penny added: “The bar is doing well overall, even with the current climate of hospitality in the UK. I hope we can continue forward on the same trajectory but it would be naive to not recognise the strain on everyone right now and how fast things can change.

“Low & no definitely has its place, which is why we provide non-alcoholic options such as cocktails or 0% beer, I don’t think it will be massively different from where it’s at now.

“There’s been so many low & no brands that have unfortunately closed but we will see key players hold strong.

“Consumers are just more discerning on where they’re drinking, what they’re drinking and when. As costs rise it’s a given that people become more selective.”

Delicious drink​

Jones added there is no difference in how the Penny makes a non-alcoholic cocktail versus an alcoholic one.

“We treat non-alcoholic cocktails as cocktails,” he stated. “We try to provide a great drinking experience all round even if it makes up the smallest part of our sales.”

And Hazeel said Little Door & Co takes on all styles, including replacing the alcohol with a non-alcohol spirit and even removing the ‘spirit’ altogether.

“It’s about making a delicious drink where non-drinkers can feel as cared for and spoiled as anyone else,” he explained.

Another thing agreed upon is the fact both Little Door & Co and the Penny will sell more low & no drinks towards the Christmas season.

Hazeel said: “We sell a lot more non-alcoholic drinks over the Christmas party season as most companies request to have an option.”

Jones added: “Low & no will increase in the winter for things like Sober October and, following into dry January, this will see a marginal increase in our low & no sales.”