January is here. The time to make unrealistic resolutions and cut back on excesses. Dry January or Drynuary has become an annual tradition for many, where they abstain from alcohol for a full 31 days. It started in 2013 by Alcohol Change UK, a charity aiming to create mindful alcohol consumption habits.
This year giving up alcohol may be easier than ever before.
A 2023 report by International Wine and Spirits Research (IWSR) says no-alcohol beverage volumes are set to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of +9% between 2022 and 2026. In fact, popular dating platform Bumble’s study, conducted across 2,000 single adults, finds a growing trend of couples staying away from alcohol — with one in four single Indians choosing not to drink on dates in 2023 (called Dry Dating).
As the F&B scene in India wakes up to this growing trend, bartenders have made a pivot towards zero ABV (alcohol per volume of a beverage) drinks that offer all the complexity of a good cocktail, minus the hangover. Across the beverage landscape, inventiveness meets intention as craft drinks sans alcohol, go beyond virgin piña coladas, mojitos, and even the ubiquitous fresh lime soda.
At Pandan Club in Chennai, co-owner Manoj Padmanabhan says it is all about storytelling, craft, and presentation. “Our commitment to crafting 0% ABV speciality craft drinks is deeply rooted in honouring the essence of Peranakan (mixed Chinese and Malay/Indonesian heritage) culture while embracing the vibrant tapestry of Indian ingredients.”
For the young at heart, Little Nyonya offers delicious carbonation, with bright rose, paneer soda, chia seeds, and notes of tropical lychee. For the seniors, Holy Berry is sugar-free and ice-free using amla, honey and Indian basil, served in a champagne flute garnished with an orange wedge. Clear Mary is a delectable twist on the classic Bloody Mary using tomato consommé prepared in-house by extracting the essence of ripe, local tomatoes to create an ice-free, clear base, infused with herbs and spices.
Manoj has created zero ABV drinks with nitro coffee too, at his coffee bar at Chennai’s Beachville Coffee Roasters, where he is Head of Experiences. “Our nitro dispenser creates creamy coffee, with a foamy head, and almost mimics a Guinness beer.” Priced at ₹350 each, like the craft drinks at Pandan Club, the Nutcase is a classic nitro float with coconut water while the Cold Fashioned is a playful take on an Old Fashioned with cinnamon spanked cold brew, Bourbon-inspired zero ABV bitters, orange zest and cherry juice.
Aneesh Bhasin, co-founder at Mumbai based Svami Drinks, seconds the move to use coffee in craft drinks, as sober partying picks up pace across the country. “At the GrindBar in Goa, I crafted a coffee drink with some espresso, Goan lime, a dash of salted lemonade, and zest. ” Svami Drinks’ most recent drop, a Pandan tonic water (₹85 per bottle available across India e-commerce sites) is a collaborative effort with the Singapore Tourism Board that introduces a distinctive flavour of pandan, fused with Gondoraj lemons. “
“Whether someone is indulging in booze or not, their drink should be complex, and flavourful. India is the spice box of the world, and we can offer so many indigenous flavours,” says Aneesh.
Meanwhile, Manoj Singh Rawat, head mixologist at Kolkata’s Sorano, has created layered craft drinks (priced between ₹350-450) marrying a zero waste sensibility with sous vide, vapour distillation and centrifuges to clarify juices and concoctions. “Our Garcinia Junos has homemade kokum syrup, kaffir lime leaf, yuzu and a splash of soda while Bloom Night recreates the heady scent of floral jasmine notes, hibiscus with notes of juniper berries with seltzer. It’s all about creating building blocks of flavour, with fresh herbs, florals, and fruit.”
At Mumbai’s The Bombay Canteen and O Pedro, Yash Bhanage, Founder and COO at Hunger Inc. Hospitality says “The idea of introducing Free-Spirited Cocktails came about when we thought of giving guests who do not consume alcohol a complete dining experience.” The drinks are priced at ₹410, from the Honey-Sesame Iced Americano made with cold brew coffee, honey, toasted sesame and sea salt; to the Shakerato with filter coffee, cold brew, demerara sugar and bitter orange to mimic Campari’s bitterness, “We’ve created a menu of non-alcoholic beverages that are flavour-forward, balanced, technique-driven and most importantly, delicious!” states Yash.
Deliciously balanced drinks are bestsellers at Muro in Bengaluru, and beverage manager Sahil Essani boasts a hefty “₹30,000 in sales only from our zero ABV drinks at Christmas”. He has crafted drinks, keeping an eye on balancing acidity, sweetness, flavours, and carbonation. “I think maximalism and big flavours are here to stay, with the avant-garde trend coming back to the bar.” The Guava Snapper (₹350) with tom yum, chilli, soda, guava and a puckering oleo citrate can give any cocktail a run for its money, while the Strawberry Bellini (₹550) recreates the brunch favourite with fresh strawberry, unvined Riesling (zero ABV white wine) and oleo citrate.
Another major component to layering flavours in drinks sans alcohol are zero ABV bitters and liqueurs and New Delhi-based Bab Louie & Co, makes non-alcoholic bitters with a proprietary blend of 15 Indian spices, botanicals and bittering agents. With a presence across Indian ecommerce, HoReCa (hotels/restaurants/catering) and exports to the USA, the EU, and West Asia, founders, Rishabh Bhatia and Aradhya Misra say, they are a proudly ‘Made in India’ brand with favourites in the bitters market.
“Our Classic Orange and Aromatic Spiced bitters are bestsellers as they’re versatile across both cocktails and zero ABV drinks. Our association with Blue Tokai helped us fashion India’s first non-alcoholic coffee bitters as well,” explains Rishabh. With a production facility in North Delhi, Indian spices like cardamom, nutmeg, clove, bittering agents like angelica root and fresh and dried citrus peels are macerated for 90 days in charred oak barrels, yielding a distinct smoky and aromatic flavour profile, mimicking notes often found in cocktails. Sakurafresh Beverage and Food (Yokohama), has catered to this market with its range of Better than Bitters (non-alcoholic), and zero ABV liqueurs-Amaretto, Negroni, Reposado, and Amaro Italiano.
“Many brands are bringing in zero alcohol premium products for the discerning customer. We definitely see an upward trend in India with sales rising by 30% year-on-year,” says Balakrishnan Subramanyan, senior brand manager at the company. “The products were initially developed in Japan. However, because of COVID-19, we manufactured them for sale commercially in Mysuru first. We have three production facilities, one in India, the others in Yokohama, Japan and Mauritius,” adds Balakrishnan. Some herbs and spices are sourced from the brand’s agricultural vertical First Agro (160 acre farm in Talakkad), and the others are imported with processing done across their cross-continental facilities.
The trend of taking it easy with alcohol has found echoes across borders too says, Giovanni Depergola, co-founder at Alembic Liquid Education Experience, a craft beverage agency working across Italy, the UK, Spain, Miami, Maldives, and UAE, adds, “It is crucial to give these drinks the same level of thought, creativity, and attention as alcoholic beverages.”
The company’s Cocktailzero% menu boasts a Ceylon Sparkling Margarita with Ceylon green tea, agave syrup, ginger, lychee, lime and salt, while the Acqua Martini served with a fresh oyster and caper, combines their zero proof gin with cucumber vinegar and a hint of salt. Vikram Achanta, co-founder, 30BestBarsIndia says, “Mixologists are putting as much effort into creating original mocktails as they would in making cocktails. For bars, this makes business sense as well, because it has the potential to transform an entire community of teetotallers into regulars.”
