Grocery Playlist: Dry January

These are non-alc aperitifs, RTDs, hop waters, and social tonics I would happily drink again. Bitter, balmy, botanical, citrus, watermelon, spicy, and anything inspired by Aperol or a negroni are hints I look for. Most of these I bought and a few were gifts (thank you Aura Bora, BonBuz, Aplos) to try at home and experimenting for my mom's restaurant/bar. What should I try next?

🥃 Take a trip to Italy with St. Agrestis' amaro falso, Ghia berry, Little Saints negroni, Optimist cali amaro, Hella Cocktail bitters & soda, Casamara Club.

🔥 For a spicy drink, try BonBuz, Tilden, Parch, Longbottom bloody mary.

🍉 For a calming drink, try Aplos + Sanzo, Hoptonic, Cann. At BevNet LIVE I tried Magic Cactus, Louie Louie, and Melo that all launched in 2023. I sense Kava will be the next CBD in 2024, with less distribution challenges, building on the work Psychedelic Water, Leilo, and Botanic Tonics set in the market. Not really a CBD seltzer girl, but when I'm in the UK I get a Trip at the airport and loved Chilled's Apricot Rosemary in Paris.

🍷 Yesterday I tried a bottle of Hollow Leg sparkling Albariño, a dealcoholized Spanish wine from Ireland with a Seagrams spritz feel, A+ would buy again. And I appreciate the chef-crafted flavors from Acid League's Proxies.

😖 Sober Furious: Not pictured are drinks that were too sweet or too acidic for me, zero chill, flat or didn't bite back, overpowering hemp or herbal flavor that made it undrinkable, and alt. spirits that tasted like water with a bottle cost of 2-3x as alcohol. They weren't bad, just not for me! I know botanicals and inventory runs are expensive, and of course I respect unique ingredients. Some of the category still feels like it's priced for perceived quality without an origin story or transparency to back it up. Show us where premium ingredients came from and WHY you use them.

📦 Other things holding the category back from growth:
Retailers cataloging brands as alcohol and either 1) banning them from selling online or 2) requiring ID for delivery. You're leaving $$$ on the table by not having a dedicated team to support this category.

Trial is still tough for $20+. Offer a flight of mini bottles or like Ghia's Le Spritz sampler at Target. Minis make great gifts or to share with a friend new to N/A.

Sell in channels beyond Faire and grocery, like music venues for RTDs, furniture stores, and gift shops that don't historically sell drinks. Go where your customer IS and your competitors aren't.

Bartenders still need education. Most mocktails I've ordered were $17 spritzed juice without the bite or layers you'd expect from a craft cocktail. Think of restaurants as channels for sampling as much as sales. Partner on drinks, host pop-ups, sell full size in their market or delivery apps.

Lastly, I hope we see more celeb non-alc brands or endorsements. Especially musicians where so much of their sponsor $$$ and lifestyle is dominated by drinking.