Low to no offerings are rising in popularity from alcohol-free beers and ciders, to spirits, wines and prosecco, but what is on offer inside the best cocktail bars in the UK?
Non-alcoholic drinks are of equal importance to their alcoholic drinks at number 1, Lab 22 in Cardiff, Wales. The bar has seen a huge increase in demand for lower ABV drinks and have taken great time and care to create a menu for non-drinkers.
Owner, Pajtim Tani Hasa says ‘we make every effort to make sure every guest through the door is accommodated accordingly. Because of this, we offer a massive ten out of fourteen signature serves as non-alcoholic options.
We utilise the Lyres range to really lend us the edge when it comes to, not just creating tasty liquids, but mimicking the menu as close as can be. So, every guest gets that authentic Lab experience.’
Quality products and ensuring stock levels are of key importance to the low and no drinks at Lab 22.
Hasa continues ‘it's even affected how we prep our menu items. We'll keep batches of certain non-alcoholic lines and/or syrups and cordials free from batching, so they can be used to further that Mocktails development and depth.’
Hasa added that his team want a real authentic experience and even consider ‘the addition of certain sugars, glycols and the use of glycerin to heighten such things as mouthfeel and to mimic alcohol burn.’
Over in Dalston, London Bar Manager of Hacha (number 35), Robyn Evans echoes Lab’s views on the importance diversity of menus.
Evans says ‘having a no and low offering is important now for so many reasons. Many people prefer to drink non-alcoholic for either personal or health reasons, and the growing popularity of no and low cocktails means menus offer so many more options now.
By offering non-alcoholic versions of our menu cocktails, non-drinkers don’t need to feel left out of our standard offering, including our signature serve, Mirror Margarita.’
Hacha currently offers three homemade soft drinks including Tepache and Grapefruit Agua Fresca, in addition to four non-alcoholic cocktails on their menu.
Evans explains ‘our homemade soft drinks are all inspired by our own versions of classic Mexican soft drinks and our non-alcoholic cocktails are all drinks from our menu that can easily substitute non-alcoholic spirits.’
Evans also adds that when curating a low ABV menu you should ‘treat it with the same care as you would when creating alcoholic cocktails and ensure non-drinkers still have a varied option for choice.’
Birmingham is a city brimming with culture which is why a low and no offering is so important to number 44, The Pineapple Club.
Owner Sam Boulton says 'Birmingham is a very multi cultural city, with many people not drinking religiously, which is an important reason, however, this doesn’t stop at religion, alcoholism and mental health, people concerned with there calorie intake are also affected by pressured drinking, so I think having a fleshed out, none alcoholic option is a must.'
The offering at The Pineapple club covers more than just soft drinks with 4 non-alcoholic drinks on their current menu.
Boulton says 'We have also looked into a “Long and Light” menu option which showcases lower ABV drinks like Size + Tonic, RinQuinQuin + Tonic, Fernet + Cola. We are planning to see customer response and then may implement.
We aim to make them taste just as good and as interesting as full alcohol options, non alcohol and no and low spenders are willing to spend if the drink has a worth to them, they still want the experience other people are having just with lower alcohol.'
In Crouch End, London, number 25 and Sustainable Bar of the Year Little Mercies only stocks a small range of soft drinks which makes their need for a decent non-alcoholic range even more important. Owner Alan Sherwood thinks non-alcoholic offerings are too often overlooked and tries to have a good split of low to no drinks on their menu.
Sherwood says that at the bar they ‘aim to try and create drinks in the style of their alcoholic counterparts. Right now we have a Non-Alc Negroni, Aperitivo Spritz, Peach & Hops, and Juniper & Tonic.’
A huge amount of effort is taken when creating low ABV drinks at Little Mercies by creating drinks with the same look and feel as their alcoholic counterparts.
Sherwood adds ‘we are always looking at various ingredients, and how they might work in alcoholic or non-alcoholic situations. After distilling Campari to use the vodka in our house Cosmo, we looked at dozens of versions of a non-alcoholic negroni, because the flavour of the Campari (even booze-less) helps really simulate the negroni profile.
A lot of our non-alcoholic drinks have come about as alternatives to existing drinks, the Peach & Hops for example is a highball version of our Bellini, and it made sense to focus on it as we had the Lacto Peach Cordial.’
As a non-drinker himself, Nathan Larkin owner of Speak in Code (number 10) in Manchester said 'I don’t drink myself so I think from sitting on that side of the fence, it’s really important for me to see our guests feel included and can enjoy themselves as much as anyone else in our venue.'
With many of their alcoholic drinks using homemade sodas it made sense for the team to create some great non-alcoholic drinks options as well.
'We make our own softs, such as a home-made Ginger beer, home-made Rhubarb & Dandelion Soda, home-made sparkling pear and a home-made chinotto, made from burning our citrus husks with herbs and spices and letting them steep in a sugar syrup for over a month. Each of these pair great with vermouth and amaro. We also currently take a freestyle approach to mocktails based on flavour preferences, so it isn’t limited to just a small list.'
When it comes to low and no, Speak in Code don't skimp on flavour profiles and take inspiration from other Top 50 bars.
Larkin says 'I believe people look for texture and unique flavour. I had a fermented coconut drink with butternut squash at Lyaness and it was divine. It hit every spot for me. If you can recreate the bitterness of a negroni with some texture, or a long drink that doesn’t lose its appeal after 2 sips then you’re on the right track.'
