Free Spirits

As Christmas 2022 heaves into view, another frankly turbulent year nearly behind us and some truly frightening energy bills still ahead of us, we cautiously loosen the belts we've spent months tightening, preparing for the onslaught of booze and cheese.... and friends and family bearing booze and cheese.

Nevertheless, Santa might be finding something other than the traditional glass of whiskey left out this year as the rise of popularity in NOLO snowballs. What's NOLO? No relation to YOLO (you only live once) or POLO (mint with a hole / toff on a horse), NOLO is the marketing friendly catch-all for No alcohol or low alcohol drinks. It doesn't quite work as an acronym but if you're drunk you probably won't notice and if you don't drink, you'll be so thankful to be offered something other than a lime and soda you'll likely forgive it..

According to alcohol education charity Drinkaware, more and more of us are opting to stay off the sauce on a night out, with 29% of pub visits and 37% of restaurant meals now estimated to be alcohol-free affairs. Whilst alcohol consumption (at least at home) sky-rocketed during the rigours of the pandemic, a new, more vociferous move towards temperance simultaneously emerged, albeit one which had been brewing for some time. As we've become increasingly aware of and candid about our mental health in recent years, the link between alcohol consumption and depression, anxiety and psychosis has been better appreciated and reinforced to the pint that most people site their mental health as the main reason for giving up or curbing their alcohol intake. For many, it took a deadly global pandemic to really galvanize their attention on both their mental and physical health. Whilst some grinning upstarts might have spent furlough learning a new language and getting a six pack via Joe Wicks workouts, many of us, too stressed or bored to speak were simply crushing six packs and munching take-outs, dimly aware we were merely exacerbating an already colossal mental health challenge.

As the pendulum gradually swings back towards “normality” (devastating climate change, international conflict, spiralling inflation, over-priced amenities, lying politicians.... and Ant and Dec feeding them kangaroo bollocks on national television....) there's a renewed focus on looking after the one thing we still have some control over – ourselves (for the most part anyway!) Perhaps the leaders in this movement are the young, with 26% of 16-24 year olds canvassed staunchly teetotal. Whether it's the sheer cost of a night out or their maturation in a society where health risks are well documented and your online image is paramount, Gen Z are more reluctant to cut loose, lest they lose control. Plus they'll do anything to differentiate themselves from the boozy boomers!

Even pre-pandemic, NOLO beer was exploding in popularity as the craft craze pivoted to ensnare the sober set. Though 0% stalwarts Becks and Carlsberg saw significant drops, overall the UK market surged 58% from 2019 to 2020 as the diversification of choice coincided with the evolution of discourse and the improved public image of NOLO. More big breweries waded into the fray, able to offer additional benefits such as vegan and gluten free drinks or vitamin supplements and immuno-boosters as they captured more of the emerging ethical and health-conscious customer base.
Alongside recently-launched alcohol-free versions of giants Guinness, Budweiser and Stella Artois, supermarket shelves now stock NOLO wines, Prosecco (“Nosecco”), aperitifs and even spirits.

Hard seltzers have become popular in some of the hottest bars, replacing high-sugar champagne, tonics and sparkling wines as mixers in cocktails. The legions of NOLO fans are not only grateful to dodge the calories in their drinks, they're also less likely to stumble into a kebab shop at 2am, neglect any activity that requires standing the whole next day, then order a Chinese takeaway to the door they answer in last night's pants, unable to look the delivery driver in the eye. (That all actually sounds like a dream compared to the reality of being acutely hungover whilst parenting...)

Something like a placebo, for many of us, a NOLO drink still helps bring those out-out vibes and lubricating the social wheels in a manner akin to alcohol, without subsequently seizing the engine (or the wallet). That's not to say alcohol-free drinks are always cheaper. Some, like the wildly popular Seedlip (the world's first non-alcoholic spirit, launched in 2015) contain responsibly sourced raw ingredients and processes made all the more complex by the removal of alcohol, a handy preserving agent. Comparable in price to several premium alcoholic spirits, Seedlip founder Ben Branson is unapologetic, confident in both the quality of his product and its place in the busy, health-conscious modern world - “There isn't time to be hungover for a day”.

Brands and venues are working harder then ever to match the various appeals of the hard stuff – the theatre of the serve, the beautiful form of the bottle or glass, the complexity of the flavours on the nose and mouth....

With more options than ever, improved innovations and tastes and an awareness of the negative effects of alcohol only sharpened by the experiences of the past few years, it's no surprise most adults worldwide (some 58% according to IWSR research) are looking to moderate their drinking. Of course half of those will turn out to be pissed up liars and fantasists but that still leaves a lot of people going NOLO.

After all.... YOLO.