Alcohol alternatives are heating up as Gen Z leans into the sober-curious lifestyle

The drink of the summer… The internet’s predicting that the season’s hottest beverage will be the Hugo Spritz. Plot twist: it might actually be a mocktail. Non-boozy drinks are booming as alcohol consumption continues to fall among younger folks. Gen Zers, who have a rep for being tuned into mental health and wellness, are leading the sober-curious shift.

• MokTok: On TikTok #sobercurious has 833M views as people share favorite recipes and expound on the benefits of a sober lifestyle.

• Nearly 7 in 10 US consumers said they follow or would follow a sober lifestyle for health reasons, a recent survey suggested.

• Clear-headed: Drink-delivery app Drizly said last month that the desire to try zero-proof beers, wines, and spirits continues to climb, led by young adults.

• The no- and low-alcohol category surpassed $11B last year, and sales of no-alcohol bevvies are expected to grow by 25% through 2026 — faster than the rest of the US drinks market.

Zero proof, zero hangover… Drizly recently said, “Consumers are more than just sober curious, they’re going all in on the nonalcoholic category.” That could pose a threat to Big Alcohol companies like Bud maker AB InBev and Smirnoff maker Diageo. It’s already hurting owners of small bars and concert venues, who’ve noticed that Gen Z is drinking less, in a hit to key cocktail revenue (ahem, $15 tequila sodas). Now businesses are catering to the shifting trend:

• Budweiser is betting big on nonalcoholic beer (Bud Zero), and in recent years brands like Corona, Peroni, and Heineken have launched zero-alcohol brews.

• Mocktails and other alts are gaining real estate on menus, from botanical canned aperitifs like De Soi and Ghia to waters like Liquid Death.