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Welcome to the most sober generation.

7 Oct 2024

With another wave of ZERO ABV drinks coming to market — from a Cipriani Bellini to White Claw 0% Seltzer — we looked at the prevailing sober curious trend, and what it means in the context of Gen Z, labelled the “most sober” generation. [1]

“I need a drink,” said no (legal age) Gen Zer ever.

Okay, maybe not none — but the appeal of reaching for an alcoholic beverage is undeniably trending down among adults 30 and younger worldwide.

For generations, alcohol has been a go-to for unwinding and socialising, especially during stressful times. With global conflicts, skyrocketing living costs, and the pressures of social media, many might think alcohol would be more popular than ever. But while Gen Xers and Millennials still turn to alcohol to take the edge off, Gen Z is charting a different course [2].

For them, socialising and having fun are still key — just with a growing preference for alcohol-free alternatives. Whether it’s the availability of 0% ABV drinks, CBD-infused options, or an increased awareness of the health risks of alcohol, Gen Z is reshaping the way we think about drinking. They no longer see it as the “cool” thing to do, and with sober celebrities like Zendaya, Jack Harlow, and Tom Holland (who just launched his own non-alcoholic beer) leading the way, the trend is only growing.

So what are they reaching for instead, and how is this shift reshaping the beverage industry? Let’s dive in.

This trend is even larger than Gen Z’s experience

Retail sales of non-alcoholic beer were up nearly 35% in 2023, while regular brew consumption remained flat per Drizly’s annual trend report. [3] Millennials, Boomers, and even Xers have toned down certain imbibing, favouring an approach that we have dubbed Nice Vice. It’s the trend toward indulging without the morning after, or potential lifetime of consequences. Zero ABVs, rafts of CBD consumables and skin care products, even the booming sexual wellness space, all fall under the guise of Nice Vice.

The polar experiences of safety — our desire to cocoon ourselves away from the scariness of the world outside, take good care, and be well (NICE) — and the joy of getting out, socialising, and diving into the excitement and freedom the unknown, (VICE) can coexist. It may even be a new way to think about living well.

In the context of alcohol consumption, mindful drinking is the buzzword, with influencers taking up the mantle on #sobertok, and myriad apps available to track your habits, all packaged in the friendly design vernacular of Calm or Headspace. Many encourage moderation. Sunnyside is in year two of its Dry(ish) January Challenge, citing the desire of 73% of its membership for options other than complete sobriety. [4]

Athletic Brewing Company identified these opportunities early, launching their first non-alcoholic craft beer in 2018.

They aimed to make a product that tasted just as good as regular crafts, while creating new drinking opportunities. After a work-out, weeknight hangs, for people that live a “flex-sober” lifestyle, as coined by their CEO. [5] The product checks all those boxes, disrupting zero ABV beers that were previously seen as a sad sacrifice, rather than an enriching lifestyle choice.

Athletic’s brand and design delivers the NICE. A healthy lifestyle, visually coded with mountains, streams, and open sky, plus company values that put people and the planet first. And it gives VICE. Real indulgent craft taste, 40+ options with names like Run Wild and Vacation Reminder. All this pushing against the stigma of sobriety when socialising and sharpening the focus on wellness.

Big brewers from Molson Coors to Heineken have followed suit with a crop of low to no ABV offerings, with Heineken 0.0 currently occupying the top zero ABV beer spot in the US. The world’s largest brewer, AB InBev, aims for its no and low-alcohol beers to account for one fifth of sales by 2025. [6] The entry of big players always prompts us to ask: has the category surpassed the buzzy excitement of consumer exploration?

Have we reached the over-saturation point for new beer, wine, and spirit alternatives, and RTD mocktail launches?


									

No, not nearly.

The sober-curious are most ready to try non-alcoholic RTDs, with NA wine and beer in second and third positions for desired experimentation, per Drizly 2023. [3] And why not? The options are endless, with the lines between RTD mocktails, functional beverages like sparkling kombucha, and at-home drink pods ever more blurred. With $11 billion annual US retail sales, and projected 7% global growth over the next two years, [7] how can brands capitalize on this enormous opportunity?

Encourage Experimentation

From Parch and Free AF to Sayso, brands are entering the at home (m)ocktail space from all angles. Both Parch and AF have flooded the RTD market with new takes on classic cocktails, playing into agave-based spirits’ popularity with Gen Z [8], and an interest in experimenting with nostalgic recipes or rediscovering flavours that were ignored by their parents’ generation.

Sayso innovated in the craft space with a tea bag format that brews the perfect flavour base from Skinny Spicy Margs to Cardamom Palomas, just add mixers, mock spirits, or the real thing. Both brands balance ease with exploration when consumers are searching for little luxuries amidst the cost-of-living crisis.

Hype Function and Flavour

It seems every category has experienced a wellness revolution. While alcohol and its substitutes may feel like the last place to look for a healthier alternative, the space is booming. Nootropics, adaptogens, CBD — mood or mental acuity boosters — are making their way into RTD mocktails and mixers, as are super ingredients like ginger, reishi, and turmeric.

Brands from Little Saints to Recess, Kin Euphorics to Ghia have packaged functional benefits in beautiful wrappings that make for easy socialising. Ranging in flavour and look from a “Paloma plant magic cocktail” (Little Saints) to a “Kin Bloom Beaming Joy” (Kin Euphorics) the sober-curious can blend into a drinking session or choose to stand-out and talk-up their flavour and benefit choices.

Dial Up Design and Experience

What do all of the highlighted brands share? Mouth-wateringly modern packaging and social activation. Plus, a dose of experience that aligns them to a particular cohort. Athletic — the outdoor athlete — Kin and Ghia — the metropolitan influencer.

Each blends design codes informed by the beer, wine, and spirits category with new Gen Z reference points, from auras of relaxation (Recess, Kin) to Italian high design (Ghia), creating aisles and online bottle shops that are as engaging as your local wine store. Hosting tasting events with restaurants, bars, and pop-ups keeps the positive buzz going, because booze free doesn’t have to be boring.

St. Agrestis’ award-winning Phony Negroni not only mimics the nuanced notes and bitter bite of a traditional negroni, it comes in a sleek glass bottle adorned with a groovy metallic label to elevate the mocktail drinking experience and satisfy Gen Z’s ‘little treat’ desires.

Meanwhile, Heineken’s ‘Route 0.0’ campaign offered a curated sober night out in Toronto, complete with a no-alcohol bar hopping tour, to challenge the stereotype that sobriety equates to no fun.

Admittedly, design alone has been enough to convert the old fashion-drinking Gen Xer that wrote this article. Tempted by the good looks of Seedlip, a category originator, I’ve stayed for the taste, keeping my flex-sober lifestyle going.

As drinkers across generations transition from true vice to balanced, long-term wellness, the sober-curious movement only stands to grow. At 1HQ we look forward to investigating Nice Vice in its many forms, drinks and beyond.

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