New Certification Aims to Give Bartenders the Skills to Make Better Nonalcoholic Cocktails

The AFicioNAdo Certification Program has launched AFNA Spirits Certified, a professional training and certification program focused on nonalcoholic spirits and cocktails. The course aims to give bartenders, beverage directors and other hospitality professionals the knowledge to serve nonalcoholic drinks with the same care and technical skill as traditional cocktails.

The program is available for $199 through AFicioNAdo’s website. The fee includes course access, the certification exam and an e-book version of the AFNA Spirits Certified Learning Manual. The manual is also available separately in paperback and Kindle editions through Amazon.

Derek Brown, a Washington, D.C.-based beverage expert, Zero Proof Choice Awards judge and author of “Mindful Mixology: A Comprehensive Guide to No- and Low-Alcohol Cocktails, wrote the curriculum. The launch completes AFicioNAdo’s AFNA certification lineup, which now covers beer, wine and spirits.

The program arrives as nonalcoholic drinks gain a larger share of the beverage market. According to NielsenIQ figures cited by AFicioNAdo, nonalcoholic beer, wine and spirits generated $925 million in U.S. off-premise sales, an increase of 22% year over year. The organization also cited data showing that 92% of nonalcoholic beverage buyers purchase alcoholic beer, wine and spirits as well.

That overlap presents a challenge for bars and restaurants. A guest ordering a nonalcoholic cocktail may also drink traditional spirits on other occasions, making knowledge of both categories increasingly relevant to beverage teams.

“Every guest at the bar deserves a professional answer, whether they’re ordering a Martini, a non-alcoholic Martini, or one of each over the course of the night,” said Meagen Coester, founder of AFicioNAdo Certification Program. “Retailers have already bet on this category. AFNA Spirits Certified gives the people behind the bar the training to match, and with beer, wine and spirits now complete, a beverage team can be certified to one standard across the entire menu,” Coester said.

What the AFNA Spirits Certification Covers

The course consists of seven chapters covering the history of nonalcoholic spirits and cocktails, production methods, the market and regulatory landscape, cocktail-building techniques, menu development, service and mindful drinking. Learners complete a certification exam after studying the material.

The curriculum is designed to help hospitality professionals understand how nonalcoholic spirits are made, how they differ from traditional spirits and how to use them in cocktails. It also addresses menu planning and the practical decisions involved in serving nonalcoholic drinks in a bar or restaurant setting.

Brown said the goal is to help bartenders deliver more sophisticated nonalcoholic options while building their understanding of the products behind them.

“As consumer interest grows, we need to meet the moment by having delicious, sophisticated non-alcoholic cocktails. This means we have to apply the same rigor and consideration we do to non-alcoholic cocktails that we do to cocktails with alcohol,” he said. “That includes understanding adult non-alcoholic spirits, how they are made, where they come from, and the stories behind them. AFNA Spirits Certified teaches bartenders to deliver exactly that, and it gives the people who already do it a credential recognized worldwide,” he added.

Brown is also the founder of Drink Company and the author of Mindful Mixology, published by Rizzoli in 2022.

Why Nonalcoholic Cocktail Training Includes Safety

Beyond drink construction and product knowledge, AFNA Spirits Certified addresses a service issue with potentially serious consequences: accidentally serving alcohol to a guest who ordered a nonalcoholic drink.

The program instructs hospitality teams to handle nonalcoholic orders with the same rigor they would apply to a food allergy. That includes clear communication through the point-of-sale system and visible markers at the table to help staff identify the order.

The guidance is particularly relevant for guests in recovery, for whom an alcoholic drink served by mistake could have serious consequences. Clear procedures can help reduce the risk of errors as nonalcoholic cocktails become a more regular part of bar menus.

The focus also extends beyond bartenders. AFicioNAdo says hospitality groups, distributors and suppliers can certify teams at scale. Organizations can also pair the full Spirits Certified credential with AFNA Spirits Foundations, a 20-minute training program intended for front-line staff.

AFicioNAdo Completes Its Beer, Wine and Spirits Programs

With the new launch, AFicioNAdo offers AFNA Beer Certified, AFNA Wine Certified and AFNA Spirits Certified. The organization says it has trained teams at distributors, retailers and hospitality groups across North America.

The company is also planning an AFNA Certified Establishment designation for venues, which is scheduled to launch in 2027.

AFNA Spirits Certified is available through AlcoholFreeAficionados.com for $199, including the course, exam and digital learning manual. Hospitality groups, distributors and suppliers interested in team certification can contact AFicioNAdo at [email protected].