Drinks With Benefits, New York’s 1st Zero Proof Festival, Honored by USA Today, After Magazine

We rarely question the systems we inherit until something forces us to look closer. In the beverage industry, specifically here in New York, we are answering to a retail system that dates back to the late 1930s. According to the State Liquor Authority, beverages under 0.5% ABV are not legally permitted to be sold in wine and liquor shops. This antiquated restriction makes it nearly impossible for consumers to find premium non-alcoholic products where they actually shop. At The Daily Pour, we noticed a massive gap: The category was exploding, but New Yorkers lacked a clear on-ramp to discovery. People wanted quality, but the inherited system was not providing the access.

That gap is why we created the Drinks with Benefits Alcohol Free Festival. To change the narrative, we knew we had to do more than host another trade show with rows of all different branded stands. We had to create an immersive, sensorial experience that mirrored real-life social situations. We wanted to prove to the moderating market that alcohol-free experiences are not mere alternatives, but top notch experiences in their own right. We designed the festival to show what this lifestyle actually looks like in practice. We curated a space where attendees could seek out a meditation suite with Sage and Sound, enjoy gourmet pasta bites at a Cipriani station, or engage in a high-energy sober rave with Altrd. We wanted to create a destination that felt like the future of socializing.

What started as a simple observation became a reality through the collective sweat and tears of a dedicated team and the unwavering belief of The Daily Pour founder Dan Abrams. It is incredibly validating to see that this mission is resonating on a national scale. The Drinks with Benefits Festival was recently recognized as a Top 10 Best Specialty Food/Drinks Festival by USA Today and the No. 1 non-alcoholic consumer event by After Magazine. These honors prove there is a market need for spaces that are both alcohol-free and genuinely fun.

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As New York’s laws begin to flux and we move closer to a reality where liquor shops can finally stock these products, education is more important than ever. Too many people have had a negative first experience with the category because they tried a low-quality product or were not guided properly on what the market now offers. We are here to change that first impression.

In light of these shifting laws, we have expanded the festival to include a dedicated trade segment from 5-6 p.m. on the day of the 2026 festival — Thursday, Sept. 17 — at the Altman building in the heart of Manhattan.

We will also host a conference the day before the festival, the Drinks with Benefits Summit, to cover various topics on the category including distribution, merchandising, the nonalcoholic wine occasion and more. We are inviting distributors, restaurant buyers and bartenders to join us and discover this world firsthand. The quality of products has expanded exponentially in the last few years, and it is time the narrative of New York hospitality reflects that reality.