Non-Alcoholic Culture Deserves More Than Attention; It Needs Intention

Rodrigo Noguiera of New York City’s nonalcoholic bar, No More Cafe, put unprecedented levels of craft into his mocktails. (Photos: No More Cafe)

The Disconnect Between the Narrative and Reality

A few years ago, if you were to tell a bartender you didn’t drink, your options probably would have been limited to soda, juice or maybe a sad, overly sweet mocktail thrown together as an afterthought. That is still the reality in most bars and restaurants today.

Despite the many headlines about the rise of non-alcoholic drinking, most bars and restaurants continue to treat zero-proof options as an afterthought. Whether you don’t drink at all or just want to pace yourself, you’re likely to be met with a half-hearted, uninspired selection, if anything at all.

The cultural shift is real. Sales of non-alcoholic beverages have grown steadily in recent years, with the U.S. market up over 30% last year alone. Major players in the alcohol industry are investing heavily in their zero-proof divisions, and nearly 40% of U.S. adults say they’re actively trying to drink less. But visibility doesn’t always equal intention. There’s more interest than ever, but the industry’s level of commitment still feels like an insult.

It’s Less About Sobriety and More About Agency

More people are rethinking their relationship with alcohol. Some are quitting entirely. Others are cutting back. Many simply want more control over how and when they drink, without feeling like they’ve opted out of the experience.

This shift isn’t about abstinence. It’s about making better choices.

People still want to go out. They want atmosphere, energy and a drink that feels crafted, not compromised. The problem is that every time someone gets a bad drink, it reinforces the belief that choosing not to drink means sacrificing.

We’ve seen food culture evolve over the past decade. Sourcing transparency, organic ingredients and thoughtful consumption have become the standard. Even steakhouses now cater to vegetarians and vegans. Beverage culture should be evolving in the same way, but it hasn’t caught up.

Hospitality Takes More Than Just Good Intentions

Dedicated alcohol-free bars and sober-friendly venues have started popping up in major cities — and that’s a promising sign. But many of these spaces fall into the same trap as the drinks they serve: a lack of intention.

Too often, they feel like well-meaning projects rather than true hospitality experiences. They may cater to the sober community, but they rarely meet the standard of a place you’d choose to go regardless of your drinking preferences.

The backbar at No More Cafe.

No More Café was built to change that. From the beginning, the goal was to create an environment where alcohol isn’t missed. And often, people visit us and still can’t believe it’s a sober space.

We Have an Industry-Wide Perspective Problem

The problem with most non-alcoholic drinks is how they’re approached as replicas or substitutions. Too many bartenders reach for generic spirit substitutes and try to make a variation of a classic cocktail without considering the goal of the drink.

A great zero-proof drink doesn’t start with imitation. It starts with experience. What does the drink need to do? What should it feel like to drink it? That’s the approach we take.

At No More Cafe, zero-proof cocktails are delicately crafted with dozens of ingredients.

A drink isn’t good just because it has alcohol in it. There are plenty of subpar alcoholic drinks out there. All a half-hearted non-alcoholic version of a classic really guarantees is that you’ll be having one of the bad ones.

At No More, we take the same care with NA cocktails that any good bar would take with traditional ones, working with layered ingredients, fermentations, house infusions and acidity to build complexity.

This isn’t about removing alcohol. It’s about building something new.

If It’s Going to Last, the Bar Has to Rise

Non-alcoholic bar culture is still in its infancy. The demand is there, and early adopters are proving that zero-proof drinking can be done at a high level, but the majority of the industry is still struggling.

Most bars and restaurants still offer little to no quality NA options. Many brands entering the space are still treating it as a passing trend rather than a long-term evolution of drinking culture. Too many people still see alcohol abstinence as something that needs to be justified rather than a casual choice.

For this movement to fully take hold, bars and restaurants worldwide need to hold their non-alcoholic options to a higher standard. It needs to be normal to see well-crafted NA cocktails on drink menus everywhere. Sober-friendly spaces need to step up their game. They can’t be just be a good sober space. They need to be good, period.

We’re not there yet. But the culture is changing. And the ones who get in early will help shape what comes next.