Growing numbers of people, and especially younger people, are reducing their alcohol consumption, with the practice of alternating between an alcoholic and a non-alcoholic drink when on a night out said to be deployed by about a quarter of all drinkers – the tactic so popular as to have its own name: zebra striping.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the market has responded to these macro-trends, bringing new products to convenience and forecourt shelves with increasing regularity.
Best known for its premium juices and traditional lemonades, Daymer Bay Drinks is moving into the mocktails market with its Classic Mojito, Passion Fruit Martini and Strawberry Daquiri offerings. The Sunmagic-owned Cornish brand’s 0% drinks are made from real fruit and come in 250ml glass bottle four-packs. They’re said to have “sophisticated flavours” offering a “bar-quality experience” and, should it be time for a black zebra stripe, they can be can be brought into play as a cocktail base for spirits.
Alcohol-free beer used to be so poor it was the butt of many a joke, but brewing technologies have come a long way over the last decade or so, bringing with them new, highly palatable lagers, stouts and IPAs. And Carlsberg Britvic’s new 1664 Bière 0.0% is one of the huge numbers of no-alcohol beers to have hit shelves of late.
Said to invoke “the rich and balanced taste” that 1664 [previously known as Kronenbourg 1664] is known for, the 0% version had a successful off-trade launch at the beginning of the year, and is now appearing in outlets including Waitrose, Tesco and Asda, with an RRP of £4.75 for six 330ml cans. If it’s a hit, Carlsberg Britvic has the option to expand the 0.0% range with the non-alcoholic version of 1664’s Blanc wheat beer that’s currently offered on the Continent.
Former drug tzar and neuropsychopharmacologist David Nutt is the brains behind GABA Labs, whose Sentia Spirits are the product of “extensive bioprospecting, investigative, and pharmacological research”.
Sentia’s active ingredients are designed to ”increase the effectiveness of the calming effects” of gamma-aminobutyric acid, an inhibitory neurotransmitter. Designed to give “the feeling of relaxation and increased sociability you would feel after having one or two drinks”, the alcohol-free spirit is available directly from Sentia or can be ordered on Amazon. It can be drunk on its own but is designed to be used with mixers, and is offered in a range of flavours: Red (herbal berry), Gold (zesty citrus) and Black (earthy spice), costing around £32 for a 50cl bottle.
While Sentia says the drinks are “designed to give you the feeling of relaxation and increased sociability you would feel after having one or two drinks”, the drinkers are advised to wait 45 minutes after consumption before driving as “the feeling of relaxation can be elevated for some”.
Similarly, pregnant or breastfeeding women are advised not to consume Sentia, while its makers recommend no more than 100ml is consumed in any one day due to the daily allowance of the herbs contained in the drink.
