Unboxed: 11 non-alcoholic mocktails for Dry January

The days of sad, sickly sweet mocktails are mercifully over. Thanks to the explosion of entrants in the ready-to-drink non-alcoholic (NA) category, sober-friendly concoctions are just as exciting as their boozy, carefully crafted counterparts.

The most buzzworthy (get it?) new NA brands prioritize sophisticated, adult flavors and functional ingredients over sugary inclusions that mimic the feeling of drinking a traditional cocktail without the next-day headache.

Consider, for example, the brand De Soi. Backed by popstar and natural industry champion, Katy Perry, De Soi’s bubbly Non-Alcoholic Aperitifs feature adaptogenics and nootropics such as reishi mushroom extract, lion’s mane extract, L-theanine and quassia root, a classic cocktail bittering agent. “I think people my age, younger millennials, and Gen Z prefer bitter and they prefer stronger coffee and they prefer a tighter bubble,” Perry told Food52 earlier this year.

In addition to piquant flavor preferences, younger consumers eschew alcohol more than older generations.

According to a 2024 Mintel report, around a third of Gen Z consumers aged 18-24 in Britain do not drink alcohol at all. Young people who do drink are more likely to use alcohol to mark special occasions such as birthdays or holidays.

Related:Unboxed: 12 prepared dips for convenient gatherings

Additionally, the increasing availability of exceptional NA options fuels the increase of “sober curious” social drinkers who sometimes choose to skip alcohol. New data from IWSR Bevtrac found that 13% of U.S. drinkers consumed both full-strength and no-alcohol products in April 2024, up 7% from the previous year, hinting that the market opportunity for non-alcoholic mocktails and spirits spans all types of drinkers, from those trying to cut back on alcohol consumption to completely sober folks. As such, no-alcohol retail volumes grew 20% in 2023, with a forecast volume CAGR of +17% from 2023 to 2028, says IWSR Bevtrac.

Click through the gallery to see 11 exciting natural non-alcoholic sips in multi-serve and ready-to-drink formats.