‘Alcohol-free is a movement’: bars in US, Asia promote no-booze events

James and his team regularly host educational tasting events – which he calls “Temperance Tastings” – and recently teamed up with Susie Streelman of Alcohol Free Travel in Sacramento, California, to hold its second “Sober in the City” event – an all-female four-course dinner paired with alcohol-free drinks.

“Sober in the City is a luxury night out with your girlfriends that includes high-quality, alcohol-free cocktails, a gourmet meal, inspiring guest speakers and a community of like-minded people,” says Streelman.

Seventy keen participants arrived from all over the US, willing to travel and pay US$135 per person to attend. They were a diverse group, from the sober curious who have started questioning their relationship with alcohol, to pregnant women, people on medication, and – the largest group – health-focused people.

“This includes women who have run multiple full marathons, women who are interested in nutrition, and women who have a variety of fitness routines,” says Streelman.

The guest speaker at Sober in The City (second edition) was the author of This Side of Alcohol, Peggi Cooney, whose book describes her journey to sobriety, with helpful tips for those who want to give up alcohol for good also.

“We are rebranding sobriety. We are breaking the rules by not drinking. We are a big deal,” Cooney said.

The audience was in agreement. One woman said that she feels so much better physically after taking a break from alcohol and that her blood work has improved dramatically. Another said: “It’s so nice to be able to get a workout in any morning during the week” – without a hangover.

On the other side of the world in Malaysia, Mckay Jiplin, head mixologist at Concubine KL in Kuala Lumpur’s bustling Chinatown, was behind the bar. He was leading “Classy AF”, a masterclass in making alcohol-free-cocktails, in May.

Determined to show how sophisticated alcohol-free drinks can be, Jiplin came up with three cocktails crafted to impress. Using Asian ingredients such as a home-made ginger flower cordial, yuzu purée, sweet plum powder, and a range of other ingredients such as ginger beer, honey, pineapple juice and lime juice, he wowed participants with an explosion of flavours and elegance.

“I was sceptical at first,” says participant Demi Li. “I am definitely the type of woman who enjoys a nice drink with my friends and I’ve always associated drinking with alcohol – but I realised it doesn’t have to be that way, as long as the drinks taste and look beautiful.”

Like James, event co-organiser Ling Teo – who is sober curious – believes that, with awareness-building, society will be ready to embrace alcohol-free drinks, as well as people who choose sobriety.

Addressing participants at “Classy AF”, Teo said: “Alcohol-free is a movement. A mere 30 years ago, people were smoking everywhere. Even on planes. But now smoking is frowned upon. I believe we will go in the same direction with alcohol. The realisation that we are actively promoting and happily consuming something that is bad for our health will hit us in a few years.”

But the key to a shift in society is also the availability of alternatives to alcoholic drinks. According to James, there are more than 300 different brands of non-alcoholic beverages available – and more being added each week.

For the past three years, he has been posting reviews of non-alcoholic drinks – “no booze reviews” – on his YouTube channel. And he is steadily building the selection available at Ocean Beach Café. It currently boasts around 50 different products, from beers to spritzers, kombuchas, sparkling wines and alcohol-free botanical spirits, including a range of spirits by UK-based Lyre’s spirits.

During a recent trip to Malaysia, Jeremy Shipley, global ambassador for Lyle’s, stopped by Kuala Lumpur’s Jungle Bird bar and started shaking alcohol-free cocktails. Shipley and his colleague Callan Green welcomed guests with a glass of Lyre’s Classico sparkling wine while presenting them with the specials of the evening: a Pandan Jungle Bird, a Jackfruit Daiquiri, a Summer Vibes Spritz or a Coffee Boulevardier.

Says Shipley: “We’re here to open people’s eyes to the deliciousness and sophistication of alcohol-free cocktails – and hosting this event on a Monday means that people can attend and be hangover-over free and ready for their Tuesday morning.”

James, who has also hosted booze-free bonfire nights, open mics and jazz concerts, believes that alcohol-free events such as pop-ups, masterclasses, dinners with pairing or even sober silent discos are on the rise.

“There would have been even more, had it not been for the pandemic – but the market is recovering – and we just need more social spaces on board to destigmatise not drinking alcohol,” he says.