Parch Delivers All The Fun Of Drinking Without The Booze

PARCH is the first non-alcoholic blue weber agave-based canned cocktail designed for the modern-day drinker. Stacked with Sonoran Desert botanicals and active adaptogens in each sip, PARCH offers a complex taste with the added benefit of functional herbs for a healthier way to unwind and indulge.

“I often do my work in bars, observing interactions with bartenders, observing consumer conversations and listening to conversations beside me at the table,” PARCH co-founder Ila Byrne says. “It was very uncomfortable when a consumer wanted to order a non-alcoholic beverage. It was met with so much tension in the conversation and friction, and I felt uncomfortable for [all] parties: the bartender, the waiter, the waitress and the patron. They didn’t have anything to offer. The consumer felt embarrassed.”

As a way to combat this issue and create options for the sober-curious and health and wellness drinkers, Byrne and co-founder Rudy Aldana created PARCH.

PARCH debuts two ready-to-drink flavors: the Prickly Paloma and the Spiced Piñarita. The Prickly Paloma pairs Blue Weber Agave with grapefruit, orange bitters and lime juice with floral-tart hibiscus and desert botanicals, creating a citrusy bittersweet cocktail. Nutty jicama, sea salt and passionflower round out the profile for a mature, zesty refreshment. In addition, the Spiced Piñarita is a smoky and spicy cocktail that combines roasted pineapple with earthy Blue Weber Agave, juicy prickly pear cactus fruit and select desert botanicals. This complex but balanced drink is rounded out with mole bitters, cocoa extract and chamomile.

According to Aldana, the demand for agave-baed spirits has grown over the last few years, with it being the second largest category in the United States, and he believes it is “destined to grow” more. “Consumers really appreciate having a spirit that has providence and an artisanal aspect to it, but also they know that it comes from a plant,” he adds.

Byrne adds that they didn’t want to brand PARCH as a non-alcoholic tequila or mezcal—they wanted to understand the consumer’s needs and taste experience. The brand utilizes agave, adaptogens, botanicals and garnishes to help PARCH deliver layered flavors, similar to how traditional alcoholic drinks open up a consumer’s mouth, warm their body and change over time, even with ice dilution. “A lot of the liquids that we tried disappointed us [because they] were very thin, very watery. The minute you added a mixer to them, they disappeared in the glass and the mouthfeel. The challenge a lot of people face is trying to not taste like water,” she says.

“We’re not against alcohol, Byrne says. “Some of us on the team drink alcohol, but it’s all about balance. We are excited to see that conversation really go mainstream as more people realize, ‘Maybe I don’t need to drink every night of the week. Maybe I don’t need to drink as much as I’m drinking.’ We have products that can satisfy that need.”