Ahead of Alcohol Awareness Week 2021, more of the capital’s cocktail drinkers seem willing to experiment with non-alcoholic options such as mocktails
The manager of two popular cocktail bars in Cardiff says that non-alcoholic drinks appear to be increasing in popularity in the capital.
Daniel Slater, general manager of Gin and Juice and its sister bar Rum and Fizz, has revealed that mocktail sales, as well as sales for other non-alcoholic drinks at his venues, are on the up.
“People want the same taste of drinks, but without the hangover in the morning,” Daniel said.
The bar manager also believes a combination of cheapness, attractive appearance, and a pandemic-induced caution around public alcohol consumption has contributed to their increased appeal.
Frequently bought during first dates by couples who’d rather avoid the potential problems associated with alcohol-induced behaviour, mocktails and other low and no-alcohol drinks are also becoming more popular with parties.
His comments come ahead of Alcohol Awareness Week, which runs from 15-21 November.
They also follow the release of reports from Public Health Wales and the UK-wide alcohol education charity Drinkaware which raise concerns about increases in alcohol consumption during the pandemic.
Though it is unlikely a rise in mocktail popularity will do much to decrease statistics about the UK’s heaviest drinkers, bar managers like Daniel hope that increasing the visibility of non-alcoholic drinks at bars will help to encourage more responsible drinking.
Gin and Juice, ranked fourth for bars and pubs in Cardiff on TripAdvisor, is often praised by customers for its wide selection of drinks. Currently it has seven non-alcoholic gins and one non-alcoholic beer available, all of which have seen a recent sales increase.
Despite only being introduced in August this year, Rum and Fizz’s three on-menu mocktails have already contributed to around 3% of its total sales in 2021.
Plus, Daniel explained that regular customers tend to challenge the bartenders to make them something off menu, so the bar’s mocktail sales could be even higher.
