Before we dive in to the meat of today’s post, can I just say how excited I am about an upcoming piece I’m collabing with fellow Substack writer Elle Reads Library Books on? We’re pairing national parks of the USA with book flights (Elle) and #nonalc drink flights (me). If you’re a writer on Substack, I highly encourage collaborations with other writers!
So, if you’ve been keeping track, today’s post is part IV of What makes a great NA bottle shop? But if you’re just discovering Zero Proof Nation here on Substack for the first time, here’s the gist: I talked to non-alc bottle shop owners all over the world and asked them three questions: 1) What makes a great non-alc bottle shop; 2) What are some of your faves?; and 3) #1 tip for sober curious shoppers?
From France to Seattle, here’s what they had to say. ⤵️
PS: I went to a friend’s birthday party in downtown DC the other night and when people asked me what I did…
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Bar Convent Brooklyn just ended and BevNET Live is on Day 2. Here are some other consumer / industry-facing events coming up this summer / fall:
Q+A with Jérôme Cuny, owner of La Cave Parallèle.
Selection, above all else. Just like a good traditional wine merchant, excellence begins with a rigorous selection process: choosing drinks that have a genuine identity, a history and a sense of “terroir”. Not just ‘alcohol-free’.
Expertise and advice. Customers who walk through our doors are looking to be guided, surprised and educated. Knowledge of producers, processes (fermentation, distillation, maceration, etc.) and food and drink pairings: this is what lends credibility to our approach and builds customer loyalty.
Establishing non-alcoholic drinks as a positive choice. We must change the consumer’s perspective: not selling an absence (of alcohol), but a presence of complexity, pleasure, and care taken in what we drink. We are advocates of taste and shared enjoyment.
A wide range is essential. Not just a few options, but a genuine choice, on a par with what you’d find in any traditional wine shop. Covering every occasion, every style and every budget. The customer should never find themselves having to settle for ‘whatever’s available’ for lack of anything better. They must be able to choose, compare and deliberate. It is this freedom of choice that turns a visit into an experience, and an occasional buyer into a loyal customer.
The in-store experience. The atmosphere, the way the products are displayed, the chance to try everything (or almost everything)… the experience must be memorable.
There are so many that I couldn’t possibly name just one...after all, you’re talking to an expert who has nearly 600 different bottles in the shop ;)
Come on! Just one? You know me better. Three for the price of one!
Forget what you think you know. The non-alcoholic drink you tried three years ago no longer exists. The category has exploded in terms of quality and variety. Come with an open mind and let yourself be surprised by what flavour has to offer without alcohol.
Expect the same as elsewhere, if not more. An alcohol-free drink is not a second-rate product and has no reason to be mediocre! Demand complexity, variety and attractive bottles. If the selection in front of you seems poor or interchangeable, it’s not the category that’s limited: it’s the shop.
Talk about occasions, not restrictions. Don’t say “I don’t drink alcohol”. Say “I’m having a family dinner on Saturday”, “I’m looking for something for drinks with friends”, “I want something complex to accompany a meal”.IG: @lacaveparalelle| website: www.lacaveparallele.fr
Q+A with Mel Babitz, owner of The Open Road.
Knowledgeable staff creating an approachable educational customer experience, and a product selection that covers all the categories without causing too much overwhelming decision fatigue. Offering cans as singles encourages trying more things at a lower barrier to entry. And samples!
Monday Gin & new hemp-infused gin.
Ask us all the questions! Don't be embarrassed - the entire category is so new.IG: @openroadbarpgh | website: www.openroadbarpgh.com
Q+A with Kirstin Vracko, co-owner of Cheeky & Dry.
A great non-alcoholic bottle shop starts with taste. Not trends. Not wellness buzzwords. Not beautifully branded sadness in a can.
At Cheeky & Dry, I only bring in products I personally like and would actually drink myself. If I wouldn’t pour it at a dinner party, it doesn’t make the shelf. This category is still new enough that too many people have already had the deeply offensive experience of pouring a $40 bottle of non-alcoholic something directly down the drain after one sip.
That’s why tastings matter so much.
Samples save people money, but more importantly, they build trust. They give customers a chance to discover what they actually like while giving us the opportunity to educate them on how these products work, what makes them special, and how to drink them properly. Some need dilution. Some need bubbles. Some need citrus. Some simply need lower expectations.
And expertise matters just as much as curation. This industry moves too fast and has too much nuance for employees to simply point at shelves and hope for the best. A great bottle shop should have owners and staff who understand the category deeply — the flavors, the producers, the ingredients, the structure, and why products taste sophisticated and interesting.
The entire experience should feel thoughtful, welcoming, a little cheeky, and undeniably chic.
A product I am absolutely loving at the moment is Casals Spanish Vermouth. It’s layered with citrus rind, olive leaf, a touch of cinnamon, Catalan grapes, and more than twenty Mediterranean botanicals that feel both complex and effortless at the same time.
It has depth, structure, bitterness, brightness — all the things that make Spanish vermouth so appealing. I love it with a splash of bubbles and a citrus twist, or it’s stunning in cocktails. One of my current favorites is Casals mixed with Sylva Orchard and a dash or two of All The Bitter Orange Cardamom bitters, served up in a coupe. An elegant non-alcoholic Manhattan.
My tip for new non-alcoholic bottle shop shoppers? Adjust your expectations. These drinks are not going to taste exactly like their alcoholic counterparts — they’re their own thing entirely, which turns out to be far more interesting.
Instead of asking, “What tastes exactly like whiskey?” start asking, “What sounds delicious?” The people who end up loving non-alcoholic beverages the most are usually the ones willing to lean into flavor — citrus, spice, bubbles, bitterness, tannins, herbs, smoke, all the things that make a drink feel interesting and sophisticated in the first place.
Also: ask questions and taste everything you can. A good bottle shop should help guide you toward products that actually fit your palate, not just whatever has the prettiest label.
Half the fun of this category is discovering something you fully expected to hate and then suddenly needing three more bottles of it.
IG: @cheekyanddry| website: www.cheekyanddry.com
Q+A with Joshua James, owner of Ocean Beach Cafe.
Curated selection and hospitality focused.
Soulhum…and Kava Haven… together!!
All NA whiskeys suck, except Free Spirit Bourbon’s new recipe. And you won’t find a great red, except for Zeronimo Leonis Blend. Now that we got the two most requested things out of the way…the future is functional!IG: @oceanbeachcafe| website: www.oceanbeachcafe.com
Peep her offerings below.
Q+A with Elizabeth “CJ” Mutti, owner of Dry Humor Bottle Shop.
In my opinion, what makes a great NA / functional beverage shop is the people who staff it! You can have all the variety and volume in the world, but without the proper people in place to help facilitate the customers experience, the impact you're going for will really suffer. Its important to remember that we're sometimes someones first point of possibly exploring sobriety and that can be a really delicate time in someones life; it deserves care and sensitivity. I encourage / teach my staff to be welcoming, not overwhelming; to listen without judgement and to not be afraid to share their own stories; that the experience of, and connection with a customer is more important than the sale; and of course, to have fun! I think customers can really feel the genuine good vibes, and they leave with those vibes themselves.
My current favorite brand is a toss up between Best Day Brewing and High Ground; I've been CRUSHING 6-packs of Wild American, Best Day's current seasonal and always have all varieties of High Ground's sparkling mushroom elixirs on rotation in my fridge.
We are no longer an industry afterthought; the beverage scene is finally catering to the NA crowd so shop with confidence! There is literally something in every category for everyone and we’re certainly seeing much less judgement when we ask for NA at a store, bar, restaurant, etc. Let the world know that you drink NA with pride! It may even encourage or inspire others.
IG: @dry_humor_bottle_shop| website: dryhumor-shop.com
xo,
Laura
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