TLDR: Far from it!
As we move towards an increased understanding of the health impacts of high ABV and high calorie drinks, millions of people have started to question whether having healthier drinking habits means making peace with being a tad more boring.To put things simply, the answer to that is no!
While some may argue that removing the alcohol means removing the ‘fun’, what many haven’t considered is how increased popularity in healthier drinks alternatives has created a whole new dynamic space within the drinks market, bringing forwards an array of drinks with exciting new flavours and health benefits that bring just as much fun.
In this article, we’ll go through some of the brands that have been disrupting the beverage market, and challenging perspectives on what it really means to have a post-work pint with your colleagues, or a canned cocktail in the park with your friends.
According to the UK Drinkaware monitor in 2023, 2 in 5 drinkers have tried to cut down on their alcohol consumption over the past year. With the population wanting to improve their drinking health while drinking culture is not set to disappear any time soon, the perfect opportunity has arisen for NOLO (no alcohol or low alcohol) brands to get established within the drinks market.
A fantastic example of this is the beer brand ‘Lucky Saint’, which has worked its way up the drinks market to become the UK’s no.1 rated low-ABV beer. Through using a unique vacuum distillation process to remove the alcohol, Lucky Saint manages to keep a low health impact on its drinks while leaving their lager unfiltered to ensure maximum flavour.
punchy drinks, on the other hand, not only have low-calorie 0% ABV drinks, but are paving the way for healthier drinking habits by creating products that aren’t just ‘better’ for you, but actively improve your health. By adding extra vitamins such as D and C as well as using real fruit for optimal taste, Punchy have been given the stamp of approval by certified nutritionists across the country.
Moving on from the ready-made drinks market, the spirits sector certainly isn’t exempt from the NOLO category either. The brand Everleaf, a creator of non-alcoholic spirits, sustainably sources its ingredients from nature to create powerful and memorable flavours that make a perfect array of cocktails that you can safely drink knowing you won’t have to face that dreadful hangover in the morning!
With the rise of healthy drinks alternatives on the market, a huge space has opened up for a variety of drinks that won’t have you ending up choosing between the usual pint of beer or the standard glass of red. The spritz, a lighter, less alcoholic and more dynamic alternative to a glass of bubbly, has captured both the millennial and gen z population’s interest for the past few summers.
While the concept of a spritz has technically existed since the Roman times, options for the drink have considerably branched out over the years, with the option of easily making one at home with Aperol, Campari, Suze (incredibly underrated) and Hugo / St Germain.
While ordering a spritz in a bar may remain on the pricey side, the past couple of years have seen a major increase in ready-to-drink spritzes that are far more budget-friendly, such as the aperitivo by MOTH cocktails, or even Lidl’s small and cute bottles of Bitterol Spritz.
Diageo have also recently released a new spritz aperitif named Venturo with a gorgeous sky-blue colour. Though it may only be available in Italy for now, it is most certainly one to watch out for in the UK for the coming years – perhaps it may end up in a head-to-head battle with the currently reigning Aperol…
Besides the obvious health benefits, what else is in it for customers considering moving towards healthier alcoholic alternatives? When moving away from the household alcoholic brands and most common beverages found in pubs and restaurants, it’s always surprising to see how much variety there is in the NOLO drinks world in terms of taste and price.
Having securely established themselves in other European countries such as France and Spain, fruit beers like Jubels and Fourpure are beginning to kick off in the UK beer sector, providing you with a light refreshing taste available in the leading supermarkets that doesn’t break the bank. Or if you love the idea of a pint but aren’t too keen on the taste of beer, try the up-and-coming Lonkero – a new pint-sized take on the Finnish classic canned drink with gin, grapefruit and soda water.
Moreover, there are countless UK NOLO brands that are B Corp certified (such as the first three mentioned in this article!) – meaning that you won’t have to worry about your money going towards environmentally harmful supply chains and poorly treated employees. At Harmonic, we’re proud to have also achieved B Corp status. As people are our no.1 priority, we love to help like-minded drinks companies hire great people into their finance and operations functions.
To conclude, if you’ve been thinking about trying out some NOLO drinks but worried about compromising on taste and fun – don’t be! Current UK drinks trends have shown that a decrease in demand for high ABV content beverages has gone hand in hand with an increase in the variety of healthier options out there, including ones packed with flavour and character.
If you’re a drinks business and this article resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you. At Harmonic, we have years’ worth of expertise in placing finance and operations talent within the drinks sector and would love to join you on your journey towards commercial growth.
To arrange a catch up and find out more about who we are, get in touch at [email protected] (for finance hires) or [email protected] (for operations hires).
