Zero-proof drinks for Dry January
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Temperance in the world of cocktails implies drinking with restraint or in moderation. Bartender Pawan Rawat chanced upon the word while crafting the menu for the new bar Hitchens in Mumbai, and adopted it as the name for the zero-proof drinks section.
Zero-proof drinks are buzz-free choices for guests with dietary restrictions, and can be either creative mocktails or drinks based on cocktail recipes minus the booze. While there are takers for zero-proof drinks through the year, Dry January, a month-long campaign when people resolve to avoid alcohol in an effort to make healthier choices in the new year, is the time when demand really spikes. “I have noticed most Gen Z customers ordering booze-free drinks from our menus," notes Shaariq Akhtar, general manager, ITC Grand Chola in Chennai, which has seven restaurants.
Chennai, he says, is a conservative city and about 55% of their drinks orders are without alcohol, which influences their menus. For instance, their drinks menu, Cholatails, has zero-proof options with regional accents such as coconut water, nannari and the grape cola, Bovonto, made by the Tamil Nadu-based soft drinks maker Kali Aerated Water Works. Flavour is the game changer in drinks without alcohol.
“They have to be palate-forward and yummy," says Tarun Sibal, founder of the cocktail bar Khi Khi in Delhi and family-oriented restaurant Street Storyss in Bengaluru. Delhi enjoys its large pegs and at Khi Khi, regular cocktails also have non-alcoholic versions because guests don’t want to miss out on the flavour aspect. Therefore, there’s a buzz-free Picante and Paloma.
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