When you think of a cocktail, most will associate them with a high alcohol content. Tipples like a martini or an old fashioned are made primarily using spirits as a base, and as such have a very high alcohol content. With so many people cutting out alcohol from their diet, mocktails have taken centre stage, as they have the same flavours and beautiful presentation without the alcoholic content.
Mocktails may have started as a method for mixologists to experiment with flavours and new cocktail mixtures without adding high cost spirits to the mix. With the concept of ‘dry January’ suddenly a lot more guests at restaurants and bars were looking for an alcohol-free alternative drink to try while out with friends, and mocktails became a marketable product. Driven by the health and wellness movement, individuals are far more likely to have different dietary needs such as vegan or vegetarian diets, as well as cutting out specific foods and drinks such as dairy or alcohol. With a far more health-conscious society, the number of non-drinkers looks set to rise rather than fall in the near future. Many more customers are not drinking at all, or drinking very low amounts of alcohol.
Non-Alcoholic Options
While drinking alcoholic beverages in small amounts, such as a few glasses of wine occasionally on a night out, will not be harmful, drinking an excessive amount of alcohol on a regular basis is bad for your general health. With many choosing not to drink at all, cutting drinks and foods containing alcohol out of their diet, many restaurants have taken to serving mocktails as a non-alcoholic option that is just as delicious as the real thing.
Reducing or cutting out the alcoholic content of a beverage to gain a new customer base is not only a trend for cocktails. Non-alcoholic versions of a range of different drinks are becoming readily available, with alcohol-free beers and spirits becoming a popular option for those who are cutting down on their drinking.
What is enjoyable about Mocktails?
Mocktails are far from the only non-alcoholic option on a menu – so why have they risen in popularity so quickly? Mocktails have quickly gained prominence and a lot of fans; here are a few reasons why.
- Presentation
Both cocktails and mocktails look beautiful, with bright colours, garnishes and beautiful glasses used to serve the drinks. Whether a mocktail has alcohol content or not, the end result is still very aesthetically pleasing. Often, seeing a well presented drink being served will pique the curiosity of the observer, who will want to taste the drinks as well.
Often the key to a great mocktail is finding a combination of juices, flavours and botanicals that not only tastes fantastic, but is beautiful as well. Other soft drinks, such as Pellegrino or plain fruit juice, generally aren’t as nice from an aesthetic point of view and are therefore falling behind in terms of popularity.
- A Range of flavours
Mocktails often use a range of syrups and botanicals to create fresh and new flavours. One of the reasons many enjoy cocktails is because each restaurant and bar will have their own signature drinks with different combinations and flavours. Trying new things is one of the reasons we go out to eat, as there is a range of unique tastes and flavours to try. While cocktails are often sweet, they can also be savoury or spicy, with mocktails like a Bloody Mary or a Chilli Martini introducing new tastes and flavours to the menu.
Both cocktails and mocktails have four main flavour palettes, sweet, sour, bitter and salty. These different tastes often pair particularly well with specific dishes or at specific points during the meal. Drinks like a Russian White are quite sweet and heavy, as they contain cream, and are best sampled at the beginning of the evening. A Mojito is a fantastic palette-cleanser to try after eating a meal.
- Conversation
When people go out in the evening for drinks, it isn’t necessarily for the drinks themselves. Often it is the atmosphere of a bar or restaurant that is enjoyable for customers. Many who are foregoing alcohol want the conversation and the fun of going out to a bar with friends without having an alcoholic drink.
Mocktails and other premium soft drinks create a fantastic bar and restaurant experience for customers who do not want to drink. This can be useful not only for those who don’t drink alcohol, but also for those who want to drink in moderation. For instance, a guest that has work the next day, but still wants to enjoy going out with friends on a Sunday.
- Premium Taste
Just because someone has cut alcohol out of their diet doesn’t mean they don’t want a drink with premium ingredients and flavours. While soft drinks like lemonade and Coca Cola are available at almost every bar or restaurant, they don’t offer the premium experience that a mocktail can. With fresh and fantastic flavours and ingredients, mocktails provide the same delicious taste as a cocktail, without the headache the next morning.
Whether you are the designated driver, a non-drinker or are simply looking for a new experience, mocktails create a premium taste that is hard to beat.
- Universally Available
For those who are under the age of eighteen a mocktail is a mature drink with interesting flavours and a gorgeous look that they will be able to have in place of an ordinary soft drink. The beautiful presentation and the sweet taste make mocktails a great option for customers of all ages, and the lack of alcohol in mocktails ensures that anyone can try them even if they are unable to have an alcoholic drink.
The accessibility of mocktails is one of their greatest charms, allowing people with a wide range of lifestyles and ages to enjoy the cocktail experience. Often people who don’t drink feel out of place in a bar setting; mocktails ensure that everyone can enjoy their bar experience without feeling out of place.
If you are interested in booking our beautiful restaurant STEAK or visiting our hotel bar, please contact us here. Our restaurant and bar are currently formulating a delicious range of mocktails for our guests to try.
