July 2022 brought Club Soda’s Mindful Drinking Festival held in Brighton. It included a wide range of non-alcoholic drinks including spirits, beers and functional products too for people to discover, taste and find what they like best. 

Meeting people in person and seeing how they actually reacted to the non-alcoholic drinks on the market was fascinating. The reasons for people attending varied such as: 

1. They have approached their 30’s now and drinking just doesn’t suit their lifestyle anymore

2. Medication means they can’t drink at all

3. Pregnancy or a parent

4. Hang-xiety. Becoming anxious after drinking and realising it isn’t good for mental health

5. Have not drunk for years after giving it up following excessive drinking

6. Do drink and were intrigued about the options available

Every reason was as fascinating as the last and they all had one overriding theme - people did not realise the variety and quality of these drinks. 

With that being the case, it made it so abundantly clear to us that there is still so much work to be done to make the category more known. 

Why is it so important and what should we being doing?

Why?

1. Knowing there are serious options out there and not just one alcohol-free drink you tried once that you didn’t like, means you really can have a choice and a sophisticated drink for the times you aren’t drinking.

2. For those that never drink, it helps with inclusion and to remain on the path you have chosen.

3. We can start to break down societal norms and make ‘not drinking’ just as normal as drinking.

What?

1. Bars and restaurants should continue driving their alcohol-free menus. We love when they aren’t called ‘an alcohol-free spritz’ but ‘Amalfi Spritz’ for example. This means someone can order one without other people even noticing! Some places are doing it well and some aren’t doing it at all. Take note the latter.

2. People in the industry should continue supporting each other (as they absolutely are already) and driving the message and brand to consumers. JOMO Club are trying to do our bit by bringing these brands together, investing in marketing to grow the entire category and have a presence and thought-leadership to help educate around how to drink these drinks and what are the best tasting, highest quality alternatives to alcohol.

3. You can also help. By learning, sharing, spreading the word, following on socials, posting on socials, writing content, bringing alcohol-free drinks to your workplace, buying alcohol-free drinks when out or simply displaying a positive interest to bars and restaurants - or on the other foot giving feedback when the options are poor. All these things help the industry strive and continue to grow. Thank you to you.

So, back to the masterclass. We had the honour of leading two Mindful Drinking Cocktail Masterclasses on the two days of the festival. We were even more honoured to have been completely sold out on both days with overwhelming feedback - thank you to anyone who came and sorry if any of you couldn’t come as a result of capacity. 

It was a jam-packed class with lots of drinks to make and a station in front of each person equipped with shakers, strainers, ice, drinks, chopping boards, knives and jiggers, everyone came in with a lot of excitement (for those who have met me will know that’s just as I like it). 

Opening Drink: 

To start we served up an ice cold ready-to-drink functional drink created by a new brand to market, Haelu. With two flavours on offer, they have created alcohol-free drinks that is packed with vitamins, botanicals, minerals and adaptogens designed to help you feel relaxed and sociable. 

The Havana Heat went down an absolute treat with gentle oak aromas, a subtle hint of chilli and natural botanicals! A few people said they did in fact feel sociable and they were a huge fan of this one. 

The Mindful Mojito:

Using Marie Laveau’s White Rum alternative, paired with a dash of syrup, lime juice and muddled mint over lots of ice in a highball. Refreshing on the beautifully hot day.

Make It A Lyre’s Margarita:

We made this too on an Instagram Live with Dan from Lyre’s this week if you’d like to see the full recipe. This includes Lyre’s Agave Blanco, Lyre’s Orange Sec, lime juice, syrup - shaken over ice and strained into a coupe with a garnish of lime. 

Strykk’s Aperitivo: 

Another Summer favourite and this bright orange spritz brought all the Summer vibes to the party. 

Feel Good Martini: 

Clearly we had functional product lovers as this Sentia cocktail along with Haelu’s ready to drink were crowded the favourites. The passionfruit martini was a hit, fun to make and showcased Sentia in a wonderful light. Some also enjoyed it on its own in a rocks glass for a punchy hit.

Straight and Narrow Puncho Lemonade:

To finish we served another ready-to-drink based on the PIMMS. This time we had a garnish competition where for the first time in the whole class, everyone was silent for an entire 10 minutes. We had gorgeous garnishes of faces and they were the crowned winners - we also had some very wacky final results, which we were totally here for. 

A great way to try an array of drinks, work out and see in person that everyones tastes are different and to connect through the power of cocktails (and no alcohol needed!) 

If you might like an alcohol-free cocktail class at a party, hen do, wedding, work event or in the office, do reach out to us, we’d love to host it.