IN SEARCH OF 'BUZZ-FREE' COCKTAILS

As people eat out more frequently, no-alcohol or low-alcohol, fizzy and refreshing cocktails have found their ways into Indian bars

- Jahnabee Borah

One of the biggest professional hazards for someone who writes about restaurants and bars is having one too many drinks. In January 2020, I was relieved to find that sober cocktails would be the next big thing, with health-conscious diners and brands, like Seedlip, pushing for no-alcohol spirits. I wrote a story, Will zero-proof cocktails outrun the G&T?, to examine this trend. But in the lockdowns that ensued, the exact opposite happened: Drinking at home picked up and it seemed spirit-forward and simple recipes, like the Negroni, were the way forward, with bartenders taking to social media to share alcohol knowledge and people setting up home bars.

By 2022, restaurants and bars were back, with elaborate menus featuring cocktails that read like magic potions. However, there was another significant change: A few of them introduced sections dedicated to zero-proof (no-alcohol) or low-alcohol (abv) drinks.