Alcohol-free booze options abound for dry January

A tilt towards healthier lifestyles around the world has stirred the demand for non-alcoholic drinks

- Bloomberg

Would you like your Negroni zero- or full-proof?

One day in the not-too-distant future, Moa Gürbüzer envisions this as a standard question from bartenders.

Gürbüzer, the founder of the decade-plus-old Oddbird, the stylish, dealcoholized Swedish wine, created her minimalist-designed brand after spending years as a therapist witnessing alcohol's negative impact.

In August, Oddbird launched in the US with six wines made from organic grapes grown in Europe.

Gürbüzer says her decision to expand to the states was driven by Americans' increasing interest in healthier lifestyles, which has led to a growing demand for high-quality alcohol-free options.

On 3 January, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy advised that alcohol products should have warning labels on them.

Sales of non-alcoholic drinks in the US have been soaring: In the year that ended June 2024, zero-proof drink sales rose 24%, to $199 million, from the year earlier, according to NielsenIQ.

The current leader in the burgeoning international alcohol-free lifestyle movement is Europe.

Scandinavia, in particular, has delivered incredibly sophisticated, botanically driven, low-sugar drink options.

Until recently, though, many of these releases weren't available outside Europe.

But that's changing.

In 2023, Danish-born Jens Christophersen, who was inspired by the US's rapidly growing market for NA products, debuted his import and distribution company.