Moderation Is The New Game In Town

The zero-proof cocktail culture is no longer a trend; it's a worldwide movement worth billions of dollars.

- Nimmi Malhotra

"It's not just about getting drunk anymore," says Rusty Cerevan, bar manager at Manhattan, Regent Singapore. In his 17year experience behind the bar, Cerevan has seen it all - from booze-filled nights to the current no- and low-alcohol craze.

You could be excused for thinking that this trend, often dubbed the "sober curious movement", is a Covid-years development that will fade away as people bounce back to their normal life.

But that's not the case. The pandemic years have fueled them with bar closures and the simultaneous self-care and health movement - but now that our lives are back to normal, it refuses to recede.

Attributed mainly to the millennials, the "sober curious" is an affectionate moniker for those who have given up on alcohol or are mindful of their intake and drinking much less of it. According to IWSR consumer research (a leading research body on the global beverage alcohol market), more than half (58 percent) of no- and low-consumers report that they choose to switch between no/low and full-strength alcohol products on the same occasion.

Cerevan, however, chalks up the trend to a broader demographic. "I don't think it's only millennials," he says. "Young people do it because it's trendy. The older people do it because it's healthier."

At 1920s-inspired Atlas, newly minted head bartender Lidiyanah K or "Yana" has also witnessed an increasing request for non-alcoholic drinks over the last five years and she is not referring to the cloying Shirley Temples and sodas. The city's high-end bars are delivering well-crafted zero-proof cocktails with premium products, and keeping pace with the top-notch quality cocktails they are renowned for.