It is a fact that non-alcoholic drinks are here to stay. According to IWSR, consumption of alcohol-free drinks will increase by a third by 2026. Demand continues to grow, and consumers want to enjoy alcohol-free options. The Blue Dolphin Store is the non-alcoholic drinks shop where you can find a complete range. But what happens when you want to enjoy 0.0 drinks in bars and restaurants?
Nowadays it is still difficult to find quality alcohol-free options. However, this year people have been talking about non-alcoholic pairings in the top restaurants in the world. It seems that, finally, hospitality professionals are taking this trend seriously.
Why is it important to have non-alcoholic pairings?
Restaurants should offer non-alcoholic pairings to ensure that all customers, whether they drink alcohol or not, have a good dining experience. Someone might be driving, pregnant, or just not wanting to drink. If the restaurant does not offer alternatives to alcohol other than water and soft drinks, the experience will not be the same.
Combining a meat or fish dish with wine is not the same as combining it with water. In these situations, a non-alcoholic wine gives you the most similar experience, but without alcohol. Restaurants that care about their customers are willing to innovate with non-alcoholic drinks that satisfy them. According to our buyers, people will return to bars and restaurants with non-alcoholic options.
Furthermore, don’t forget that, with non-alcoholic beers, 0,0 wines or alcohol-free spirits, restaurants achieve a higher margin than with water. That is a win.
The best restaurants offer non-alcoholic pairings
At the HIP Madrid hospitality fair we spoke with Claudia Gozalbes Mendoza, sommelier at the Four Seasons hotel in Madrid. Claudia said her wine selection includes non-alcoholic wines and alcohol-free cocktails at the bar. For her, it is necessary to have a good non-alcoholic selection because, first, customers ask for it, especially Americans. She also considers that they are valid pairing options with the menu. The famous Barcelona-based restaurant “Disfrutar” has the option of pairing with or without alcohol.
The newspaper “La Opinión de Málaga” published a news story about how the non-alcoholic wine brand Win from Bodegas Matarromea is available in more than 15 establishments in Málaga. You can buy their non-alcoholic red wines and non-alcoholic white wine on our website: Win Tempranillo and Win Verdejo. Additionally, in our Blue Dolphin Guide, you have more examples of restaurants throughout Spain that offer our non-alcoholic drinks.
Another example is the Ark restaurant in Copenhagen, the first vegan restaurant to earn a Green Michelin star in the Nordic countries. In the restaurant you can choose a pairing with or without alcohol, and the alcohol-free version offers you an experience that has nothing to envy of the alcoholic one. The versatility of alcohol-free beverages allows restaurants to innovate with flavors and experiences.
At The Blue Dolphin we help restaurants and bars choose the best alcohol-free drinks for their premises. If you want to know more, visit our page for trade customers and contact us if you need help.
