In January 2023, as many of us were winding down a successful Dry January, feeling a little healthier and maybe a little ready to crack open a cold one, updated Canadian guidelines on alcohol put a cork in things.
The guidelines, which made big headlines, considered two boozy drinks a week a low health risk and six or more drinks on the regular a cause for concern.
In my circle, friends asked each other in hushed tones: “Two drinks?” The guidelines were sobering for lots of Canadians, 40% of whom, the report said, drink six or more drinks a week.
A Dalhousie prof who helped create the guidelines put a positive spin on things, saying that the goal of the guidelines was to make people “just understand that drinking less — whatever less is for you — is a step in the right direction.”
Liberated from alcohol in 2024
Taking a positive approach to drinking less echoes what we’ve heard from Fiesta customers in 2023, who made alcohol-free drinks the biggest in-store trend.
As our customers opened up to embracing and experimenting with alcohol-free options, we quickly expanded our selection of wine, beer, spirits, champagne and cider under a big festive black and gold sign that reads “Liberated from Alcohol.”
Aisle 7 now has a huge section of non-alcoholic drinks, even more massive than our panettone wall (but don’t say that to Joe Furfaro). It feels good to get the products you want in the store, and we think drinking less is a positive shift that’s cause for celebration.
As you welcome Dry January and move into the new year, we encourage you to make space for alcohol-free beers, spirits and cocktails in your repertoire. We’ll be sampling every weekend in January, so come by and sip something new.
During the weird and wonderful days between Christmas and New Year’s, my family taste-tested lots of alcohol-free options. Here’s some of what you can sample and a few of our personal recommendations.
Booze-less Beer:
We carry alcohol-free or .5% beer from over 15 companies with all the styles you’d expect: from IPA to pilsner to white, blonde, red, dark ones, lagers and stouts.
Our own Dino Virgona’s excellent advice for finding the right alcohol-free beer is to “go for what you like.” If you’re a Pilsner person, pick a Pilsner to get started.
My husband, Barry, a dedicated craft beer consumer, is a big fan of Bellwoods Brewery’s offerings, so it made sense to test their alcohol-free version of their beloved, dry-hopped sour Jelly King.
Bellwoods says Jelly King is “a beer they say ‘can convincingly wear the Jelly King crown.” Barry agreed.
He found Jelly King (surprisingly) satisfying–not the same as the boozy version, but a pleasure in its own right. After trying a Harmons Seasonal IPA and Libra’s Upstreet IPA, he was excited to give non-alcoholic beers a deeper look. Unimpressed with the beers he tried in the category’s early days, he said he could easily enjoy an alcohol-free beer while cooking, watching a basketball game or over dinner and would benefit from fewer calories and alcohol than regular beer.
Captivating Canned Cocktails:
Sales of premixed cocktails and hard seltzers grew by 40% at the LCBO in 2023, so it’s no surprise that our customers are seeking the convenience and quality of alcohol-free canned cocktails.
I particularly enjoyed Edna’s non-alcoholic Paloma, which successfully balanced sweet, sour, and salty notes. All of Edna’s cocktail flavours, Mojito, Collins and Mule, use apple cider vinegar instead of booze. The Paloma tasted less like fancy kombucha and more like an authentic cocktail. Based out of Vancouver, Edna’s was created by former bartender Nick Devine. Their snazzy 50’s 50s-inspired package design and merch give a nod to old-school drinking culture, minus the booze. Think sober Sinatra.
Like the boozy versions, canned cocktails can rely on sugar as a key ingredient. If you’re watching your calories, check the back of the can to see if it meets your dietary needs.
Social Spirits:
With or without alcohol, the ritual of making a cocktail makes social gatherings feel more social.
I cracked open a bottle of Lumette!’s Bright Light non-alcoholic gin and poured it over ice, mixed it with Fever Tree’s Mediterranean Tonic Water and threw in a sprig of rosemary. Everything about the experience felt good. The bottle is beautiful, the gin is tasty, and the ritual is satisfying.
As a Time Magazine reporter recently discovered while sampling non-alcoholic spirits:
“Because it really did feel like a cocktail, I found myself behaving as though it were: taking slow, small sips and relaxing into the experience as I did. By the time I finished my drink, I felt mellow and a little fuzzy around the edges, as if I’d had half a glass of wine.”
We encourage you to try our alcohol-free offerings. If you’re curious, start your year with a stroll through Aisle 7, where we’ll be sampling non-alcoholic drinks throughout the month of January. If there’s an alcoholic beverage you’ve heard about but don’t see on our shelves, email Dino at dino@fiestafarms.ca
Cheers!