A successful event consists of hundreds of details, some big and some small, but trust me when I say each one is important to the execution of a memorable experience. One detail that is often considered easy and breezed over is the beverage offering. On the surface it seems simple, beer, wine, cocktails, pop, juice, water….consider it done, right? I want to challenge that thinking and bring in another perspective, what about ensuring there is a fun and unique drink option for those who don’t drink alcohol, something beyond a pop or glass of water.
A person’s decision to not drink can stem from several areas, perhaps it’s as simple as they are the designated driver for the evening, they’ve never enjoyed alcohol, religious beliefs, health reasons, or maybe it’s something more. Perhaps they have mental health challenges that don’t mix well with alcohol, or maybe they are recovering from an addiction, or grew up around addiction and alcohol is something they choose to avoid.
Another point to consider is having a dry event. The choice to not offer alcohol could be because of licensing or liability restrictions, budget constraints, or perhaps with the subject matter of the event it doesn’t feel in alignment to bring alcohol into the mix.
Regardless of the reason, it is important to still offer everyone at an event a choice and why not make it special!
Below are 5 ways to make non-alcoholic drink options fun!
1. Fancy Glasses!
I love to serve non-alcoholic options in fancy glasses! Champagne glasses, stemless wine glasses, cocktail glasses. Even when I’m at home enjoying sparkling water, I’ll pour it into a stemless wine glass. By providing guests with their drink in glass it keeps them feeling a part of the group with the same glasses that guests enjoying alcoholic options are. Plus, am I right, there is something about holding a champagne flute that just ups your feels?!
2. Non-Alcoholic Beer
The non-alcoholic beer market has come a long way! Take for example Partake, based out of Calgary, AB. The founder gave up alcohol due to a medical condition, but he missed beer! The non-alcoholic beers he was trying were awful and super low on variety, that is when Parktake Brewing was born. They have variety, great taste, and are award-winning, choices include stout, red ale, pale ale, IPA, and blonde. What a great option for non-drinkers who love the taste of beer!
3. Non-Alcoholic Signature Cocktails
The options in this arena truly are endless! I want to introduce you to the local queens of delicious and unique non-alcoholic cocktails, the team at Sober Saturdayz! I had the pleasure of working with them for the We All Believe in You documentary premiere and to say their cocktails were a huge hit would be an understatement! They were gone almost instantly, it was unreal! Their mission is to bring people together, without the hangover. They firmly believe that you don’t lose your ability to party and join in
on events when you stop drinking. Nothing could be further from the truth! One of their favourite “spirits” to make their delish cocktails is a product called Seedlip, which has produced the world's first distilled non-alcoholic spirits! Their website is also filled with delicious drink recipes!
4. Sparkling Punch
Along the same lines as the non-alcoholic cocktails, is adding a fun sparkling punch to your offering. It can be simple, pretty, and served in the glasses we talked about above to make it fit right in! My favourite recipe involves frozen pink lemonade, white cranberry juice, sparkling water, and fresh raspberries to garnish! I make it pink punch because, well, that’s my signature colour, but you can play with the frozen juice and other juices to make a colour of your choosing!
5. Fancy Water
When you’re serving water for guests you can also up your game beyond just bottled water or plain water. One of my favourite ways to do this is through making “spa water”. Add lemons and limes to the water, or mint and cucumber, or lemon, lime, ginger, and mint! There are endless combinations that provide great flavor and an appealing water serving station to look at! There is also the option to serve sparkling water or flavoured water, these are also options that level you up from plain old water.
For your next event keep these 5 options in mind to ensure all of your guests feel special, feel considered, and a part of the bigger picture!