food & drink Normalizing non-alcoholic options

Pensacola establishments are offering more varieties of non-alcoholic beverages

By Bradley “Beej” Davis, Jr.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a night out on the town without the hangover the next day? It it your turn to be the designated driver – or whatever your reason for not drinking – but you don’t want to be relegated to sipping only soda water with lime while the rest of the group enjoys a night of revelry?

The good news is being the sober one of the group is becoming exceedingly more common. Whether it be a personal choice not to drink that evening or ever again, a number of Pensacola establishments are expanding their refreshment repertoire to include nonalcoholic choices that put an end to the only non-alcoholic option of O’Douls.

“I’ll drink O’Douls if I have to, but I would prefer this Mango Dragonfruit Sour. It’s fabulous,” said Heidi Fischler, general manager of longtime local favorite Wisteria Tavern.

The drink she’s referring to is made by Untitled Art, which is a beverage company who, in 2016, recognized the need to change up the non-alcoholic beer game. The brand is now a staple at Wisteria, and it’s arguably as popular as its boozy brethren.

“We’re talking from pilsners all the way to stouts. I’m buying them every week, we’re rolling through them,” Fischler said.

So what’s the point of such a considerable selection of non-alcoholic beer at a bar? The answer is the social aspect. There’s always been a desire for partygoers to have a well-rounded experience while painting the town red. Whether it’s dancing the night away or trying your hand at trivia (be sure to pop in Thursday nights for Wisteria trivia at 7 p.m.), sometimes it’s not all about the imbibery.

“It’s nice for the people who still drink but aren’t trying to get completely sloppy,” said Fischler. “It’s also nice for the people that don’t drink but want to be out in the bars and having fun.”

In addition to the 10 or so options of hand-selected, non-alcoholic beer, Wisteria offers non-alcoholic wine, prosecco and rosé. Wisteria’s selection can change week-to-week because breweries are always introducing new products, so this is an exciting time to sample flavors like Orange Peel Wit, Paradiso IPA, Upside Dawn and Chocolate Milk Dark Brew.

What is the response of patrons?

“They’re digging them,” Fischler said. “You wouldn’t know the difference other than you’re not getting drunk.”

Beer not your thing? Don’t fret, as the non-alcoholic scene is exploding with “harder” options in the way of non-alcoholic spirits. Non-alcoholic whiskey, rum and gin are becoming more mainstream options for those who perhaps still enjoy the option of making her or his “a double.”

And what about wine? The principal process of creating vino requires fermentation, which is the chemical conversation of sugar into alcohol.

“We have two types of wine right now – Proxies, which is a ‘layered’ product in the sense that use different fruit juices, different flavor profiles to create a more interesting and dynamic palette,” said Justine GudmundsonMcCain, owner of Bluejay’s Collective in downtown Pensacola. “But things are also made with grape skin contact, and so the fermentation of alcohol is just not present.”

She said the other line the Collective carries is a “de-alcoholized” wine, which has a much more expected taste profile of wine.

“A focus of what we do in the shop, having such a specific niche of wine really just led to asking ourselves ‘what do we really want to provide to our clients?’ This wine is healthier for you because there aren’t as many preservatives; it’s healthier for the planet because it’s usually grown, farmed and made in much more sustainable methods,” Gudmundson-McCain said.

In essence, the shop’s goal is to provide a balance between those who prefer either beverages with alcohol or beverages without it.

“It’s really hitting that crowd who’s not out to party hardy but just really enjoy what they are partaking in,” she quipped.

As for the “harder” stuff, Bluejay’s Collective offers several brands including Seedlip, a line of distilled non-alcoholic spirits with flavors like Grove 42, possessing a citrus profile and described by the company as “a sophisticated, bright, citrus blend of mediterranean orange, lemon peel, lemongrass and ginger with a dry finish.”

More of a whiskey or gin person? The line Monday Zero Alcohol has you covered with its wide range of non-alcoholic spirits and cocktail kits for those eager to be their own nonalcoholic mixologist.