NA Beverages are Everywhere: Why?

This the second in a series of blog posts answering questions people ask us about Mock & Co. Today’s question is: What’s the deal with non-alcoholic beverages and why are they so popular now?

Whether on the shelves of your grocery or liquor store, or on the menu at your favorite restaurant or bar, you may have noticed that mocktails are suddenly everywhere. At Mock & Co., we are proud to be a part of that trend, and we believe we are setting a high bar for complex, flavorful drinks that don’t need alcohol to make them worthy of your Friday night (or Tuesday afternoon, for that matter!). So, let’s break down what is driving the trend toward non-alcoholic beverages, what some of the lingo around these drinks means, and where Mock & Co. fits in that growing field.

What’s up with the NA boom?

Across the US – even in our beloved Wisconsin – fewer people are drinking alcohol these days. There has been a consistent trend downward in the percentage of American adults who say they are drinkers. That number hit its lowest point since the Prohibition in 2025, at just 54%. Gen Z, people currently in their 20s and 30s, are drinking less than previous generations – both in terms of how much they consume if they are drinkers, and how many of them drink at all. At the same time, many people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s have been cutting back on drinking, either swearing off alcohol entirely or being more intentional about how often they drink and how much they consume. These trends are related to the growing scientific understanding of the ways alcohol is bad for our health, growing acceptance of marijuana (including CBD and THC products), and post-pandemic adjustments to people’s social lives and consumption patterns.

But, whether someone is cutting back or doesn’t drink at all, there are still occasions that call for a special drink – and that’s where NA options come in.

Understanding the Lingo

There is a growing market for non-alcoholic drinks, including ones like Mock & Co.’s Wisconsin Old Fashioned mocktails that replicate the experience of a classic cocktail. Within the NA sector, you’ll find a number of different types of products and names for them:

•  Zero-proof drinks have no alcoholic content at all – they are made without any ingredients that include alcohol, and without fermentation.
• Non-alcoholic drinks include a small amount of alcohol, legally defined as having less than half a percent (.05%) alcohol by volume.
• Alcohol-removed drinks (typically spirits or wines) have been distilled or fermented, then had the alcohol removed through chemical processes. These typically leave a trace amount of alcohol and are labeled “non-alcoholic” as described above.
• Functional drinks include ingredients designed to support health, boost immunity, or digestion, including fiber, vitamins, probiotics, anti-oxidants, and adaptogens.
• THC and CBD drinks include tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol (CBD), which are both found in cannabis. CBD products do not produce a “high” but help many people relax or focus, while THC products do cause a “high”.
• Note: Sodas, juices, and sparkling waters are technically non-alcoholic beverages, but are not marketed as such – the “NA” label is generally reserved for “adult drinks” that are meant to take the place of alcoholic beverages

Where does Mock & Co. fit in?

From the list above, Mock & Co. uses the “non-alcoholic” designation. Our drinks include small amounts of alcohol in the form of alcohol-based bitters and extracts. No one is feeling any effects from the alcohol in these drinks. We include these ingredients in order to give our drinks the aroma, taste, and/or “burn” of alcohol to be as close as possible to the experience of drinking a well-made cocktail. This does mean, unfortunately, that people with allergies or religious objections to alcohol, and people who have sworn off all alcohol for the sake of their sobriety, can’t enjoy our drinks. We may make some zero-proof mocktails in the future to serve those audiences, but for now, our focus is on replicating a cocktail experience.

Mock & Co. came about because we were not happy with the NA options we found when we were looking to cut back on our own drinking. We are proud to bring flavorful, complex beverages made with natural ingredients into the marketplace. We weren’t the only ones to notice the growing demand and lack of great options in recent years, so it’s a growing field. We are confident that ours are among the best NA drinks available. We hope you agree!