What Can Your Non-Alcoholic Beverage Do For You?
Alcohol-free beverage alternatives have existed since the advent of well, water, but with Dry January, (and Sober October) having entered the public consciousness it should be no surprise that non-alcoholic beverage consumption has exploded in recent years. A Nielsen IQ report shows double-digit growth for the category between 2020 and 2022, with many new and existing brands alike getting into the ready-to-drink, NA space. Chances are good you or someone you know is participating in Dry or Damp January this year, with about a quarter of Americans reporting they intend to forego alcohol altogether this month.
Photo by Tana Gandhi
Not all non-alcoholic beverages are created equal where their components are concerned, however. While many options focus solely on flavor and mouthfeel, hoping to approximate the taste of some of our favorite alcoholic beverages and cocktails, “functional” refers to those beverages that, through their ingredient list, promote better health in some way, or can have an effect on mood or energy level. (Sadly, “functional” ingredients still can’t do your laundry for you, or otherwise help support a majority of your other new year’s resolutions.) You’ve long been drinking functional beverages whether or not you were aware of it. Coffee, and to a lesser degree, tea, qualify as functional for their caffeine component, which promotes alertness and mild cognitive enhancement, at least for a period. CBD beverages and mushroom coffee are also rising stars in the functional beverage space.
De Soi, a non-alcoholic aperitif brand founded by Katy Perry and Master Distiller Morgan McLaclan was designed not only with wellness in mind, but also with one of the primary “functions” in mind we often look for in alcohol. (“De soi” means “pleasure with restraint.”) “Each of our apéritifs offer the stress-soothing effect you look for in a drink,” says McLachlan, who employed ethnobotanist Kerry Hughes toward sourcing ingredients that promoted a variety of positive, stress-reducing effects. “Kerry and I worked together closely to select botanicals with consideration of each ingredient’s wellness properties, sociocultural usage, and impacts on biodiversity,” she says.
Hughes explains a few of the various functional components included in their line of products. “Adaptogenic ingredients such as Lion’s mane, an ancient Ayurvedic remedy, can help to soothe stress, sharpen the mind, and promote a sense of calm,” she says. “Saffron offers powerful antioxidants and is said to promote mental harmony and bring balance to the body. Rooibos is celebrated for its naturally soothing qualities.” These, and many more functional ingredients support De Soi’s product line, which includes four varied flavors: Golden Hour, Champignon Dreams, Très Rosé, and Purple Lune. (The last of which I could easily be convinced was Lambrusco for its juicy, effervescent vibe.)
![<p>Courtesy of Three Spirit | Photo by Nuage Visuals</p><p>De Soi is only one of many brands promoting functional ingredients in non-alcoholic beverages. <a href="https://us.threespiritdrinks.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Three Spirit;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Three Spirit</a>, founded by Dash Lilley and Tatiana Mercer, also utilizes functional components to explore various ways that people tend to use alcoholic beverages for myriad purposes. “<em>Consumers are always looking for new ways to feel good, get an edge, recover faster, go longer, or work more efficiently, and functional drinks can help with this as they always have</em>,” says Lilley, referencing more traditional, functional beverages such as coffee and tea as above. “<em>There is a [seemingly] insatiable appetite for new options and innovation</em>,” he says, where non-alcoholic, functional offerings are concerned.</p><p>Three Spirit’s line of beverages were established to mimic some of the varying positive effects of alcohol through functional components including ashwaganda, schizanda berry, and passion flower. Their lineup of products evoke specific properties they aim to provide in each of their names: Livener, Social Elixir, and Nightcap. They also recently introduced wine alternatives (“Blurred Vines” being my favorite alcohol-free wordplay ever) called Spark and Sharp, also suggesting the alcoholic warmth that wine provides with a gentle hit of capsaicin.</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/cTU6bStAzCiG0fbZDc7umw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/men_s_journal_718/2bc9e7af247f65c26a5b4b62befab266)
Courtesy of Three Spirit | Photo by Nuage Visuals
De Soi is only one of many brands promoting functional ingredients in non-alcoholic beverages. Three Spirit, founded by Dash Lilley and Tatiana Mercer, also utilizes functional components to explore various ways that people tend to use alcoholic beverages for myriad purposes. “Consumers are always looking for new ways to feel good, get an edge, recover faster, go longer, or work more efficiently, and functional drinks can help with this as they always have,” says Lilley, referencing more traditional, functional beverages such as coffee and tea as above. “There is a [seemingly] insatiable appetite for new options and innovation,” he says, where non-alcoholic, functional offerings are concerned.
Three Spirit’s line of beverages were established to mimic some of the varying positive effects of alcohol through functional components including ashwaganda, schizanda berry, and passion flower. Their lineup of products evoke specific properties they aim to provide in each of their names: Livener, Social Elixir, and Nightcap. They also recently introduced wine alternatives (“Blurred Vines” being my favorite alcohol-free wordplay ever) called Spark and Sharp, also suggesting the alcoholic warmth that wine provides with a gentle hit of capsaicin.
Courtesy of Pixabay
In a report by Mintel, the already $50 billion US functional beverage market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% from 2022 to 2027, reaching $62 billion. UK-based analytics company Really Good Culture’s Future of Spirits report from July 2023 shows a growth increase of 44 and 33 percent over the past year for ingredients such as cordyceps (mushrooms) and adaptogens respectively. While these figures apply to a variety of beverages, it is becoming a huge piece of the puzzle for new brands and products in the NA spirits category.
Mercer of Three Spirit notes that their products are among the best-selling NA spirits at two of the largest non-alcoholic retailers worldwide, New York’s Boisson, and London’s Club Soda. “Functional is able to outsell a lot of the big non-functional brands,” she says. “This is not a trend within a category. It’s leading the category in many ways.”
