'Sometimes you just don't need to get tipsy.' Millennials are trying to drink less, and bars and booze makers are getting on the wagon with spirit-free cocktails
CHICAGO - Sarah Jankowski has nothing against booze. But after a wine-filled Italian dinner with friends on a recent rainy Sunday, she wanted a festive beverage that would allow her to keep the night going without feeling lousy the next day.
Perched at the bar at Young American in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood, Jankowski sipped, from a coupe cocktail glass, a pretty pink drink containing, according to the menu, "golden oat milk, strawberry, lemon, mint (swizzled)" - not for a moment missing the alcohol that wasn't in the $7 libation.
"Sometimes you just don't need to get tipsy," said Jankowski, 24, who lives in Lincoln Park.
As U.S. consumers, and particularly millennials, try to pare back their alcohol consumption, they are reaching for adult beverages without the very ingredient that made them "adult" in the first place.
In response, bar menus are featuring long sections of spirit-free cocktails. Liquor stores are carrying alcohol-free spirits. Brewers are launching IPAs boasting 0.0% ABV.
For drinkers who look forward to the buzz, such products can seem to miss the point. But as more consumers try to lay off the
