Industry & Beverage Trends

A beverage director at a midtown Manhattan hotel sat across from her general manager last quarter with a single sheet of paper. Down the left column: the hotel's twenty most-requested cocktails, by volume. Down the right: the corresponding non-alcoholic alternative, by guest satisfaction score. The pattern was hard to miss. Wherever the menu offered an Italian aperitivo, a Tuscan red pairing, or a Prosecco service moment, the non-alcoholic version had been quietly losing the comparison — …

Inside a Verona trattoria last spring, a sommelier paused before pouring. The table had ordered a tagliata of beef, a wild herb risotto, and a delicate sea bass — three dishes that called for three very different wines. But one guest at the head of the table had quietly declined alcohol. Without missing a beat, the sommelier returned with a chilled bottle of Princess Alternativa Bianco, then a Rosso for the beef, then a flute of Bollicine Bianco Extra Dry to close. The non-drinking guest …