- Many Americans may experience sticker shock when purchasing a NA mocktail or glass of wine.
- Restaurants and bars said high-quality ingredients and labor-intensive preparations add to the price tag.
- Americans, especially those under 25, are spending less on alcohol and looking for NA options.
As Americans spend less on booze and browse menus for non-alcoholic alternatives like mocktails and wine, sticker shock may be a common reaction.
At Binge Bar in Washington, DC, the city’s first completely alcohol-free bar, “soulless” cocktails cost between $11 and $14. A glass of NA wine is $15, while a can of NA beer is $5. Prices are similar at other hot spots in Washington, DC. Moon Rabbit, an upscale Vietnamese restaurant, sells some “spiritless” cocktails for $13 to $14 compared to about $19 for regular cocktails.
In social networks, mocktails have been criticized as “glorified” or “sexy” juice. that should not be priced similarly to alcohol.
Restaurant owners and bar managers told Business Insider that alcohol alone doesn’t drive up the price. Mocktails are often made with high-quality ingredients such as botanicals, herbs and spices, and may take longer to make. That way, customers still feel like they’re having the cocktail experience. Plus, NA whiskey, gin or wine can cost just as much—if not more—than traditional spirits in part because removing the alcohol is an extra step for producers.
Ingredients make up about 18% of a drink’s menu price, according to restaurant industry standards. The rest covers operating costs such as labor, rent and utilities, bar managers said.
It comes at a time when many are taking part in Dry January or reflecting on their drinks after the US Surgeon General released his latest report The link between alcohol and cancer.
Gigi Arandid, owner of Binge Bar, said NA cocktails are as complex as those with alcohol. She spends a lot of time educating customers about the special ingredients in Binge Bar drinks and the health benefits of avoiding alcohol. Sales are up 45% between 2023 and 2024, Arandid said.
She created the most popular drink on the menu, a Cucumber Mangorita, with fresh cucumber juice, mango puree, lime juice, herbs, spices and tonic. It costs $11 or $14, depending on whether you add a non-alcoholic tequila. Prices reflect the fresh ingredients, labor-intensive preparation and Reposado Tequila, she said.
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Unique syrups, herbs and spices can increase prices
At Moon Rabbit, bartenders infuse NA whiskey with five spice, a spice blend commonly used in Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine, over 24 hours. The whiskey is made by Lyres, one of the best-known brands in the sector, and at $26 a bottle, it’s more expensive than some traditional spirits, said Thi Nguyen, bar director at Moon Rabbit.
“We’re not just making a bunch of juices together,” Nguyen said, adding that ingredients like purple shiso and soursop are expensive and challenging to source. “We are really intentional and want to highlight Vietnamese culture.”
Jade is a “soulless” cocktail at Moon Rabbit in Washington, DC. Its ingredients include soursop, osmanthus, lemon and vegan foam. Rachel Paraoan
At Bresca, a Michelin-starred bistro in DC, non-alcoholic drinks are $12, while regular cocktails are in the $18 to $20 range.
Bresca’s Cintronnade al la Menthe, a play at The mint lemonade you can find in France is a three-day process. While the ingredients are simple — mainly lemon, cardamom, lemon mint and sugar — bartenders make a citrus syrup known as oleo from scratch, then lightly ferment and carbonate it, said Will Patton, beverage director for Hive Hospitality, of which operates Bresca.
Non-alcoholic beer is more accessible
For those not interested in cocktails, NA wine is slowly gaining popularity as manufacturers improve the taste. But don’t expect it to be cheap, because winemakers and brewers have to take an extra step to remove the alcohol.
“As a winery, you’ve already invested in making good quality wine and then it’s more work to run it through an industrial process to remove the alcohol,” said Sarah Kate, founder of soft drinks magazine Some Good Clean Fun. . “When you do that, you’re also removing some of the wine’s characteristics.”
Patton said mid-range NA wines cost between $17 and $25 per bottle, comparable to traditional bottles.
The beer industry is next, with more than 150 brands, such as Athletic Brewing, Heineken and Budweiser, producing NA products. Athletic co-founder Bill Shufelt said in an email that the company’s “off-premise” sales — or those in supermarkets and convenience stores — grew by more than 50% between 2023 and 2024. Athletic is now the most recognized brand in the category, held more than 19% of the market, said Shufelt.
He added that the company has worked hard to meet the price of widely distributed craft beer. Athletic six-packs are typically priced between $9.99 and $10.99 on retail shelves. The price is budget-friendly, even after Athletic re-engineered almost every step of the brewing process to make its products alcohol-free.
“While some might assume that the lack of alcohol should make NA beer less expensive, the reality is that it can cost just as much — or more — to produce,” Shufelt said.
