Mocktails no more: Why bars are taking non-alcoholic drinks seriously

SINGAPORE – Once upon a time, ordering a non-alcoholic drink at a bar meant settling for a Coke Zero or shelling out for a mocktail doused in syrup and judgment. 

Even its name sounds glib. As Mr Spencer Campbell, a 56-year-old who quit drinking in 2024, puts it: “A mocktail is a terrible word to call a drink, as you are patronising your client. It’s basically a fruit juice concoction that’s overpriced.” 

Over the last couple of years, however, he has noticed a shift. No longer are his options limited to the same few sugar bombs. Now, he can have long conversations with bartenders who pay equal attention to his non-alcoholic order and select a thoughtfully balanced drink from an entire page of zero-proof cocktails.

“The biggest change is one of attitude,” says Mr Campbell, director of Zero Proof Collective, a distributor of non-alcoholic spirits here. “Non-drinkers are no longer an afterthought. They’re a demographic that Singapore’s better bars are actively designing for. This is happening at the top end of the market, but is now moving to mid-tier bars and restaurants.” 

Drinking differently

Drinking patterns, after all, are changing, as reflected in survey results by GlobalData, a market research firm headquartered in Britain. In 2022, 76 per cent of Singaporean consumers reported drinking alcohol, with 22 per cent drinking regularly, 30 per cent occasionally and 24 per cent socially.

By 2025, overall drinking had declined to 72 per cent. Regular drinking dipped to 20 per cent and occasional drinking inched up to 32 per cent, suggesting a shift towards moderate consumption patterns. Additionally, the proportion of consumers who stopped drinking alcohol rose from 7 to 10 per cent.

Mr Olivier Fevre, senior consumer analyst at GlobalData, says: “This downward trend is being driven by a combination of increasing health consciousness and rising living costs, which are prompting consumers to moderate or reduce alcohol intake.”

Bartenders have noticed a similar inclination towards moderate drinking. At Atlas Bar in Parkview Square, gone are the nights of five cocktails a person, a casualty of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“When you stop drinking for a long time, it makes it harder to start again,” says Atlas head bartender Esmeralda Castrogiovanni, 28.

And at MO Bar in Mandarin Oriental, tables with a mix of drinkers and non-drinkers are quite a common sight these days. According to bar manager Kim Jung-hoo, Gen Z guests drink less and gravitate towards lower ABV (alcohol by volume) drinks, often gin-based options. Regulars aged 28 and above tend to stop at two or three drinks. 

“Some guests just want to hang out without drinking alcohol, especially if they have to work the next day or want to avoid a hangover,” says Mr Kim, 29. He also attributes this shift to wellness trends like running clubs and exercise communities. 

The upcoming stricter regulations on drink-driving are also making guests more mindful about alcohol consumption, says Mr Thomas Sobota, 36, bar manager of LeVeL33 in Marina Bay Financial Centre. In February, the authorities announced that the drink-driving limit would be lowered from 35 micrograms (mcg) to 15 mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath. 

Like other bars, his establishment has noticed an uptick in zero-proof orders. Across the board, zero-proof cocktails seem to make up around 10 to 20 per cent of drinks each night. 

While they are unlikely to outpace alcohol orders any time soon, bartenders like Mr Kim say these options are still worth having. “The purpose of having them is less about volume and more about offering thoughtful options, so that everyone at the table can enjoy a well-crafted drink,” he says. 

No alcohol, no problem

Though sobriety is a trend often associated with Gen Z, Mr Uno Jang, co-owner and creative director of the Jigger & Pony Group, says zero-proof cocktails at his Tras Street dining-bar, Bartenders of Pony (BOP), are appreciated by guests from all walks of life. 

“Most are simply looking to enjoy the full bar experience, flavour, craft and presentation, while choosing to drink more mindfully. They still expect the same level of effort and quality as an alcoholic cocktail,” says the 35-year-old. 

So, what makes a good zero-proof cocktail? For starters, it has to look like an actual cocktail.

“When it’s visually appealing and feels considered, it signals that effort has gone into it, which makes it feel more complex and worth the money,” says Mr Jason Lee, a 30-year-old software engineer and occasional consumer of non-alcoholic drinks. 

“It should also blend in naturally in a social setting. If everyone else is drinking cocktails, you don’t want to feel like you’re just holding a glass of juice.” 

That is why the team at Atlas makes it a point to use different types of glassware for each of its zero-proof cocktails.

“Every time we launch a new menu, we purchase fresh garnishes and new glassware for all our non-alcoholic cocktails. We don’t look at them any differently,” says owner Vicky Hwang, who is in her 40s. 

Then, of course, the drink has to taste good. Beyond sweetness, Mr Lee looks for interesting, well-balanced flavour combinations. 

Because zero-proof spirits tend to skew sweeter, Mr Kim tries to modulate the sweetness and build complexity by using ingredients like verjuice, tea, non-alcoholic bitters and fresh produce. “These elements allow the drink to feel more layered and closer to a cocktail, rather than a simple soft drink,” he says.

Similarly, Mr Jang describes his non-alcoholic creations as drinks that feel complete in their own right. “When I create a non-alcoholic drink, I don’t think about replacing alcohol. I think about structure. Alcohol usually provides body, bitterness and length in a drink, so when it’s removed, you have to rebuild that balance using other ingredients.” 

BOP’s zero-proof Pear Gimlet ($16++) relies on Korean pear for natural sweetness and texture, green tangerine for brightness and acidity, and mugwort for a gentle bitterness and earthy finish – notes that give the drink depth. 

Even alternatives modelled after cocktails are no mere substitute. Tanjong Pagar Road bar The Elephant Room has two drinks that are available in “mocktail” form – Brown ‘n’ Stormy ($22++) and All Star ($22++). 

“It’s a re-engineering process, not a subtraction exercise,” says co-founder Yugnes Susela, 38. Body is created with tea infusions and fermented elements; structure with acids and tannins; and complexity with spice blends, distillates and hydrosols. Carbonation, salinity or a light bitterness might be sprinkled in to finish a drink. 

While cocktails have a longer finish, more alcoholic warmth and a heavier mouthfeel, mocktails should taste brighter, cleaner and more aromatic, he says.

 And instead of being tacked on as an appendage to the main menu, the non-alcoholic cocktails of today are often shaped by a central concept and intended to complement their boozy counterparts. 

Take Atlas, whose new menu launches on April 6. Titled the Daughters of Atlas, each chapter is modelled on one of the mythological titan’s offspring. The non-alcoholic section – which features lively drinks like the savoury tomato-flavoured Timekeeper ($22++) – takes inspiration from Alcyone, the brightest star in the Pleiades cluster.

And over at The St Regis Bar Singapore in Tanglin Road, all cocktails revolve around the idea of time travel, even the zero-proof ones. Quantum Leap ($18++), for instance, is made with Seedlip Spice 94 and contains notes of orange, passion fruit, spiced pineapple and honey. 

“Like its name suggests, it’s a huge step from the previous way of creating a non-alcoholic drink. We do something like a clarified milk punch and there are more culinary elements like passion fruit caviar,” says head bartender Kelvin Saquilayan, 34. 

Not quite the same

Sometimes, there is simply no substitute for the heady burn of liquor. Despite recent advances in technology and research, few non-alcoholic spirits can replicate the body and strength of vodka, gin or whiskey, says Ms Castrogiovanni. “Some of them are still quite soft and one-dimensional. It feels more like you’re drinking an infusion.” 

Mr Kim notes: “Alcohol does not only provide flavour, but also carries aroma and creates texture and balance in a cocktail. Without it, the drink can easily feel lighter or less structured.” 

And unlike cocktails, which can draw on seemingly infinite combinations of spirits, modifiers and mixes, there are only so many non-alcoholic spirits available on the market.

“At the moment, only certain categories have convincing non-alcoholic alternatives, which means there are still limitations on how many classic or modern cocktails can realistically be adapted into a zero-proof format,” he adds.

The limited supply means zero-proof spirits are not always more cost-efficient. For example, 700ml bottles of Lyre and Seedlip – popular non-alcoholic spirit brands – cost around $60 on RedMart. In comparison, a 700ml bottle of Roku Gin retails at $57 on the same e-commerce platform, while Hendrick’s Gin is priced at $85 for 750ml. 

On top of that, alcoholic spirits yield more servings because they are more concentrated and have a longer shelf life. According to Mr Saquilayan, gin can keep for up to a year, but Seedlip and Lyre last only a week in the chiller and a month in the freezer. 

Ms Hwang says: “Customers don’t know that these non-alcoholic spirits can cost as much as alcohol. So it’s a bit tricky. These spirits are a nice way of adding a bit of balance to a non-alcoholic cocktail, but you can’t over-rely on them.”

Not to mention the premium ingredients used to offset the lack of alcoholic complexity. MO Bar, for one, uses cacao nibs and chocolate garnishes from Lemuel Chocolate, a Singaporean chocolatier it collaborated with on the Bean to Bar cocktail, available with ($26++) and without ($22++) bourbon. 

Its other collaborative drink, the Artis ($22++) – a zero-proof cocktail developed with local designer Hans Tan – is made with banana tibicos, which can take days to fully ferment. 

“Even though we understand the production processes are very different, it can still be difficult to shift the perception that non-alcoholic drinks should be inexpensive or easily available outside the bar,” says Mr Kim.  

Pricing, then, is a delicate balance. Too low, and it looks like the bar does not take its drink seriously. Too high, and customers may not bite. 

For LeVeL33, the sweet spot for zero-proof cocktails is $14++, higher than a typical soft drink but still well below the $26++ price tag for alcoholic cocktails. At BOP, zero-proof cocktails are priced at $16++. 

“This pricing signals that a zero-proof cocktail is a fully realised bar experience, with the same level of craft and quality, even without alcohol,” says Mr Jang.

Singapore’s top bars may have found a way to balance quality with inclusivity, but what of other establishments that lack such talent and resources? 

The way Mr Campbell sees it, this is what is holding other bars and restaurants back from embracing the zero-proof movement. “Most regular bars have a high turnover of bar staff and no mixologist behind the bar, so the cocktail consistency is not there yet.” 

He plans to bring in a ready-to-drink canned cocktail in the coming months to help plug this gap. His company 
is also the exclusive South-east Asian 
distributor for Barnes & Brown Distilling Co, 
an Australian producer of premium non-alcoholic spirits.  

Mr Tan, who does not drink, agrees that many casual bars and restaurants have some catching up to do. For one thing, he would like to see more non-alcoholic beers on the menu. 

“This often means I have to settle for a ginger ale, even when I would much rather have a non-alcoholic craft option,” says the 46-year-old founder of Hans Tan Studio. 

Still, he is heartened by the explosion of non-alcoholic beverages over the last few years. “It makes me feel less out of place at serious cocktail bars when I have a drink that looks like what my drinking friends are having.”