FUTURE PROOF

The new wave of drinking is hangover-free, so get with the program, says Shannon Harley.

THERE IS A QUIET

revolution brewing in the drinks world and it could spell the end of hangovers. Our vigour to sign up to FebFast et al shows an awareness of the benefits of going booze-free. However, outside of these teetotaling months, there is little impetus to abstain, and that’s down to a lack of compelling options in the glass.

We’ve all waved away another sparkling water, wishing there was a grown-up, non-alcoholic drink on the menu. It is exactly this scenario in a London restaurant two years ago that inspired British graphic designer Ben Branson to create Seed-lip, the world’s first non-alcoholic spirits, on his family farm in Lincolnshire.

“I thought, ‘This is nuts, I’m in an amazing restaurant, but why can’t I get a good drink if I’m not drinking?’.” Ben says while sipping a ‘million dollar smile’ at London’s Dandelyan bar. The cocktail is made with his Seed-lip Spice 94, a heady trip to Jamaica with whiskey-esque notes of allspice, citrus zest, acorn and oak shavings.

Sydney chef Mike McEnearney is seeing the trend in real time at his restaurant, No. 1 Bent Street, where he says fewer people are drinking alcohol on a daily basis, and the demand for non-alcoholic drinks is surging. “As a restaurateur, it’s not about the sweet and fruity mocktails of the ’80s; it’s about offering something more sophisticated that is on par with the alcoholic drinks we have.”

Down the road, Michael Chiem, who owns PS40, Sydney’s first soda factory and bar, is blazing the booze-free trail with handmade sodas made from Australian botanicals that are designed to complement cocktails but also hold their own as a standalone drink – his smoked lemonade is as woody and complex as mezcal, so you can say adiós to the hangover.