I was 20 years old
when I tried intentional sobriety for the first time. It was on doctor’s orders, and I had just moved to work in Spain, where it was often cheaper to buy wine than a bottle of sparkling water. I was surprised by how nervous I became at the thought of navigating all that unfamiliarity without an occasional drink. Initially, I would awkwardly explain to new acquaintances that I couldn’t drink; then I learned that sipping on a glass of soda water with a slice of lime helped avoid any peer pressure or perceived judgment.
Since then, I’ve worked at a craft brewery and moved in with my partner — a trained sommelier who also bartends, brews, and is constantly creating new concoctions for me to try. All to say, I like alcohol and there’s a lot of booze around me. But recently my attention has been drawn back to the buzz around the non-alcoholic drinking culture. Is it becoming more fun to be sober in Ottawa?
Sarah Parniak has also noticed an increased interest in sober-curious consumers. Having spent her entire career in and around the beverage industry, she now works as the Canadian brand ambassador for Seedlip, the first distilled non-alcoholic spirit on the market. In 2017, when she was first presenting the U.K.-based product to bartenders and restaurateurs on this side of the pond, many responded with “What’s the point?” Now the distillate of natural botanicals and extracts (think peas, hops, spearmint) is a fixture in top restaurants and bars around the world.
With a pretty label and flavour profiles reminiscent of complex gins, Seedlip is meant to elevate the nonalcoholic drinking experience. Parniak points out that folks avoid alcohol for all kinds of reasons — permanently, for cultural or health reasons, or just temporarily to be that night’s designated driver. “The very point of the product was to invite everyone to the party.”
A non-alcoholic drink doesn’t have to mean ginger ale in a champagne flute, and the category of zero-proof beverages has grown in credibility. Here in town, both Atelier and Alice, restaurants known for their inventive tasting menus and wine pairings, offer non-alcoholic pairing options —