MINNEAPOLIS — This summer you'll probably find mocktails as easily as you do cocktails, as Twin Cities businesses explore ways to cater to customers who don't want to drink alcohol.
Snack Bar had a shot at a tasting menu last month. Offering a wine pairing to go with the new spring dishes, the North Loop bar and restaurant gave customers a choice of an NA (non-alcoholic) pairing as well.
"It's been very popular," General Manager Kate Christensen said. "It's fun to see people choose... One person does the wine pairing, and one person does the NA pairing."
Alcohol-free drinks included the Lemon Cheesecake Tini and St. Agrestis Phony Negroni.
"I think that's what everybody wants now is to feel good," Erin Flavin said. She opened Marigold, what she calls the first non-alcoholic bottle shop in the state, during the pandemic and since has watched it grow.
"It's not such a taboo to not drink," she said.
Her shop in Minneapolis features brands like Everleaf, a non-alcoholic aperitif, and the alcohol-free sparkling wine Prima Pave. Many of the labels describe their products as "liberated from alcohol."
Going beyond the brick and mortar, Flavin has taken up consulting and collaborating with other businesses in town. In the last month, Flavin has also taken up shipping her bottles across the United States.
"It is, I think, where we need to be in order to meet the demand," she said. "I mean, people come into the store all the time, asking us to open another store in other states."
For now, Flavin plans to stay local, expanding the NA scene from her shop on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis.
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