The experiment—with support from Dunkin’ and Cadillac—kicked off a broader commitment from the venue, where 2023 versions of mocktails that bear no resemblance to the Shirley Temples of the past are now on the permanent menu.
Mets co-owner Alex Cohen has said she wants the arena to be as inclusive as possible, which extends to fans who don’t drink alcohol, aren’t imbibing on any given day, or are swapping between alcohol and alternatives, a common practice known as zebra striping.
Cohen joins a number of executives across professional, amateur and college sports, travel, music, retail and other categories that are increasingly bringing spiritless beverages into the fold.
Some of those spaces—tailgates, viewing parties and live concerts, among them—have long had alcohol baked into their DNA. But the modern temperance movement and its particular appeal to millennials and Gen Z is spurring the first-time rise of nonalcoholic choices in these traditionally boozy bastions.
Sober curious power players
The phenom isn’t confined to Sober October and Dry January, though the growing popularity of these challenges has helped paved the way for new distribution, sampling and exposure.
And major power players want in: There are ongoing discussions between brands in the fast-growing NA segment and the NBA, the NFL, the NHL, MLB, entertainment conglomerate AEG and other leaders in broad-based entertainment and pop culture.
AEG’s Coachella and New Orleans Jazz Fest featured on-site NA bars for the first time this year, establishing a successful track record that could lead to more such alliances. JetBlue recently became the first airline to add booze-free beer to its offerings, and streaming giant Netflix launched an NA craft brew themed to The Witcher, both via Athletic Brewing.
Other deals are imminent, according to industry execs, though the startup nature of the non-alcoholic category may mean toe in the water rather than nationally scaled programs or arena naming rights in the near future.
Even so, there’s an undeniable trend that’s sweeping the country, according to Andrew Katz, CMO at Athletic Brewing, which is second only to Heineken 0.0 in nonalcoholic beer sales in the U.S.