We have a crazy secret to tell you… Not everyone wants to get drunk when they drink alcohol.
And, crazy or not, lower proof cocktails have actually become quite a trend on the drinking scene over the last few months. Mixologists seem to be having a lot of fun with it (challenge accepted) and enjoy figuring out new ways to serve drinks that are lower in alcohol content. This could be why fortified wines like sherry, vermouth, and amaro are coming back into style.
There are a few reasons we think lower proof drinks are becoming more popular:
Not all designated drivers want to drink Diet Coke. It takes a good friend to volunteer to be the designated driver for the evening, but they don’t necessarily want to forgo all alcohol consumption for the whole night. Having a couple low proof cocktails will keep their blood alcohol content down and legal, while still making them feel like they’re enjoying their night out.
People want to enjoy a good buzz, without falling down drunk. Some folks actually want to taste their drinks and enjoy savoring a delicious cocktail. They want to try a few different drinks or just be able to have more than a couple of their favorite without becoming totally obliterated.
Health fanatics deserve a drink too. A lot of people dedicated to fitness or watching their weight want to drink, but they try to pass on all of the calories that alcohol can add to a beverage. Ordering a lower proof cocktail will let them have their booze and drink it, too.
Drinks to complement your meal, not ruin it. Most people will have a wine or beer with their dinner because a cocktail loaded with alcohol can really kill your taste buds. Lower alcohol drinks work with your meal, not against it.
Have you had a really good low alcohol cocktail lately? Are you digging the trend?
Very useful guide for low proof drinking. We also touched on this topic in our most recent newsletter.
Amen to that! The great news is that there are actually a lot of serious cocktails that also happen to be low-alcohol.
I’ve collected 53 of the best—tested on my lucky guinea pigs, I mean friends ;)—ranging from new drinks like Stephen Cole’s Bitter Giuseppe and Joaquín Simó’s Flor de Jerez to old classics like the Sherry Cobbler and the Bamboo. They’re all in my new book, The Art of the Shim: Low-Alcohol Cocktails to Keep You Level.
Cheers to having the option of more drink, less drunk!
–Dinah