Do things seem to be getting slimmer? From skinny Margarita recipes to session IPA beers, non-alcoholic options, and the spritz revival, beverages at least, are trending towards trim. It’s hard to distill it all in one story but there’s an increasingly popular drinks festival that might just be doing that for us.
The No/Low Tour paints a pretty vivid picture of the current state of things. An annual circuit in its third year, the No/Low tour is the work of celebrity bartenders, pop-ups all over the country, and a focus on the evolution of non-alcoholic and lower-alcohol beverages.
Presented by Focus on Health, the tour just wrapped up a successful stop in Arizona. There will be a handful of other stops in 2025, at top industry gatherings like Tales of the Cocktail, San Diego Bartenders Weekend, and Potland Cocktail Week. Some of the best American bars take part, there are international stops, and influential industry members like L.P. O’Brien play leading roles.
There are many reasons for the tour, but a big one is a better hospitality industry. For so long—and in many places to this day—the service of others overshadowed any element of self-care. Hence, burnout among bartenders, chefs, restaurants servers, sommeliers, and the like.
Josh Gandee is the host of the no proof podcast and a partner at Focus on Health. “One of the driving sentiments behind our values and mission is that you cannot pour from an empty cup,” he says. “The founding and mission of Focus On Health was to provide wellness to ourselves so that we may better serve individuals in our communities. In doing the work ourselves, we act as stewards to those who join us for our events or education. We aim to provide wellness, be that financial, physical, or mental, opportunities to facilitate the creation of well-rounded individuals. If we are nourished, we are better suited to create an atmosphere of betterment for our industry.”
Golden age of functional drinking
Gandee admits we’re in the golden age of no-and-low beverages.”There are more products, education, and attention on no-and low-proof drinks,” he says. “The category is not viewed as a side but an integral portion of a bar program.”
He says it’s just plain hospitable to offer these leaner drinks and will only improve your bar’s bottom line. “Consumers are interested and focusing on the investment of what and how they consume beverages, and bartenders are keying in on what it takes to create delicious and meaningful
Collaboration and inclusion
“At Focus On Health, we launched our scholarship program deeply committed to equity and inclusion in the cocktail industry,” Gandee says. “We recognize that large cocktail festivals often overlook talented individuals from tertiary or smaller markets, particularly femme, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ communities. Our goal is to provide opportunities that amplify diverse voices, believing that a choir’s complete harmony emerges only when a broad range of voices are heard. By offering these scholarships, we aim to ensure everyone can share their unique perspective and talents on a larger stage.”
Part of that very inclusion involves consumers who don’t want traditional alcoholic beverages. And working with bars that champion their societal surroundings. Gandee says all of this work has only just begun. “Just when we think we’ve reached the masses or said all that could be said, we come across real-time examples of why it is important to create good drinks and to make them available for the sake of community and inclusion,” he says. “Hospitality is a marvelous sector to work in because it is one of few that actively rights its wrongs or rewrites the parts of its creation that no longer serve its current base. We’re proud to be an early voice but are more thrilled at the opportunity to continue the conversation and to bring more voices into the fold. We’re listening to what’s happening out there and are vigilant in the ways it can be made better.”
Trends and the horizon ahead
Among the emerging trends Gandee is seeing are creativity and advancement within the growing category. “No-and low-proof drinks can become hyper-local, bringing forth a celebration of local ingredients and seasonality,” he says. “Circumstance and occasion can be retooled and reconsidered when we think about no-proof drinks, allowing for something to be created in the same vein of ‘brunch cocktails’ or more time-specific serves. You’ll also see more creativity in what can serve as the base for these
What’s next? “More education, more delicious drinks, more bars, and bartenders that are excited by the movement looking to contribute their cocktails and voices to something that isn’t just a trend, but a movement,” he says.
Between dialing-in trending drink styles, collaboration with top bars and personalities, showcasing bars and bartenders that work for their communities, and emphasizing inclusion, the tour seems to offer a excellent of snapshot of where were are, drink in hand. Look out for upcoming No/Low Tour stops in Montreal, Mexico City, New Orleans, San Diego, and Portland.
