Low and No‑Alcohol Boom Is Rewriting Pub Strategy in the UK

Here’s the jolt: in UK hospitality venues, fewer than two in three drinks poured are now full‑strength. That’s not a blip from Dry January. It’s a permanent change in how people drink—and it’s forcing pubs and bars to rethink everything from their menus to their margins.

Across the trade, leaders talk about moderation, choice, and quality. Guests aren’t swearing off alcohol forever; they’re mixing it up—pacing, swapping, and choosing what suits the moment. The payoff for operators that move quickly is obvious: bigger baskets, longer dwell time, and a reputation for being inclusive without being preachy. The risk for those who wait? Watching a third of visits pass by with spend that could have been theirs.

A market reset, not a fad

Market data shows a sharp climb. From 2022 to 2023, the no‑ and low‑alcohol category surged by 47%, and the total market almost doubled in a single year. When people head out and don’t want to drink alcohol, 31% of Brits now pick a low or no‑alcohol beer. That sits alongside an even bigger shift at home and out: about 36 million UK adults say they’re moderating their drinking—roughly three in four among those who do drink.

The NHS added more context last September: 19% of UK adults now live alcohol‑free, up from 16% in 2011. Globally, moderation is mainstream too—industry analysis across the top ten markets puts the share of adults cutting back at around two‑thirds. Put simply, the demand is broad, sticky, and not limited to one age group or one season.

If you trade on‑premise, one number should jump off the page: one in three pub visits today is alcohol‑free. That’s a lot of rounds built around alternative choices—and a lot of occasions where the venue either holds the spend or loses it to a soft drink and an early exit.

Technology and product quality have closed the gap. Better dealcoholisation methods—vacuum distillation, spinning cone, and reverse osmosis—have lifted the flavor in beer, wine, and spirits alternatives. That’s why Heineken 0.0 and Guinness 0.0 now sit comfortably in fridges next to their alcoholic twins, and why zero‑proof spirits like Seedlip shook up the back bar. The category has moved from compromise to craft.

That craft is paying off. Sales of non‑alcoholic beer, wine, and spirits climbed 35% in 2023 as customers traded up for quality. Big producers are investing to match it. In December 2024, Chile’s Concha y Toro introduced Casillero del Diablo Zero after long development trials—one more signal that “zero” is now a strategic lane, not a side project.

And this isn’t just about taste. Pricing has matured too. Guests expect to pay for a well‑made serve, not a token placeholder. For operators, that means real margin potential: no excise duty on sub‑0.5% ABV in the UK, easier pairing with food, and high‑impact presentation that earns its price point, especially in cocktails.

So what’s holding some venues back? Visibility and confidence. Nearly every site—98%—offers at least one non‑alcoholic option. But too often, those options are buried off‑menu or listed without context. Out of sight means out of mind. When the bar team isn’t trained to recommend and the menu doesn’t sell the story, the choice never gets made.

“Building a no‑ and low‑alcohol menu is often as simple as understanding which cocktail options work well in venues, and creating a similar offering in no and low by using non‑alcoholic alternatives,” says Anita Osborne, sales and marketing manager EU/UK at Lyre’s. Her point is practical: put the options in front of people, with names, descriptions, and a price. That alone lifts trial.

The knowledge gap is real. “The horeca sector is not aligned with the customer market’s growing need for non‑alcoholic products,” says Eugenio Muraro, founder and CEO of MeMento. He points to training as the weakness: teams know spirits and wine in detail, but not the new wave of alternatives. Without product fluency, even a well‑stocked back bar goes quiet.

There’s also a cultural reset under way. Younger adults are embracing “intentional drinking,” but they’re not alone. Parents who want a clear head in the morning, runners training for a 10K, colleagues meeting at lunch—these are everyday occasions that now shape demand. Dry January isn’t the story. The weekly rhythm is.

That’s why the category’s language matters. People don’t want to be boxed in as “drinkers” or “non‑drinkers.” They want choice from first drink to last—maybe a lager to open, a zero‑proof spritz before food, and a coffee after. The venue that makes that journey easy keeps the spend and keeps the group together.

Menus can steer those choices without any heavy hand. Put two or three non‑alcoholic serves on the front page. Add pairing cues with food. Use descriptive tasting notes—citrus, bitter, herbaceous—so guests can choose on flavor, not just ABV. Keep the naming confident and familiar: sour, spritz, highball, negroni‑style.

On beer, clarity helps. List ABV for every product, alcoholic or not, and group by style: lager, IPA, stout, wheat. On wine, flag dealcoholised ranges by grape and region, not just “zero.” On spirits, highlight build method: “Juniper‑forward, distilled with coriander and angelica” reads like a real pour because it is.

Pricing deserves attention. Avoid the cliff‑edge where a zero‑proof cocktail is priced like a lemonade. Guests will pay for craft, glassware, garnish, technique, and taste. If the serve looks and feels “bar‑worthy,” the price follows. That, more than anything, positions the category as part of the main event, not a consolation prize.

Back‑of‑house, a few operational tweaks make a big difference. Batch non‑alcoholic bases for speed. Standardise glassware and garnish so the look is consistent on a busy Friday. Store zero‑proof beer cold and rotate like the rest of your range. If you run flights or tasters for beer and whiskey, do the same for alternatives—4x100ml tasting sets sell the story in minutes.

Don’t forget occasions. Afternoon coffee service can become a low‑ABV or zero‑proof spritz hour. Post‑work meetups run longer when there’s a second round that keeps everyone fresh. Sunday lunch with a long drive home? Zero‑proof pairing becomes the nudge that holds the table for dessert.

For marketing, flip the script from “what’s missing” to “what you get”: flavor, ritual, design, and social ease. Photos do heavy lifting here—proper ice, elegant glassware, strong color. Messaging that leans into energy, clarity, and community lands better than language about abstinence. If you play in health‑functional trends—CBD, adaptogens, botanicals—be clear and compliant, and focus on taste first.

The operator playbook

Here’s a straightforward checklist for teams that want to move fast and avoid the usual traps.

• Menu positioning: Put two to four non‑alcoholic cocktails and two beers on page one. Use tasting notes and pairing suggestions. Show ABV for all drinks so zero isn’t singled out.
• Visibility at the bar: Allocate physical space—fridge shelf, back‑bar row, garnish caddies—to alternatives. If guests can see it, they’ll ask for it.
• Pricing strategy: Price by craft, not by ABV. Keep zero‑proof cocktails within shouting distance of alcoholic signatures to protect margin and signal quality.
• Staff training: Run a 30‑minute brief weekly on one product. Cover build, story, and flavor. Teach the offer as rounds, not one‑offs: “Try this IPA and the grapefruit spritz for your next.”
• Guest language: Ditch the disclaimer. Lead with flavor: bitter orange, grapefruit pith, toasted malt, saline finish. “Non‑alcoholic” is a spec, not a mood.
• Operational speed: Pre‑batch bases for the three fastest sellers. Standardise ice and glassware. Make the pour as quick as your G&T.
• Beer range: Stock a clean lager and a characterful ale or stout in zero. Rotate seasonally like you do with craft lines.
• Wine tactics: Offer by the glass and as a 500ml carafe. Make it shareable so it joins the table rather than sits as a solo order.
• Cocktail design: Build familiar styles—sour, spritz, highball, negroni‑style—so guests recognise the form factor. Balance acid, sweetness, and bitterness as you would in a classic.
• Food pairing: Put icons on the menu. Spritz with salty snacks, stout‑style with chocolate desserts, citrus highballs with fried dishes. It helps servers recommend with confidence.
• Occasion planning: Create a zero‑focused pre‑theatre menu, a driver’s bundle, or an afternoon spritz hour. Tie it to dayparts where people want the option most.
• Calendar moments: Dry January, Sober October, marathon weekends—treat them like you do Valentine’s or Father’s Day. Prep specials, staff lines, and social content ahead of time.
• Community partnerships: Host club nights with running groups or cycling clubs. Offer tasting flights after local wellness events. Put the venue in the conversation.
• Metrics that matter: Track share of non‑alcoholic by category, attach to dwell time and food attach rate, and watch average check growth on visits with at least one zero‑proof item.
• Compliance and clarity: Keep ABV below legal thresholds for “non‑alcoholic” claims and train staff on allergy and ingredient questions, especially with botanicals.

The talent piece is non‑negotiable. When servers are excited about a product, guests respond. Give the team permission to taste everything, write their own tasting notes, and recommend based on flavor, not just “there’s no alcohol in it.” Confidence sells.

Suppliers can help too. Ask for staff trainings, tasting kits, and POS that looks like your brand, not theirs. If a supplier is pushing freebies that don’t fit your vibe, say no. Choose partners who will support trials, data pulls, and velocity targets, not just placement.

The brand landscape is fuller than it’s ever been. Global giants are in, but small craft producers are thriving because they focus on nuance: bitter‑forward aperitivos, smoky alt‑spirits with chili and lapsang, herbaceous sours built around yuzu and shiso. A tight, well‑curated range will punch above its weight—quality beats breadth.

Presentation is half the experience. Use the same care with ice, glassware, and garnish as you do with alcohol. That means tall Collins for highballs, big cubes for spirit‑forward builds, frosted coupes for sours. If it looks like a main‑stage serve, it drinks like one.

There’s a social inclusion story here, too. A great zero‑proof list keeps groups together for a second or third round. It helps designated drivers feel part of the night. It removes the awkward “just water for me” order and replaces it with something people are proud to hold.

And yes, it can grow revenue. When choices feel premium, people add one more drink, split a dessert, or stick around for a coffee. The spend doesn’t vanish when alcohol does; it shifts. The job is to catch it.

None of this means walking away from classic serves. It means broadening the path. The biggest growth is at the edges—moderators who want a pint now and a zero‑proof spritz later; diners who match the second course with a dealcoholised white; groups that switch to coffee highballs after 9 p.m. Catering to that rhythm is the competitive edge.

The category will keep evolving. Expect more credible reds that handle tannin without heat, darker beer styles with real body, and spirits alternatives with backbone and length. Expect clearer labeling standards and stronger guidelines on functional claims. Expect design that looks less “health aisle” and more “modern bar.”

One word to keep in mind as you build: normal. The goal isn’t a separate world for non‑drinkers; it’s a seamless offer for everyone. Place it on page one. Train it like your classics. Photograph it well. Measure it. Iterate. Repeat.

That’s how you turn today’s momentum into tomorrow’s habit—and why the rise of low and no-alcohol choices is not just good PR. It’s sound, day‑to‑day business strategy.