Clear Headed
More drinkers are skipping the alcoholBooze might be tolerable for a body, but it isn’t exactly beneficial. Led by the health-minded generations, especially Generation Z and younger millennials, the market is reacting to that. According to NielsenIQ, between August 2021 and August 2022, the sales of nonalcoholic drinks hit $395 million, a growth of nearly 21 percent over the previous period. Nonalcoholic beer or “near beer” grew almost 32 percent the year before as well, and the increase in sales of alcohol-free “spirits” nearly quadrupled that. BevAlc Insights’s 2022 annual survey found that “Gen Z and Millennials are most game to try non-alc ... 2021 saw a 166 percent increase in the number of non-alcoholic products available on Drizly compared to 2019.”
Some of these drinks rely on ingredients that don’t have alcohol to begin with, such as juices or sodas, while others attempt to mimic alcohol. Still, others are actual brewed beers or fermented wines with the alcohol removed.
More and more bar menus now offer a selection of nonalcoholic items or a dedicated section of inventive mocktails that won’t trip a breathalyzer. The formula is popular enough that bars wholly dedicated to a sober crowd are on the rise.
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Thomson and Scott makes dealcoholized sparkling chardonnay, sparkling rosé, and red wines that are certified organic and lower in sugar and calories to boot. NoughtyAF.comMilwaukee’s Lakefront Brewery created nonalcoholic versions of its core beers Extended Play IPA, Eastside Dark, and Riverwest Stein, an amber near-beer that tastes like regular beer with a lightly sweet, malty character and a crisp finish. LakeFrontBrewery.com
Drink Monday offers a juniper-forward dry gin, smoky mezcal, and whiskey created by a bourbon maker—all zero alcohol. These products are vegan and have no carbs, calories, or gluten. DrinkMonday.co
Sober curious? Zero Proof Nation keeps a growing list of booze-free bars, beverages, and bottle shops. ZeroProofNation.com
Homegrown
Consumers turn to direct, sustainable sources of food
According to the USDA’s 2020 Local Food Marketing Practices Survey, more than 147,000 farms sold produce and goods such as meats, jams, or cheese locally, with 78 percent selling directly to consumers within a 100-mile radius of the farm and resulting in $2.9 billion in purchases from farm stores and farmers markets. LocalHarvest points out that 80 percent of the country’s nearly 2 million farms are considered small farms, and are family owned. The site maintains a comprehensive directory of more than 4,000 community-supported agriculture (CSA) farms, as well as a searchable list of farm stores, produce stands, pick-your-own systems, and farmers markets.
Besides the added value of knowing your grower, the produce is picked fresh instead of being picked while still ripening and then shipped far away, which removes the need for wax and environmentally unfriendly packaging to protect from spoilage.
There’s also a growing interest in sustainable practices. In 2021, L.E.K. Consulting conducted international research and found U.S. consumers to be the most willing to pay extra for sustainable products, with the number of people who care about sustainability rising from 50 percent to 68 percent since 2019. And cost becomes less of a factor as inflation brings grocery store prices closer to farmers market rates.
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From beef and bison to chicken and seafood, Crowd Cow ships meat direct to your home from a carefully chosen list of ethical and sustainable farms, fisheries, and other providers. CrowdCow.comMarket Wagon is an online, fresh-food portal that offers a connection to more than 2,500 local farmers based on ZIP code. Currently, it’s available from the Midwest to the East Coast, and as far south as Georgia. MarketWagon.com
Gotham Greens’s urban greenhouses provide year-round fresh greens and use renewable energy. It has facilities in New York, Chicago, and Providence, Rhode Island, and is expanding into Texas, Georgia, and Colorado. GothamGreens.com
Breadmakers can seek out organic grain farmers such as California-based Honoré Farm and Mill, which offers subscriptions for heirloom varieties of stone-mill ground grains. HonoreMill.org
Creature Comforts
A turn to the dishes Mom used to make
The pandemic, the economy, and an unpredictable supply chain may all be factors in the continuing trend toward comfort food. Some new eateries target it directly, while established and sometimes fine-dining restaurants are working the simple and familiar into their menus. Mac and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, grits, chicken and waffles, ramen—the list is as diverse as the diners.
“Comfort foods are deeply personal and memory-invoking with the ability to instantly transport you back in time to your grandmother’s or mother’s kitchens,” writes Mat Urban, executive chef at The Joule in Dallas. “There’s a misconception that comfort foods are just greasy spoon, but they can be much more complex than that—layered flavors, seasonal and local ingredients, utilizing more refined techniques, etc.”
Chef and restaurateur K.C. Galbo writes that, though diners “may be having some financial challenges, they still want to go out and enjoy themselves. Thus, lesser-known cuts and cost-effective meats have been popular this year. Specials like short rib, bavette [flank] steaks, and flat iron have been hits in 2022, and if done correctly, they can taste like you’re eating a $50 steak for half the cost.”
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CBD Provisions at The Joule features a number of old standbys ranging from steak and eggs or shrimp and grits to mac and cheese with tasso ham. 1530 Main St., Dallas; TheJouleDallas.comThe abundance of single-digit prices at Mid-City Restaurant is its own comfort, but especially items like Easy Salad or the Mid City Plate’s sausages, potatoes, and sauerkraut. 40 E. Court St., Cincinnati; MidCityCinti.com
Crave Kitchen and Cocktails lists it simply and definitively: “The Mac and Cheese.” Gussied up with add-ons, this three-cheese wonder is top of the shortlist nationwide. 1968 Riviera Dr., Mount Pleasant, S.C.; CraveKitchenAndCocktails.com
Delta Diner is that shiny 1940s classic with a counter and booths, serving Norwegian pancakes, meatloaf sandwiches, and the best hash browns you’ll ever find. 14385 County Highway H, Delta, Wis.; DeltaDiner.com
En Garde!
A focus on immunity-building functional foods
Yes, healthy-eating trends are still concerned about the usual suspects—heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and the like—and the Mediterranean diet and other food roadmaps aim at long-game healthy living. While these trends continue, greater attention is being paid to more immediate pathogens and the deleterious effects of stress and fatigue. Products that boost energy and immunity are getting a boost themselves.
The International Food Information Council’s annual food and health survey found that 37 percent of respondents looked to combat fatigue with their food choices, while a quarter of them sought immunity and positive health effects. The younger generations were more likely to seek emotional/mental health benefits from foods and nutrients, and of those reporting stress in their lives, 30 percent turned to diet for solutions.
In addition to tablets, tinctures, and vitamins, some special plant ingredients that have long been believed to be beneficial by particular cultures and traditional medicines—such as tulsi, turmeric, ginseng, and ginger—are finding their way into foods and beverages. Also known as adaptogens, substances derived from plants and mushrooms such as ashwagandha, goji berry, and licorice root help the body respond to stress, anxiety, infection, and fatigue.
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Uncle Matt’s organic orange juices have 300 percent RDA of vitamin C, 50 percent RDA of vitamin D, and zero glyphosate residue or added sugar. Their Ultimate Immune, a NEXTY Award winner, combines OJ with elderberry juice and zinc. UncleMatts.comFree Rain makes canned sparkling waters with some powerhouse ingredients such as Siberian ginseng, ashwagandha, and maca (Peruvian ginseng). Try Blackberry Passionflower for calm. FreeRain.com
Popadelics makes shiitake mushroom chips rich in vitamins D and B, magnesium, and fiber. Shiitakes may lower cholesterol and have antiviral and antibacterial properties. Popadelics.com
With locations in 17 states, True Food Kitchen offers seasonal, fresh, ingredient-driven menus based on the principles of Dr. Andrew Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet. TrueFoodKitchen.com
