/ Alcohol is out of fashion, and mocktails are having a moment – here’s why going booze-free is a luxury for millennials and Gen Z

Oct 29 , 2020

Mocktails are set for a resurgence thanks to our current desire for healthy luxury. Photo: Kobby Mendez

No drowsiness, no sugar spike, no guilt: why mocktails are about to become just as much a part of the wellness trend as Impossible burgers and yoga getaways

This article is part of STYLE’s Inside Luxury column

In an Inside Luxury column from earlier this year, I looked into the reasons why alcohol-free mocktails often cost more than their alcoholic counterparts, and why they have become a Gen Z favourite. One reason was that many of these drinks “provide a spice-induced energy kick instead of the numbing tiredness so many people feel when they have an alcoholic drink.”

But something else is having an impact. When IMS Hong Kong and Équité conducted a study to better understand how consumer sentiment is evolving during the pandemic, the two companies analysed more than 50,000 social media conversations with sophisticated artificial intelligence-based data analytics, and identified an emerging trend: health as a new luxury.

While wellness has become increasingly important in the luxury sector over the past decade, the pandemic shifted wellness to health in a much more holistic fashion. And, when it comes to luxury, health does not mean simply refraining from something unhealthy – people want to be inspired and they want to have amazing experiences, but not at the expense of their health.

Mixologist Ted Chung mixes up a purple sweet potato and oats rice water mocktail at CheckCheckCin in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. Photo: Felix Wong

This is where mocktails come into play. In recent years, we’ve seen them already become a hot trend among young, health-conscious consumers. With health becoming a mainstream luxury expectation, however, the era of the mocktail may have only just begun.