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Calaca Mamas Mocktails
By Editor Kathleen Furore
Dry January is coming…is your restaurant ready?
If you haven’t given it much thought, it’s time to start. Because judging by data about Dry January 2024, you’ll likely miss a share of bar sales if you don’t offer a selection of non-alcoholic (N/A) cocktails.
According to yearly tracking data from CivicScience, a company that provides consumer insights and trends data, 25 percent of consumers age 21+ who drink alcohol reported successfully completing Dry January in 2024 — a big jump from the 16 percent who avoided alcohol during Dry January 2023.
And if you’re wondering who those consumers are, they’re likely many that your restaurant counts as customers. Thirty-five percent of Gen Z aged 21-24 successfully completed Dry January in 2024, more than double the 14 percent of Americans 55+ who did.
And that’s not all: Only 28 percent of consumers who avoided alcohol that January plan to resume normal drinking habits, and the majority plan to reduce their intake or cut out alcohol altogether, CivicScience reports.
Restaurants are beginning to tap the N/A trend. As CivicScience notes, “Mocktail menus at restaurants is just one example of alcohol-free trends already taking shape.”
To find out how Mexican restaurants are adapting drink menus to appeal to customers looking for zero-proof cocktails — not only during Dry January, but year-round — el Restaurante reached out to Angela El Haj, co-founder with her sister Mariam of Calaca Mamas Cantina in Anaheim, California. Their restaurant features mocktails such as the Forgotten Grapefruit (organic grapefruit juice, organic lime juice, organic agave syrup, a pinch of salt and soda water); Tias Surprise Lemonade (organic blueberries, organic basil leaves, organic lime juice, simple syrup and soda water); Blushing Maria (organic strawberry, organic lemon juice, organic mint leaves, orgeat, sprite and soda water); and Tropical Slushy (pineapple, coconut milk and agave).
el Restaurante: How important are mocktails for your bar business? When did you start serving them and have you increased your selection?
El Haj: We value inclusivity, so we think it is important to offer non-alcoholic beverages that are as fun and flavorful as regular cocktails. A memorable presentation aligns with our brand and through our mocktail menu, every guest can have the same experience while imbibing whether or not they opt to drink alcohol. From the start, we’ve offered a variety of mocktails, and over time, we've significantly expanded our selection. We now even feature a dedicated mocktail section on our menu and we have fun trying out new recipes for our seasonal menus, as well.
ER: Do you typically do any special promotions for Dry January?
El Haj: No, historically we haven't run any special promotions for Dry January. While we’ve discussed the idea and love creating fun mocktails, we don’t feel that focusing on Dry January aligns with our brand at this time. Our restaurant is very family-friendly, and while drinks are a key part of our menu, we prefer not to emphasize Dry January as a central theme during the new year.
ER: What do mocktails offer from a profit perspective? Can you price mocktails in a way that delivers the same or at least similar rate of return alcoholic drinks offer?
El Haj: Mocktails are definitely cost-effective and offer great margins, but for us, it’s not just about profit. While generating revenue is important, we also value providing excellent options for adults who prefer not to drink alcohol and fun, creative drinks for the younger crowd. It's about offering an inclusive experience for everyone, not just focusing on the bottom line.
ER: Any tips on how to create great-tasting mocktails?
El Haj: Balance is essential in a mocktail, just as it is in a cocktail or a great dish. For any dish, cocktail, or mocktail, we love looking for inspiration from around the world and drawing from global flavors, which helps get the creative juices flowing. Simplicity is also key when it comes to operations and training. If the mocktail recipe is too complicated, you run the risk of inconsistency when the restaurant gets busy. All of our mocktails only use around five ingredients and feature fresh, organic produce.
ER: Do you have to adjust the ingredients in a recipe when a customer orders one of your regular cocktails but asks to make it N/A?
El Haj: It really depends on the cocktail and what alcohol is being removed, as that serves as part of the flavor profile. That said, when met with these requests, we always make sure our seasoned bartenders speak with the guests to ensure we provide a non-alcoholic substitute that best fits their needs. We've considered offering spirit substitutions but haven't introduced them yet, partially due to lack of demand and because we've found we can create non-alcoholic versions that don’t require an exact substitute. But we might consider introducing those types of mocktails as we expand our offerings in the future.
Click here to see recipes for N/A cocktails.
SIDEBAR: Non-Alcohol Spirits Come of Age
While mixologists can craft great mocktails without any kind of spirits, the trend toward non-alcoholic cocktails has created an opportunity for companies to innovate with zero-proof spirits.
“An ever more diverse range of no-alcohol products and flavor innovations are coming to market — including extensions of established brands, agave alternatives, alcohol adjacents, and no-alcohol craft beer and sparkling wine,” according to information from IWSR, a company that tracks beverage alcohol data worldwide. “The wave of new launches comes as consumption of no/low products combined rose by +5 percent in 2023 in the world’s top 10 markets.”
N/A agave alternatives (especially pertinent for Mexican- and Latin-inspired cocktails) are among product lines growing rapidly, IWSR says.
Here are examples of Mexican restaurants turning to N/A spirits to enliven their mocktail menus:
Trejos Cantina in Los Angeles. Zero Proof craft cocktails include the Zero Proof O.G. Margarita, Zero Proof Paloma, and Zero Proof Infused Fresno Chile Margarita — all made with Trejo’s collection of non-alcoholic spirits.
Costera Cocina Tulum in Chicago’s Fulton Market District. Last year, the restaurant touted its mocktail menu in anticipation of Dry January with this post: “Have fun & feel good with our zero proof cocktails,” then listed this selection: Puerto Vallarta — a guava cocktail with Free Spirits gin, guava & lemon; Michoacán — a mango margarita with Ritual zero proof tequila, mango & lime; Spiced Mojito — Spiritless cinnamon whiskey, mint, lime; Tropical Sands —Spiritless Jalisco 55, pineapple, coconut, Chamoy, lime