The Nightlife Blogger: Low-Alcohol Drinks May Be Trending In 2020 But Not With Me

Pour Me A Good Stiff One When I’m Out In The Bars & Nightclubs 

By Kevin Wilkerson, The Nightlife Blogger For PubClub.com

One of the top trends for bars and nightclubs for 2020 – according to some industry experts – is low-alcohol cocktails.

Low alcohol cocktails? If you’re like me, you complain when a bartender short-pours your drink. I despise those auto-pour devices some places put on their liquor bottles. When I order a cocktail, I want it to to contain a fair amount of alcohol.

You know, a good, stiff drink.

Yet in this story on PubClub, Doug Radkey, president of KRG Hospitality states that “zero-proof drinks or low-ABV drinks that are handcrafted and full of flavor are going to continue to grow. I believe they’re past the point of being ‘just a trend’ and will start to drive significant revenue streams for operators in 2020, allowing them the opportunity to charge nearly the same price-point as a spirit-forward cocktail with the right execution and beverage program.”

That’s okay for some, but people certainly not for me. I mean what’s the point of going out if you’re not going to get at least a little buzzed? I don’t believe in going out just to get hammered, either, but as the night wears on and you start to meet people, feeling the affects of a few good stiff drinks can certainly enhance the evening.

I suspect most of those who are leading this low-to-no alcohol cocktail consumption “craze” if you can all it that are girls, who feel maybe it will help keep the calories down and therefore make for more alluring Instagram poses.

But that could be a killer for us guys who always be sure we have our shirts on when we post for our social media selfies.  The female version of beer goggles – vodka drinks – don’t come into play here.

We need those cocktail goggles in order to help our singles life!

Most likely, this won’t actually be a trend so much as a topic of conversation among bartenders, spirits makers and nightclub operators. And to those people, when you see me in the bar, fill ‘er up!