SEATTLE — As the number of sober-curious people continues to increase and the dry movement extends beyond the month of January, bars and restaurants in the Seattle area are cashing in on the non-alcoholic cocktail trend.
"I don't like the word mocktails," said Marceil Van Camp, co-owner of Kamp Social House which opened in the Madison Park neighborhood in 2022.
"We knew we wanted to incorporate what we call our un-boozy cocktail, beer and wine menu right away and a lot of that stemmed from my personal experience taking what I call a dry year," said Van Camp pointing to how she felt walking into a bar and not ordering an alcoholic beverage.
"I thought I would be able to go to a bar sit down and order a soda water and not get flack for it and it happened more often than I anticipated it would," added Van Camp.
Along with her wife, Van Camp opened Kamp Social House to be one part bar/restaurant and one part community center of sorts where everyone can come, drink whatever they want, and not be judged like she was during her dry year.
"I was doing that in part to learn more about whether or not people who don't drink for whatever reason still want to go out and be what I call sober and social," said Van Camp whose answer was a resounding yes.
And the proof is in the sales.
Non-alcoholic drinks now account for nearly 20% of their bar sales.
National sales from non-alcoholic beverages jumped from $121 million in 2022 to $510 million according to Neilson.
"The people have spoken: the sober-curious movement is big and it's wide" said Van Camp.
It's also changing how people think about socializing.
"A lot of the association between alcohol and socializing is of course historical, going back thousands of years," said Dr. Hammel, owner of Seattle Psych who says it can take longer than a dry month to break the habit.
"What we know is that when someone does stop having alcohol, it actually takes six months for the frontal lobes to reactivate, and to come back online," Dr. Hammel added.
Meanwhile, Van Camp says there is still a good drink to be had at Kamp Social House.
"You have those non-drinkers for whatever reason, they know us as a space where they can come order a really sophisticated cocktail and not be questioned." she added.