How to Serve Mocktails & Non-Alcoholic Drinks in Toronto

The number of folks opting for a non-alcoholic drink when they go out for a meal or to an event is growing quickly. Toronto’s hospitality scene is responding. What’s important isn’t just offering a non-alcoholic drink but creating exciting menu options.

Here are some tips on how to add low- and no-alcohol drinks to your events in fun ways from those leading the movement in Toronto.

Don’t just create one drink, build a menu

Having a full alcoholic menu with just one non-alcoholic option isn’t going to set your event apart. Casa Madera in the King West neighbourhood has purposefully included low- to no-alcohol drinks on their menu from day one. And they’ve been incredibly popular, making up 10 to 15 per cent of drink orders overall.

"Beer is not a ‘one size fits all’ beverage. Offering a small variety of non-alcoholic beers will be appreciated by beer fans who are abstaining.”

– Steve Abrams, Co-Founder of Harmon's Craft Brewing

The same applies to beer, says Steve Abrams, Co-Founder of Harmon’s Craft Brewing, a Toronto-based non-alcoholic brewer. “Beer is not a ‘one size fits all’ beverage. Offering a small variety of non-alcoholic beers will be appreciated by beer fans who are abstaining,” he says. He suggests two to three per event.

Make options part of the planning from the start

Creating a menu of non-alcoholic options may seem daunting if it's your first time doing it, but it’s an exciting time to be exploring these drinks. “It does have to be part of the initial planning, but at the same time, it's not a complicated adjustment,” says Diana Seminara, Director of Events and Sales at Bisha Hotel. In other words, low- and no-alcohol options shouldn’t be an afterthought, especially because there’s so much to choose from, including many from notable wine names as well as local suppliers. And Abrams says there are plenty of locally brewed options to explore. “Ontario produces some award-winning non-alcoholic beer, and there’s also great stuff coming out of Quebec and Alberta,” he says.

Don’t forget about the food

Thinking of the low- to no-alcohol part of the menu from stage one of planning also ensures you have time to pair these drinks with dishes that’ll be served. A food menu that’s intentionally organic or sustainable can be paired with similarly produced non-alcoholic beverages (Harmon’s, for instance, is certified organic). Experts say each part of the meal should have an appropriate beverage option.

Kris Menon, who runs the communications agency Your Brand Integrated Marketing Communications, says he regularly incorporates non-alcoholic drinks into his food and beverage strategy and recommends doing a tasting of these drinks alongside the food tasting that normally happens when setting an event’s menu. “There is such an explosion of options right now, so I think tasting is incredibly important,” he says. “It does range [though], and there are still some options that may not be as strong in their category.”

Rely on the experts to create something special

Thanks to the increasing sophistication of non-alcoholic spirits, the days of relying on a mocktail mojito are no more. Menon’s agency has hosted several parties during the Toronto International Film Festival, all of which featured non-alcoholic cocktails on the menu. Instead of simple twists on traditional cocktails, he relied on the know-how of experts in Toronto’s mixologist scene. “I find it really intriguing because they come up with their own creation and they know how to make it really interesting and consumer-friendly,” he says. Local Toronto experts include Gail Lynch, owner of Zero, Canada’s first non-alcoholic cocktail bar, and Bevvy’s, Toronto’s first stand-alone non-alcoholic bottle shop.

Remember that the details matter

“I am finding that more of my clients are looking to accommodate everyone and making sure that options are available,” says Seminara. For daytime that might include a pop-up juice bar in addition to coffee and tea offerings, and in the evening, custom mocktails with clear signage at the bar indicating their availability. Menon’s TIFF parties had separate bars set up for those drinking non-alcoholic wines and cocktails, which created multiple destinations in the various event spaces and helped ease congestion around the main bar. “

The separate bar is a trick of the trade that every event planner should learn. I think it's going to become an essential tool for event planning,” he says. “It makes you feel special, like your choice is valid and worthy.” And don’t forget to offer all guests taxi vouchers to get home at the end of the night, whether they’ve consumed alcohol or not. “The goal,” Seminara says, “should be to make everyone feel welcome and accommodated.”