Sober Curious Trend Gets 'Sexy' for Summer as Brands and Restaurants Work to Unify Drinking Cultures

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our site, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

There is a picture of Miami as a place of excess, where more is more and drinks flow as freely as late-night parties. But one of the city's most popular restaurants is leading the way for a “sober weird summer”, with the launch of a new menu featuring non-alcoholic options that are just as good – if not better – than the alcoholic offerings.

Sexy Fish, the world-renowned Japanese restaurant and celebrity hotspot is one of the first places in the world to offer a single cocktail menu for drinkers and non-drinkers alike. Aptly named “UNITY,” the new menu offers 12 drinks based on 12 key flavor profiles, each available in alcoholic and non-alcoholic iterations.

Highlights include “Pineapple,” which includes mezcal, basil, lime, and cilantro in the alcoholic version, and roasted pineapple, green pepper, banana, and chipotle soda in the 0% ABV version.

The “Sugar Snap Pea,” meanwhile, features dry gin, snap peas, manzanilla sherry, absinthe, apple, and lemonade in the cocktail, while the corresponding mocktail uses Seedlip Garden 108, in addition to sugar snap peas, pear, jasmine, and vermouth. .

And guests will want to try Sexy Fish's 'Cacao' cocktail, which is their take on an espresso martini, made with cocoa butter-infused vodka, dark chocolate, Sauternes, Lillet and lemon. A “low” ABV version is made from Haku Vodka, Everleaf Marine, cocoa, dark chocolate, vanilla, merlot and bitters. It's a way for responsible diners to still feel the buzz without completely shedding their inhibitions.

With 24 drinks to choose from in total, there's no shortage of options, whether you're soberly curious or just chilling it out for the night. The restaurant says the UNITY menu also takes away the stigma of not drinking, especially in a cutthroat city like Miami. As Sexy Fish says in a release, “UNITY offers a personalized, inclusive and thoughtful drinking experience for everyone.”

Sexy Fish isn't the only restaurant following the soberly weird trend of course. At Los Angeles' two-star Michelin restaurant Providence, the chef's meticulously curated tasting menu can now be ordered with a “free” pairing of non-alcoholic cocktails. Drinks include Fine Herbs Soda, a sparkling water infused with herbs from the restaurant's rooftop garden, as an alternative to sparkling wine. Providence's Clarified Coconut Milk Punch, meanwhile, starts with clarified coconut milk, mixed with passion fruit, vanilla syrup and machete. And the “Rhubarb Consommé” (pictured below) takes house-made rhubarb juice and steeps it in cracked black pepper and tarragon for a drink that's both fresh and full-bodied.

Providence says it's not just sober diners who order the alcohol-free pairings, but seasoned connoisseurs who want to see what magic the bartenders can work alongside the work of the restaurant's acclaimed chefs. “Carefully crafted non-alcoholic options are thoughtfully sourced and not an afterthought for guests who choose to avoid alcohol,” the restaurant says.

At the equestrian-themed bar and restaurant The Pony Room, located inside Rancho Valencia in Rancho Santa Fe, California, the decor draws inspiration from classic American iconography — think horse hooves on the ends of bar stools and tall, exposed wooden beams — but The bar menu nods to modern drinking trends, with an extensive list of 0% beers (including Walker Hayes-approved sports brew), alcohol-free wines and alcohol-free cocktails. While guests can easily enjoy the views of the surrounding canyons and mountains with a whiskey or tequila in hand, they can also enjoy non-alcoholic cocktails like the “Number One,” made with Seedlip Agave, rhubarb and lime. Another testament to the sober weirdo trend: The Pony Room's bar menu opens with a page of non-alcoholic beverages.

In Sedona, the renowned Mii amo resort has long been a destination for detox and relaxation, with a beverage program that reflects the Relais & Châteaux property's focus on health and wellness. On a recent visit, guests were able to take advantage of an all-day juice bar with daily wellness tonics, while meals were offered with an extensive zero-prep cocktail menu (we loved the “On the Wagon,” a non-alcoholic take on a classic mule , made with Seedlip Grove, pineapple, ginger beer and lime). While wine and beer were readily available at the resort, almost everyone we saw there opted for the alcohol alternatives. “It honestly tastes better than some regular cocktails,” remarked my partner. “And I feel better too.”

Along with the aforementioned Walker Hayes, other celebrities are getting in on the 'sober weird' trend, including Bella Hadid with Kin Euphorics and Katy Perry, who has her own line of non-alcoholic aperitifs called 'De Soi'. which recently introduced a bittersweet orange”Spritz Italiano” for summer. Since launching just two years ago, the brand is now available online and at retailers such as Whole Foods, Amazon, Target, Walmart and Hollywood favorite Erewhon.

According to Perry's business partner and De Soi co-founder Morgan McLachlan, the idea to launch a non-alcoholic drink was driven by a desire to reach people who wanted an alcohol alternative without giving up alcohol completely. Like Perry and herself, McLachlan says 89% of De Soi's customer base is “people who just want to drink less by consuming alcohol alternatives” (indeed, as one of the few female master distillers in the world, McLachlan is also its co-founder and Chief Product Officer alcoholic beverages brand AMASSwhich offers a range of high ABV gins and vodkas).

The way they approached the brand, McLachlan explains, is similar to how they approach a new flavor offering: “Everyone's palates are different,” she says, “but that doesn't mean everyone else feels the same, so there may be some interference there.'

As for the “sober weirdo” trend, McLachlan says both she and Perry embrace the term, as “cute [and] succinct way to describe someone who is exploring drinking less alcohol, without all the rationalizations or dogma that comes with discussions of alcohol use.'

Case in point: While De Soi keeps McLachlan pretty busy these days, he's back in product development mode with his spirits brand, Amass Spirits, “working on a wild new expression of gin.”

For Brad Whiting and Seth O'Malley, co-founders of herbal spirits brand Wilderton, the two don't even use the word “mocktail” when describing what you can do with their drinks — they prefer the term “zero-proof.” ” The Hood River, Oregon-based company just opened the country's first non-alcoholic distillery and tasting room in 2023, and I want to show the public that there is nothing “college” about these spirits. “It's not non-alc for the sake of being non-alc,” Whiting said Rolling rock, during our distillery tour. “It's its own thing that brings out amazing flavors.”

Inspired by Seedlip's influence in the alk-free space and O'Malley's long-standing interest in tea blending, Wilderton has now produced three spirits that take on herbal, floral and botanical notes – all while still using traditional distillation techniques of a spirits company. While their goal isn't to make a 1:1 replica of popular spirits, they've incorporated the idea that no matter why one skips alcohol, there's still an art to cocktail mixing (and enjoying with friends) that should be all. To get past the initial “weird” hurdle of “sober curiosity,” they've cleverly highlighted easy-to-mix recipes for which you can use their spirits in the bottle (such as the “Lustre & Tonic with Citrus and Coriander,” or the smoked lapsang souchong and “Earthen & Ginger Ale” spice).

They are now working with Nora Furst, award winning bartender and co-founder of West Bev Consulting, who created complementary NA pairing menus for special events, as well as advising other industry professionals on how to use Wilderton for their bar and restaurant menus (such as using the Campari-style Bittersweet Aperitif for NEW-groni”). While some may enjoy a similarly priced non-alcoholic drink sitting next to its crafty brethren on a menu, it's a big step forward in not only normalizing the social order of the alcohol-free option, but also legitimizing zeros alcoholic beverages. part of the art of cocktail making.

Perhaps the best way to approach the weird trend sober is to focus on how you touch, instead of what you drink (or don't drink). Hiyo's founders call their canned drink a “better alternative than alcohol,” replacing the buzz you get from alcohol with a “float” created by adding adaptogens, natural nootropics, and functional botanicals.

According to Hiyo co-founder Evan Quinn, about 90% of the brand's customers say they also drink alcohol, but seek Hiyo as “a healthier way to relax.” While his partner George Youmans is sober, Quinn still drinks, although he admits he has cut back on money in recent months to seek “a healthy balance”.

For Quinn and Youmans, the term “sober queer” is a catchy buzzword, but it can perpetuate the stigma that health or sobriety is a trend, rather than something to commit to.

“The word 'curious' connotes an uncertain perspective,” explains Quinn, “and the majority of the voice and brand positioning we use is intended to inspire people to decisively to make the decision to prioritize their health and leave more room for alternatives like Hiyo in their nighttime relaxation.”

“We think 'sober curious' is one of those terms that has a lot of awareness but doesn't necessarily evoke the strongest meaning in our category,” he continues. “We don't want people to be curious or unsure if they should be chasing the best version of themselves – we want them to feel empowered, excited and supported to dive headfirst into a happier, healthier lifestyle.”