The mindful drinking trend and changes in the culture of alcohol consumption

Abstract

 The article examines the key drivers behind the mindful drinking trend and its impact on the development of non-alcoholic and low-alcohol alternatives to traditional beverages. The growth of the NoLo category is shown to be linked not only to health orientation and moderation, but also to the consumers’ wish to preserve social drinking rituals without intoxication. The main product groups currently represented on the market are systematised: non-alcoholic beer, nonalcoholic wine, non-alcoholic alternatives to spirits, and ready-to-drink cocktail solutions. The paper analyses the technological approaches used to obtain such products, including interrupted fermentation, the use of specialised yeasts, vacuum distillation, reverse osmosis, spinning cone columns, as well as maceration, hydrosol production and formula-based sensory imitation. It is noted that for nonalcoholic spirit alternatives the main challenge remains the reproduction of body and the retention of a complex aroma profile after ethanol removal. The paper concludes that this segment is of scientific and commercial interest for domestic producers, but requires further technological research, harmonisation of terminology and development of a regulatory framework.