The rise of the mocktail
Summary
The new guidance is the culmination of a big project funded by Health Canada and takes an abstinence-first approach to alcohol consumption, indicating that zero drinks per week is the safest option. For the 44-course tasting menu at the fine dining establishment on Rochester Street, guests have the option of pairing their meal with wine, cocktails, or placebos. “Not only with Dry January but also Health Canada coming out [with the new guidance], as well as a general growing interest in mixed beverages, both cocktails and mocktails, we’ve definitely seen an uptick,” says Lemoyne. Benson Mutalemwa, owner of Knyota Non-Alcoholic Drinks, Ottawa’s first zero-proof bottle shop, explains: “the simple fact is that there’s more work that’s get done on these products than a typical beverage with alcohol. “And the technology to dealcoholize is not cheap.” While he says the feedback on price does come up quite often, Mutalemwa notes his store is seeing more new customers since the new CCSA guidance was released.