The sober curious motion has been rising in reputation, from extra individuals in events like Sober October to extra shoppers opting out of alcohol consumption altogether.
Iván Saldaña, co-founder and grasp distiller at New York-based Casa Lumbre Spirits, additionally serves as a enterprise companion to Lewis Hamilton, the founding father of Almave and a System One racecar driver. Saldaña highlights the influences redefining the non-alcohol beverage market.
“We’re in a transitional second the place shoppers, particularly youthful generations, are redefining what it means to get pleasure from a drink,” he says. “They’re not giving up on taste or expertise; they’re merely on the lookout for stability.”
With the rise of the sober curious motion, he notes that cultural shifts reminiscent of Dry January and extra conscious social rituals have opened the door for innovation inside the non-alcohol area.
“However what’s lacking in lots of merchandise is authenticity, particularly with regards to agave,” Saldaña states. “That’s the place we noticed the chance with Almave: to deliver the actual character of agave into an area that had little or no of it.”
When describing the present agave market, Saldaña says the class has matured quickly.
“What began as a worldwide pattern round tequila has advanced right into a deeper cultural and sensorial appreciation for agave in all its kinds, pushed by shopper schooling and premiumization,” he explains. “Individuals need to know the place their spirit comes from, the way it’s made and what makes it particular. That degree of curiosity permits us to introduce Almave — not as an alternative, however as a brand new expression of agave.”
Saldaña notes that it’s about honoring the standard course of whereas inviting extra folks into the expertise, together with those that select to not drink alcohol.
There are also traits prompting shopper curiosity in non-alcohol spirits.
“There’s a cultural shift towards intentional consumption,” Saldaña shares. “Millennials and Gen Z specifically are embracing rituals like cocktail hour, however they’re additionally being extra selective about when and why they drink.”
Some shoppers have decreased their alcohol consumption as a result of well being causes, whereas others have for life-style functions, Saldaña says, however these shoppers nonetheless crave depth, ritual and taste.
“Agave-based cocktails, particularly Margaritas, stay the preferred within the U.S., so creating a real agave different that respects that craving felt each pure and needed,” he expresses. “For Lewis, it got here from a private place: desirous to get pleasure from tequila’s essence with out compromising efficiency or readability.”
Almave, which launched in 2023, stemmed from a dialog with Hamilton. Saldaña recollects that Hamilton needed an actual agave spirit he might get pleasure from with out alcohol.
“That resonated deeply with me,” Saldaña says. “I’ve spent my profession immersed in agave: from its biochemistry to its cultural that means. So, we got down to do one thing nobody had achieved — distill agave historically with out fermenting it, preserving its integrity and expression.
“Almave was born out of that problem, and out of respect for the plant, the folks and the drinkers who need one thing trustworthy,” he continues.
That’s a part of what makes Almave completely different from different non-alcohol spirits in the marketplace, Saldaña explains. Though most are made by mixing water with flavors sourced from exterior taste homes, Almave makes use of agave itself because the supply of taste — not an extract, not an imitation, however the precise plant, he says.
“We cook dinner it, distill it and work with its pure fragrant compounds to craft a spirit that carries the true essence of blue agave,” he explains. “We comply with a conventional distillation course of, just like tequila-making, however we cease earlier than fermentation, so no alcohol is produced. From there, we apply pure strategies to stability mouthfeel, pungency and stability.”
The result’s one thing “completely completely different,” Saldaña notes. It’s not a substitute or reproduction, however a real agave spirit expertise with out the alcohol, he says.
Almave is out there in two choices: Almave Blanco and Almave Ámbar. Each varietals have discovered robust followings, however Blanco specifically has develop into a go-to for bars and eating places, Saldaña shares.
“It’s helped unlock the non-alcoholic Margarita in a manner that really honors the cocktail — it’s actual agave, with construction, brightness and character,” he states. “We’ve additionally seen momentum round moments like Coachella and Stagecoach, the place our Golden Hour Margarita develop into the best-selling non-alcoholic cocktail at The New Bar two years in a row. That tells us folks aren’t simply curious — they’re returning for the expertise.”
An genuine expertise
Earlier this yr, Almave launched the “Margaritas Secure for Work” marketing campaign round Cinco de Mayo, which fell on a Monday.
“It allowed us to reframe a traditional cocktail second in a manner that aligned with trendy work-life rhythms,” Saldaña shares. “That marketing campaign was an incredible follow-up to our Coachella and Stagecoach activations, the place Almave was front-and-center in cultural dialog. We’re not attempting to impose a brand new ritual — we’re assembly folks the place they’re and providing them one thing actual.”
Almave at the moment is out there in additional than 800 areas throughout the nation, together with in retail areas reminiscent of Whole Wine and BevMo, in addition to in hospitality venues like Eleven Madison Park, Superbueno, Republique and El Barrio Cantina.
“In fact, it’s additionally accessible on-line at Almave.com,” Saldaña says. “We’re persevering with to develop thoughtfully, at all times prioritizing companions who perceive the worth of agave and who see Almave not as a pattern, however as a brand new ritual.”
Almave isn’t only a product, he provides, it’s a assertion.
“We didn’t got down to take away alcohol from agave; we got down to protect the whole lot else that issues: taste, course of, tradition and the ritual of ingesting nicely,” Saldaña concludes. “Each bottle displays a deep respect for the agave plant and for the individuals who care about what they eat. For those who love agave, however you’re on the lookout for new methods to get pleasure from it, Almave isn’t a compromise — it’s an invite.”
