If you’re ditching alcohol for the first month of 2024, you’re not alone. And you have plenty of tasty options in Springfield.
Alcohol Change UK launched the first Dry January in 2012 with around 4,000 participants. The charity group aims to reduce the harm drinking alcohol may cause. Alcohol Change UK hoped the sober month would start new conversations about alcohol and inspire behavior change.
Participation grew to more than 175,000 people in 2023, with millions more informally saying in a YouGov survey that they planned to try quitting or cutting back on alcohol consumption that year. Experts expect between 15% and 35% of drinkers may participate in Dry January this year.
Closer to home, the website Civic Science surveyed United States adults ages 21 and over who drink alcohol. They found that 27% of respondents were very likely to participate in Dry January this year, with 22% replying they were somewhat likely to abstain. Both of those numbers are up from 2023.
There are several benefits to taking a break from alcohol, not the least of which is a fuller bank account. Research by the Royal Free Hospital, published in the British Medical Journal in 2018, found that a month off from drinking:
- Lowers blood pressure
- Reduces diabetes risk
- Lowers cholesterol
- Reduces levels of cancer-related proteins in the blood
Looking to secure some of those benefits for yourself? Here are several ways to do a Dry January and support Springfield-area businesses.
Hold Fast Brewing offers flights, discounts on non-alcoholic beers
Hold Fast Brewing (235 N. Kimbrough Ave.) has leaned in hard to the month of sobriety, offering a Dry January Flight of non-alcoholic beers as well as daily discounts on n/a beers.
“We try to stay up-to-date on trends and aware of our audience’s needs, and over a year ago we saw a rising demand for non-alcoholic options,” said Kaitlan Foland, Hold Fast’s marketing coordinator. “We’ve since carried, at minimum, 6-10 non-alcoholic beer options, a rotating non-alcoholic slushie option and Spring Branch kombucha on tap. We put a spotlight on some fun twists on these options for Dry January because so many folks participate and we still want them to hang out with us. The flight and daily features are just a reminder that sober doesn’t mean you have to stay home.”
That Dry January Flight includes six beers. Here’s what you can sample for $18:
- Athletic Lite “Beer”
- Wits Peak Belgian-Style White
- Run Wild IPA
- Free Wave Hazy IPA
- Athletic Oktoberfest
- All Out Stout
Non-alcoholic brews can also be ordered a la carte. If you choose the daily featured beer, you’ll get $1 off. Hold Fast hopes these specials and its year-round n/a options will help the brewery be a “place for everyone, all the time.”
“Yes, the goal is always to have our own craft beer be the star and the driving force of getting people in the door, but as a family-owned business, community is a huge part of our mission,” Foland said. “We aren’t just a taproom to drink beer, we have options for everyone and that’s important to us.”
That said, don’t expect Hold Fast to brew non-alcoholic beverages of its own.
“We admire those who do what they do really well, and the brands of non-alcoholic beer we carry — primarily Athletic Brewing — do non-alcoholic beverages really well. They taste great,” Foland said. “And we do alcoholic craft beer really well. I think we have found a nice balance.”
Try a little mixology at home with 417 Cocktails
Beer not your thing? You can sign up for a mocktail mixology class at 417 Cocktails (211 S. Market Ave., Suite 103) and pick up some zero-proof spirits and bar tools from owner Mandi Fritz.
The Mocktail Mixology Class is scheduled for 7-8:30 p.m. Jan. 10. Tickets are $39 and are available online. These classes tend to sell out, so don’t wait to reserve your spot. Your ticket to the class includes:
- Two non-alcoholic cocktails, expertly crafted by you
- Tastings of all the non-alcoholic spirits 417 Cocktails carries
- A mini cocktail kit to take home so you can practice your new skills
- All necessary supplies and ingredients
- A private shopping event with a 10% discount
417 Cocktails carries a wide variety of non-alcoholic items, which you can order online. Fritz stocks gin, mezcal, rum and whiskey alternatives by Drink Monday. The 750-millilitre bottles range in price from $40-$45. NKD LDY gin and tequila alternatives sell for $38.
The online store also includes zero-proof elixirs, canned cocktails and craft beer, and alcohol-free bitters.
Ask your server, bartender or beertender for non-alcoholic options
All of Springfield’s craft breweries sell non-alcoholic drinks of some sort, though in some places it’s just soda and water. Derek Shimeall of 4 by 4 Brewing Company (2811 E. Galloway St., Suite A in Springfield or 9003 Sawgrass Ave. in Nixa) said they have kombucha options and non-alcoholic slushies, with non-alcoholic beer returning “very soon.” Before and After Brewing (2940 E. Sunshine St.) offers several mocktails as well as cans of Heineken Zero.
Many bars also feature mocktails as a regular part of their programs. The Golden Girl Rum Club (137 Park Central Square) has a variety of “Virgin Sacrifices” on the menu, including a “Shirley Temple of Doom” and a “Tame Thriller.” The newly opened Miss Boston’s Cocktail Lounge (3401 E. Old Stone Road) in Republic offers four mocktails.
While not every bar and brewery aggressively markets its non-alcoholic drink options, many are happy to craft something for you. Just ask your server, bartender or beertender what they have available.
