Mocktails. N/A drinks. Zero-proof cocktails. They go by a lot of different names, but alcohol-free cocktails are all the rage lately, from THC- and CBD-infused drinks to concoctions that have no intoxicating effects but taste as good as the real thing.
When the Milwaukee Record launched its first N/A Day event in 2022, founder Tyler Maas said it was difficult to find enough brands making the drinks. But as N/A drinks have become a growing presence on store shelves and on craft cocktail lists, N/A Day has grown with it, with annual events for “Dry January” in both Milwaukee and Madison. Think Great Taste of the Midwest but with just N/A options!
“It’s gotten to the point where, just for the sake of space, we have to leave a few people out,” Maas said. “It’s a real, viable thing.”
Madison’s N/A Day takes place on Saturday, Jan. 10 at The Bur Oak, with two sessions from noon to 2 p.m. and from 2 to 4 p.m. For $20 ($30 at the door), attendees can sample over 60 different products from 20 or so distributors, ranging from national heavyweights like Athletic Brewing to locals like Madison’s Mr. Teas Kombucherie.
Maas talked about the exploding interest in N/A drinks, and the uncertain future of the THC industry in Wisconsin.
So what is an N/A beverage? Are there different terms for THC-infused drinks versus ones that don’t have any mood-altering effects?
It’s just not having alcohol in it. So, just to be fully clear to anybody who might be reading, if it involves THC, I’m asking the vendors that they warn people (at the event) that something might not work with their recovery or their lifestyle.
How have zero proof beverages gone over in Wisconsin, which has a pretty pronounced drinking culture?
If you were to do a statewide poll, I think the numbers (of people who drink N/A products) would be pretty low. I think what this offers is something for the people who want to experience some other new beverages, or learn about some new products. In a famously over-indulging state of Wisconsin, we’re just offering an alternative.
We’re not trying to change anyone’s minds or advocate against alcohol. I certainly enjoy it myself. But I just want people to know if they want to explore these other options, there are a lot of very good things out there. And a lot of them are locally made.
Describe how the N/A Day event will go.
It’s structured like a beer festival, so you walk in and you pay your entry fee, and that will get you unlimited samples from all the vendors. They’ll be there to answer questions, and a few of them will have their products on sale. It’s just a low-risk way to see what’s out there and to actually taste it yourself, and to meet some of the people that either make it or sell it.
A representative from Great Lakes Distillery gives out samples of its SANS Junipre spirit. (Tyler Maas / Milwaukee Record)
What N/A beverages have you tried lately that have excited you?
Great Lakes Distillery has a thing called SANS Junipre, which is like a botanical spirit. It’s sort of an approximation of gin. They also have a spiced gin and tonic that was really good. And then Lakefront Brewery, the second-largest Wisconsin craft brewery, they’re now in the THC game too. They have a new beverage called High Jinx that’s a 10-milligram THC lemonade. That was really good, too.
With the federal government passing a national ban on THC-derived products, and several competing ideas in the state legislature for how to regulate such products, how do you feel about their future in Wisconsin?
I don’t want to misrepresent the industry, but I think it would be a huge blunder to entirely lop off this revenue sources. A lot of local farmers and local businesses and local breweries have all adapted and successfully pivoted into this.
Maybe a little more regulation, or some more rules or parameters, wouldn’t hurt. Just to not have anybody accidentally drink a 100-milligram THC soda. But I think the same can be said for drinking. As long as the awareness and the information is out there, it’s up to the user to use it in their own way.
