New York Bars Adapt to Dry January Trend With Mocktail Menus

Proprietors look to juice up sales as some patrons resolve to abstain from booze

Source: WSJ

By CHARLES PASSY

Jan. 2, 2017

For some New York drinking establishments, January is turning into mocktail month.

With a number of their patrons saying they are giving up alcohol for the first month of the year as part of what’s been dubbed Dry January, bar and restaurant owners are expressing concern about potentially sagging sales.

But a few proprietors are hoping to hold on to customers by touting menus of nonalcoholic mixed drinks, or mocktails, as they are sometimes called.

At Bottle & Bine, a contemporary American restaurant and bar in east Midtown, owner Denis Keane said he is anticipating as much as a 40% decline in business compared with his busy December. As a countermeasure of sorts, Mr. Keane is promoting such mocktails as the Goody Two Shoes (with cranberry juice and mint, among other ingredients) and Kylee Says So (with rosewater and pineapple).

Still, Mr. Keane, who owns other bars through the city, said he’s expecting a rough month ahead. The Dry January movement “is definitely a thing,” he said.

Another establishment that is expecting to feel the pinch: Leyenda, a Latin-themed bar in Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens neighborhood.

Co-owner and head bartender Ivy Mix said January is traditionally a slower month for New York bars, since the cold weather discourages many would-be customers from leaving their homes. Ms. Mix said the sales challenge is amplified by Dry January.

Still, Jeff Isaacson, director of bar and beverage operations for Ark Restaurants, a national company that runs several dining spots in New York, said the effect on sales is likely to be minimal since New Yorkers are known for drinking and socializing.

The Dry January movement has its roots in the U.K., where a group called Alcohol Concern has promoted it extensively as part of its efforts to curb drinking-related problems. In 2016, 16% of the British adult population attempted to go dry in January, according to the Alcohol Concern website.

Some New Yorkers say the idea of giving up alcohol, even for a short while, makes sense for a variety of reasons. There is concern about the health risks of excessive drinking. And there’s a financial aspect, especially in an era when bars charge $15 or more for a cocktail.

Even booze-industry professionals see a certain wisdom to Dry January as a reminder to keep all things in moderation.

“It’s almost a check on yourself,” said Rachel Harrison, a co-founder of Lion & Lamb Communications, a New York public-relations firm that specializes in bars and liquor brands.