Author: Maria Teresa Moschillo
What is the mindful drinking?
Drink less, drink better. This is the principle behind the mindful drinking, a trend that is making its way among consumers and which is forcing a precise change in the drink industry.
In fact, more and more consumers, at the counter of a pub, approach alcohol in a more conscious way than in the past. What are the ingredients with which it was prepared and where do they come from? What is its environmental impact?
The phenomenon of mindful drinks has nothing to do with reducing the intake of alcohol but represents a full-blown turning point in the approach of those who drink: more ethical, more responsible, more careful.
A change to which retailers and manufacturers are trying to adapt as quickly as possible, by re-adapting their production to an increasingly growing demand. It is a behavioral change of abandonment of binge eating habits and desire for "better quality" drinks that aligns with conscious consumption.
The new “conscious drinkers” sip on non-alcoholic beers, organic wines, ciders and herbal cocktails. They take care that the packaging is eco-sustainable and that the production chains they support by ordering a simple drink do not impact the planet's ecosystem.
The origins of the mindful drinking
Mindful Drinking was born a few years ago in the United States and has become popular all over the world starting from CLUB SÖDA in New York, a social club that brings together people willing to reduce their alcohol consumption.
The term “Mindful Drinking” was coined by journalist Rosamund Dean, who in 2017 published a book entirely dedicated to this phenomenon, Mindful Drinking: How Cutting Down Can Change Your Life. Starting with CLUB SÖDA, more and more private clubs and circles have begun to organize non-alcoholic events, aimed at encouraging their members to drink less and, above all, in a more conscious way.
Over the years, the mindful drinking has become a real trend, supported by the decisive rise of an increasingly healthy and ethical lifestyle.
What is the response of the manufacturers? Mainly, they aim to top quality, ethical, organic, eco-sustainable products and launch sought-after products on the market, such as biodynamic wines, alcohol-free craft drinks, fermented drinks such as kombucha, kvass and jun (the latter better known as the kombucha champagne) increasingly diversifying the offer.