Haligonians raise a glass to Dry January

Dry January isn’t new but the tradition of taking a break from alcohol after the celebratory Christmas season is fueling changes in the food and beverage industry.

Drew Walsh is a bartender in Halifax. He mixes non-alcoholic spritz cocktails from ingredients stashed in his apartment bar.

The 25-year-old has pledged to give up alcohol for the month.

"Kind of ironic eh? A dry bartender?” Walsh said while sipping on the grapefruit-based mocktail during his midday break.

This is Walsh’s first time participating in Dry January. He’s doing it for a few reasons, but the first is health.

"That's kind of why most people do it,” said Walsh. “And I wanted to test myself and see if I could still go out, without having the pressure of alcohol.”

Walsh is also taking a break from imbibing to develop his business. He started “Two Sailors Bartending” last year – a service that brings his mixology expertise and craft cocktails to clients for private events like weddings, parties and charity galas.

Walsh said he's noticed a trend since starting Two Sailors: more clients are looking for non-alcoholic options. Walsh said Dry January is a perfect time to experiment with recipes for those clients.

"The demand for non-alcoholics has been growing so much,” said Walsh.

Halifax entrepreneur Jay Hiltz opened “Soberish” on Agricola Street in Halifax in November. The retail store is a mocktail shop that specializes in non-alcoholic options.

"It's been amazing and very much exceeded my expectations,” said Hiltz. “And it's been overwhelming discovering how many people here in Halifax are alcohol free or looking for alcohol free options."

Hiltz’s shop demonstrates the growing variety of non-alcoholic drinks. The store features pre-made cocktails, non-alcoholic beer and spirits and drink infusers like bitters.

Hiltz anticipates a busy month at the shop.

"Normally after the holidays there's a slump in sales but I’m expecting January to be pretty steady,” he said.

Hiltz said movements like Dry January and Sober October are helping drive the demand for new

products to taste and explore.

"It's becoming more normalized and part of the mainstream,” said Hiltz.

Health Canada recommends no more than two standard drinks a day for women and three for men. They recommend drinking no more than twice a week.

In the U.S. the surgeon general is calling for cancer risk warning labels on alcohol like those seen on cigarette packages. This follows a report that links alcohol consumption with several types of cancer.

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