Building a no and low alcohol menu for a bar or brewpub
More guests now skip alcohol for an evening or drink less of it. A bar that gives them something good to order keeps the whole table longer. This guide covers what to stock, how to price it and how to put it on the menu so it sells.
Who orders from this part of the menu
Think about the table, not the individual. A group of six often includes a driver, someone on medication, someone who does not drink for religious reasons, someone pacing themselves and someone who simply does not want alcohol tonight. If that one person has nothing appealing to order, the group may choose another venue next time.
These guests are not asking for less. They want a drink that feels as considered as a cocktail or a craft beer, served in proper glassware, not a soda in a plastic cup. Our guide to younger drinkers and craft beer explains why moderation is growing.
What to stock
A strong no and low list usually draws from a few groups:
- Alcohol-free beer. The most familiar choice for beer drinkers. Stock a lager-style and something hoppier or darker if you can.
- Hop water and house sodas. If you brew, these show off your skills. Ginger, kokum, lemongrass and cold brew coffee sodas all suit Indian menus.
- Kombucha. Tart and complex, good with food.
- Alcohol-free cocktails. Built properly with fresh juice, syrups, bitters substitutes and sometimes non-alcoholic spirits.
- Low alcohol drinks. Session beers around 3 to 4% ABV, spritzes and lighter cocktails for guests who want a drink, just a smaller one. See our guide to low alcohol craft beer.
Start small. Four to six good options beat fifteen that nobody knows how to serve.
Make it taste like a real drink
Alcohol carries flavour and gives body and warmth. Without it, drinks can taste thin and sweet. Bartenders compensate with acidity, bitterness, spice, texture and dilution control. Ginger, chilli, black pepper and tea tannin add the bite alcohol usually gives. A little salt can round out a drink. Shaking with egg white or aquafaba adds body.
Taste every drink on the list next to its alcoholic equivalent. If the alcohol-free version is just the cocktail with the spirit left out, it needs reworking.
Handling and freshness
Alcohol-free beer in particular needs care. Without alcohol to protect it, an opened bottle or a keg left too long can spoil. Hop aroma fades fast in heat. Most bars sell it in cans or bottles, stored cold and rotated first in, first out. If you put alcohol-free beer on draught, talk to the brewer about how fast the keg must be used and clean the line more often.
House sodas, syrups and juices have short lives. Label every batch with the date, keep them cold and make smaller batches more often.
Pricing it fairly
Guests notice when a non-alcoholic cocktail costs almost as much as one with a spirit. They also notice when a can of soda costs the same as a carefully built drink. Price on the work and ingredients, not on the absence of alcohol.
Alcohol-free drinks often carry no excise, which can make their margins attractive. That is a reason to promote them, not to overcharge. Our guide to brewpub food menu and margins shows how to cost a menu item so you know your real margin on each drink.
Putting it on the menu
Give no and low drinks their own section with a proper heading, not a line at the bottom under soft drinks. Write the same kind of description as the other drinks: flavour, ingredients and what it goes with. Mark the alcohol level clearly so a guest can choose with confidence.
Train staff to offer it without fuss. A server who says we have a great alcohol-free IPA and a house kokum soda sells far more than one who waits to be asked. Never make a guest explain why they are not drinking.
Track it and refresh it
Watch the sales of each option every month. Drop the ones that do not move and try something new. Use your POS data to see which tables order them and at what time. Many venues find that alcohol-free orders cluster early in the evening and on weekday lunches.
A good no and low list also supports responsible service. When a guest has had enough, a server can suggest an appealing alcohol-free drink rather than a glass of water. That is better for the guest and keeps them at the table.
Common questions
What should a bar stock for non-drinkers?
A small, good selection: alcohol-free beer, a house soda or hop water, kombucha and two or three properly built alcohol-free cocktails.
Should alcohol-free beer be served on draught?
It can be, but it spoils faster than regular beer. Most bars sell it in cans or bottles. On draught, use kegs quickly and clean lines more often.
How should alcohol-free cocktails be priced?
On the ingredients and skill involved, not on the absence of alcohol. Guests expect fair value.
Where should no and low drinks go on the menu?
In their own section with full descriptions and clear alcohol levels, not as a line under soft drinks.
