While the alcohol-free cocktail trend started a good half-decade or more before the 2020 onset of social disruption, lockdowns, and domino-like closings of clubs, pubs, and restaurants, those upheavals certainly contributed to the rapid rise in consumers choosing to teetotal. Somewhat. Throughout the past two years, consumption of alcohol beverages also rose markedly.
Locked in, socially cut off, bored, under stress, and not driving anywhere seemed to give free reign at first to plenty of at-home alcohol consumption. In fact, according to statistics presented by the American Psychological Association reported last March, nearly a quarter of American adults admitted to drinking more alcohol to cope with the increased stress. Added to the mix was the relaxing of laws to allow home delivery of alcohol and alcohol beverages which, according to Nielsen led to a 24% increase in alcohol sales.