Zero-proof is finally worth drinking, and the tea trend nobody saw coming
For years the non-drinking guest got handed a warm elderflower and told to make the best of it. That is over, and it is about time.
The zero-proof thing is not a fad any more, it is a category. Same goes for the tea-forward gathering, which sounds like something your gran would host until you actually go to one and realise it is the most relaxed party you have been to in months.
Why bitterness is the whole secret
Here is what people get wrong when they make a mocktail. They make it sweet. An alcoholic drink is interesting because alcohol is slightly bitter and slightly harsh. Take that out and replace it with more juice, and you have made squash.
You want something with an edge. Strong brewed tea, a bitter soda, verjuice, a splash of vinegar-based shrub, grapefruit rather than orange. Salt helps too, just a pinch, the way you would salt a caramel.
Build a station, not a cocktail list
Nobody wants to be the person requesting a bespoke drink while the host is elbow-deep in the oven. Lay out a base in a jug, put four or five garnishes and mixers alongside it, and let people build their own.
A dispenser on a raised stand means guests pour without lifting anything heavy, and the drink stays visible, which is half the reason people try it. A jug hidden on a worktop gets ignored.
Red jujube tea, and the rest of the tea moment
Red jujube tea is the one currently doing numbers, and it deserves it. Sweet, slightly medicinal, deep red in the glass. Serve it warm in colder weather, over ice with a slice of lemon in warmer weather.
The broader tea thing is worth taking seriously. Cold-brewed hibiscus. Jasmine over ice with peach. Genmaicha, which has a toasted rice note that works with almost any food. Brew it in a glass teapot, because the colour is the point.
Daytime is the format
Wellness gatherings happen in daylight and that is not an accident. Different energy, shorter run time, and people leave feeling better than when they arrived. Late morning to mid-afternoon, four hours maximum.
Glassware matters more than you would think
A zero-proof cocktail in a tumbler is a soft drink. The same liquid in a stemmed glass is a cocktail. It is daft, it is entirely psychological, and it works every single time.
Buy proper glasses for the non-drinkers. It is the clearest signal you can send that they are not an afterthought.
One thing to avoid
Do not label the station mocktails. Call it the drinks table and put the zero-proof options on it alongside everything else. The moment you separate them, you have created a kids table for adults.