Booze-free beverage tasting

A NEW beer tasting event with a difference is coming to town next month.

Bendigo’s first non-alcoholic drinks tasting is set to take place at Lake View Hotel’s beer garden on Thursday, 7 April.

Organiser Briana Cowan said the event will offer four guest speakers, including Bendigo-born Anthony Hammond, who owns two pubs in Melbourne.

Mr Hammond is also on the bill for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, where he will talk about the growing industry of non-alcoholic drinks and how to pair them with food.

Three non-alcoholic drink companies will bring their products to be sampled, including Heaps Normal, Yes You Can, and Smug AF Cocktails who’ll have their ready-to-drink margaritas and mojitos in cans.

“The non-alcoholic drinks space is a rapidly growing market in Australia,” Ms Cowan said.

“It’s all about inclusion and giving people a choice of a non-alcoholic drink, as opposed to a soft drink or mineral water.

“Many people decide not to drink for whatever reason, and it’s about offering those people a drink that replicates the taste of alcohol so they can still feel included.”

Ms Cowan decided to quit drinking in June last year and became fascinated with the world of booze-free drinks.

She said she still enjoys the rituals of drinking, including clinking a champagne glass or cracking open a beer, just without the alcohol.

“In terms of the benefits, there’s been massive benefits with productivity, I definitely feel more present with my children, I have a lot more energy,” she said.

“There’s so many positives that come with not drinking, and I’m still happy to hang out with people that drink.”