PEOPLE ACROSS THE WORLD ARE INCREASINGLY ACCEPTING ALCOHOL

People are increasingly giving up alcohol: what are they choosing instead?
The expert explained that the world is increasingly moving toward mindful alcohol consumption.
The global culture of non-alcoholic beverage consumption has already reached such proportions that almost every alcoholic cocktail has a non-alcoholic version. Alcohol sales expert Dmitry Polyashenko told UNIAN about this.

“The entire world is moving from a culture of intoxication to a culture of conscious consumption. The new generation is looking for alternatives to alcohol, not because they’re sick or forbidden. They’re looking for taste without the alcohol burden,” the expert explains.

At the same time, according to Polyashenko, about 80% of buyers of non-alcoholic drinks – wine or cocktails – also drink regular alcohol.
What types of alcohol are non-alcoholic?
The expert explained that virtually all popular spirits are non-alcoholic—not just beer and wine, but also gin, tequila, rum, whiskey, and even vodka. However, non-alcoholic wine is currently the most widely available.

“There’s non-alcoholic wine. Regular wine, sparkling wine, and wine of all colors: red, white, rosé,” he explained.

How soft drinks are made
Drinks become non-alcoholic thanks to the dealcoholization method – the process of removing or partially removing ethyl alcohol from alcoholic drinks in order to obtain non-alcoholic or low-alcohol drinks.
“And sometimes they do it differently: they achieve the taste and aroma profile of the alcohol we’re accustomed to. In other words, they create a drink that’s similar in all its characteristics and properties to its alcoholic counterpart,” Polyashenko explained.

Non-alcoholic cocktails
According to him, since the culture of non-alcoholic beverage consumption is spreading throughout the world, there is a non-alcoholic variation for every alcoholic cocktail, of course, “wherever possible.”

“It’s called a ‘mocktail’ or simply a ‘non-alcoholic cocktail.’ Since there’s non-alcoholic gin, there’s also a non-alcoholic gin and tonic. There’s non-alcoholic tequila, which means there’s also non-alcoholic Margaritas and Palomas. There’s also non-alcoholic rum: with cola and lime, you get a Cuba Libre,” the expert explained.

Opinions on the benefits of wine
As UNIAN reported, Polyashenko previously stated that there is no such thing as “harmless or harmful wine,” or one that is beneficial. He also emphasized that spoiled wine should not be added to any dishes.

Meanwhile, longevity researcher Dan Buettner identified three drinks that are regularly found in the diets of residents of regions with high life expectancies. Plain water ranks first on this list, followed by coffee without sugar or cream, and red wine, traditionally consumed with meals in some regions renowned for their high numbers of long-lived individuals, particularly Sardinia.
It is noted that red wine contains compounds with positive health effects. However, this item on the list has been deemed the most controversial. Moreover, current medical recommendations point to serious risks associated with alcohol consumption.