(gentle music) - Thank you to every single one of you for helping save my life.

I did not look like a typical alcoholic, and so a lot of my behavior was forgiven.

I realize that those really terrible moments of our lives don't have to be horrible.

For all the people whose lives you're gonna touch just by being here and being sober, congratulations.

That is a huge, huge accomplishment.

- I have read countless headlines that Americans are drinking less, that sales of non-alcoholic wines, beers, and spirits are way up, and this room is living proof, or rather zero proof, that not drinking is the new drinking.

At Sober in Seattle events, all are welcome, whether you're in recovery or just sober curious.

I'm Rachel Belle, host of Your Last Meal podcast, longtime Seattle journalist, and food writer.

Here on The Nosh we explore some of the region's most delicious stories.

Today, NA is here to stay.

(upbeat music) Cheeky and Dry is Seattle's first non-alcoholic bottle shop, and owners Kirstin and Yura Vracko say some folks drive for hours to browse their ever-expanding shelves.

Some of the spirits are meant to impersonate gin or Mezcal, but many are creating brand-new flavor profiles using ingredients like wormwood, rhubarb root, and lemon balm to hit those bitter and astringent notes.

So tell me your story.

Why did you open Cheeky and Dry?

What is your origin story?

- So Yura, bravest man ever, went to rehab last May, and I saw him blossoming in becoming the man that I fell in love with in the beginning.

And so I wasn't drinking, because first, I wanted to be supportive.

And second, it felt a lot better, at least for me.

- Yeah.

- But I still missed the ritual.

I still missed having it.

So I have a friend who opened a bottle shop in Virginia, a non-alcoholic bottle shop a couple years ago.

And so I called her just to find out what the good stuff was.

The longer we talked, the more I thought, boy Seattle really needs this.

And then I thought boy, I could do this.

- What did it mean to you that your wife changed her whole career and both of your lifestyles to kind of have this new life?

- Gosh, it's beautiful.

I think that life has sort of gave us an opportunity.

Being an alcoholic myself, there's a language that only works with certain people.

And so, you know, I still go to meetings a lot outside of here, but often being in here is like being in a meeting, just talking the language and understanding and supporting is so, so cool.

- So you opened because of circumstances that happened in your life, but it kind of just happened to coincide with non-alcoholic drinking becoming very popular.

So good timing.

- Yeah, fortunate.

- Why do you think that is?

Why do you think this movement is happening right now?

- Well, I think that Covid was very hard on a lot of people.

We all kind of hibernated and whatever we could do to make ourselves feel better during the time was something that we did.

So alcohol, I think, played a big part in that.

Now that we're kind of on the other side of it, I think people are reevaluating.

They're also being more mindful.

I used to have a glass of wine every single night and it was ritual.

It wasn't that I needed it.

It was more about, I like my ritual, but it's really about just being more mindful.

There's lots of other things that you can have that aren't gonna affect your health or your sleep or all sorts of other things.

- Okay, so what are we gonna make today?

- So we are making the April cocktail of the month.

Cheeky and Dry has a cocktail every month that we feature, and we feature products from the store.

So today I'm starting with all the bitter orange bitters.

- Okay.

- And we're gonna put three drops in each glass.

Then we're doing two ounces of our non-alcoholic gin from Monday.

And then I'm gonna take Mockly, which is this fabulous company out of New Orleans.

They do big punch you in the face kind of flavors.

This is a ready to drink cocktail or RTD.

That's what we call it in the business.

- Yeah, there's so many new terms I think that you need to learn.

- Yeah, exactly.

- So we're putting a cocktail into our cocktail.

- Yes, exactly.

So we're just gonna pour that on top.

(gentle music) - Let's have a drink.

- Let's try it.

- Alright.

I have to sniff it first 'cause I'm a human dog.

Cheers.

- Cheers.

- Cheers.

- Cheers.

You've got the basil flavor and it's not too sweet.

- There's like a peach kind of apricot peach.

That's really good.

I might have a little bit more.

That is so good.

What do you call these kinds of drinks?

'Cause I know a lot of people, they don't like the term mocktail.

- I don't either.

- Yeah.

- Mocktail does not work for me.

Mocktail to me is a cocktail that somebody has taken the alcohol out of and not replaced it with anything.

- Okay.

- So they're super sweet, they're super sugary.

It's not something that I am excited about.

So these are non-alcoholic cocktails.

- Okay.

- And they're just as complicated and interesting as the other ones.

- Non-alcoholic drinks have come a long way from the ones I tried a few years ago, especially the beers.

We tried a zero proof Guinness that tasted exactly like the real thing.

I'm excited about this.

Kirstin and Yura say the NA movement is a cultural shift, not a trend.

And reports show gen Z and millennials are leading the charge, prioritizing healthier lifestyles and moderation.

Across town at a Pioneer Square gallery, I met up with Alix Hays for one of her Sober in Seattle events.

So what is the event tonight?

- So the event tonight is actually a mocktail mixer where we're going to be discussing some of our past and how to embrace it and move forward in the future.

When I first got sober, I noticed that while there were a lot of meetings, there was nothing for anyone to do.

- Yeah.

- And I actually got on Instagram and just started reaching out to people in the area asking are you sober?

Would you be interested in maybe doing an event.

And slowly we just started building as more people became interested.

I felt like this journey was gonna be very lonesome and the sheer amount of people who are willing to help me out with no questions asked was so astronomical.

I mean, I still get shivers to this day thinking about it.

- So there's a lot of people who, you know, didn't go to rehab, don't have, haven't chosen to be sober, but they're drinking less or they don't wanna drink sometimes.

Do you get those people as well?

Like what is the crowd like?

- Absolutely.

We have 50/50 I would say.

We have a lot of people in recovery and we have a lot of people who are just sober curious, who are just looking for things like tonight where they can go enjoy a few mocktails and some art and then go home without having to worry about a hangover the next day.

I always have a saying, which is, it doesn't matter how you reach the destination, if you took the bus or a bicycle, we're all here, and we should be celebrating that.

- So I know there's some people that they don't wanna be reminded of alcohol.

And then there's some people that it's like they're trying to kind of get that flavor without it.

What do you like?

- So I actually like a mix of things.

I really love the bitters, which I have over there.

I love joyous wines.

- Yeah.

- Those are my go-tos.

- That's the one everyone's talking about.

- Yes.

- It must be, I need to try.

- Yes, absolutely.

(gentle music) (chatter) - Cheers.

- Alright.

(gentle music) Ooh, I love that.

It's kind of got a sweet taste to it.

- That is good.

It is, these have gotten way better.

Sober in Seattle organizes all kinds of events, from hikes to dance parties.

And sober city movement has expanded to 100 cities in the US, Canada, and UK.

As for me, I found a zero proof hazy IPA that's gonna get a lot of mileage this summer.

(gentle music)