Raising The Bar is a subscription box, delivering alcohol-free craft cocktail ingredients to make incredible zero-proof drinks at home! Perfect to gift to a loved one or to treat yourself. This company is all about normalizing the choice not to drink – whether it’s for a night or a lifetime!
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have probably seen headlines over the last year that continue to talk about the shift in the drinking culture, specifically around millennials and Gen Z. As a mother of a Gen Z-er (my son will be 26 in November), I’ve been watching it with my own eyes. My son and his friends rarely drink. And when they do, the weirdest thing ever happens. They leave the glasses half full and don’t finish them. Wait, WHAT?!?!? As a woman in long-term recovery, this concept still to this day baffles me.
Don’t believe me?
Check out this article from VICE “How Alcohol Lost It’s Cool” (Published September 2022)
Check out this article Has Everyone Stopped Drinking? | British Vogue (Published August 2022)
Check out this article from VOGUE Non Alcoholic Drinks and Spirits to Sip in 2022—For Dry January and Beyond | Vogue (Published January 2022)
Why aren’t Gen Z drinking? (From Gen Z’s Perspective) Medium (Published April 2022)
About Raising the Bar
On a mission to redefine happy hour, Raising the Bar, a zero-proof cocktail subscription box, started selling its monthly DIY kits in 2020. Early in the pandemic, as I watched alcohol sales skyrocket, I started noticing the swell in the alcohol-free spirits, wine, and beer categories. It felt like every time I logged onto Instagram, a new brand was launching. What I love about the Raising the Bar concept is that you can get the DIY kits shipped right to your home with everything included. It’s the perfect way to sample your way through several brands to find that perfect go-to booze-free drink. But don’t just take my word for it. Raising the Bar has been featured on the Today Show, ABC News, NBC, Buzzfeed, GQ, Thrillest, and more!
Raising the Bar Mission
- #REDEFININGHAPPYHOUR – Enjoy your celebratory rituals with alcohol-free options! No more FOMO – they help you make sophisticated, delicious and complex craft cocktails, that just happen to be booze-free.
- Inclusivity – Raising the Bar is for *anyone* who is interested in alcohol-free beverages, for whatever reason. Newly sober? Cutting back on pandemic vices? Pregnant? Taking a break? Whatever your reason for wanting to explore zero-proof cocktails, we are here to help you discover delicious and innovative alcohol-free options – and the joy and connection that can take place in the absence of alcohol.
- Zero-Proof Community – A passion for alcohol-free connection
Raising the Bar – How It Works
Raising the Bar offers several options to sample and gift that work with any budget.
Subscription options:
- Month-To-Month
- 3 Month
- 6 Month
- 12 Month
One-Time Boxes:
- Beer Sampler
- Blackberry Beret
- RTB Summer Party Pack
- Six-Pack Summer
- Strawberry Fields
- The Free Spirit
- The Golden Hour
They also offer gift card options, as well as corporate & group orders. As a business professional, I love the idea of gifting zero-proof cocktail kits instead of the traditional bottle of wine or booze. We can’t assume that everyone drinks and corporate America needs to pay attention and catch up. Inclusive gifting options like Raising the Bar are available, and it’s about damn time. Especially since we now know that approximately one-third of the US population doesn’t consume alcohol. *According to a study conducted by the CDC
Raising the Bar also offers an incredible blog to keep you up to date on some of the best brands in the zero-proof industry. You can check that out here.
HAPPY EVERY HOUR: We know we mix a mean mocktail. HAPPY EVERY HOUR will keep you up to date on the latest and greatest trends in the world of mocktails and zero-proof beverages.
TRIGGER WARNING: People in early sobriety may want to proceed with caution. Always read labels. Please hydrate responsibly … because drunk never looks good.
NA BEERS & 90s: Sober Curator Justin Lamb is dedicated to tasting great (and sometimes not so great) NA beers and showcasing his amazing collection of memorabilia from the ’90s.
Resources Are Available
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.