The alcohol-free industry just got a school.
The first assignment is a tasting.
Chris Marshall, who opened Sans Bar in Austin in 2017, and Keith Hitchcock of Port Townsend, Washington, launched Sans Bar Institute this week. It’s the next chapter of Sans Bar Academy, which has taught more than 150 people across eight countries how to open alcohol-free businesses since 2020.
The new ambition is bigger: research, benchmarks and professional standards for the entire category.
A Growing Industry Is Not the Same as a Grown-Up One
“There’s an important distinction between an industry that’s growing and one that’s maturing,” Marshall said.
He’s right, and it’s overdue.
I got sober in 2006. For most of the twenty years since, the non-alcoholic menu was whatever came out of the soda gun. Now there are NA agave spirits distilled in Oaxaca and enough bottle shops to need benchmarks.
Somebody should be writing down what works. I’d rather it be the guy who has run an alcohol-free bar for nine years.
Four Makers, Four Tuesdays, and the Drinks Come to You
Taste Lab is the Institute’s first offering: a four-week virtual series on Zoom, Tuesdays at 11 a.m. Pacific, Oct. 20 through Nov. 10. Each hour pairs a guided tasting with the person behind the bottle.
- Oct. 20: All The Bitter with founder Ian Blessing (alcohol-free bitters)
- Oct. 27: Tomonotomo with founder Amanda Chen (NA distilled agave spirit from Oaxaca)
- Nov. 3: Go Brewing with Matt Steinke (NA craft beer)
- Nov. 10: Kava Coco with founder Erik Van Walden (a kava-based functional drink)
The series runs $165, drinks included: six bottles of bitters, a full bottle of Tomonotomo, a Go Brewing six-pack and a can of Kava Coco. Tastings ship to U.S. residents only.
It’s built for hospitality and retail pros, but NA beverage enthusiasts are on the invite list too.
Translation: us.
One catch. Enrollment closes Oct. 10.
That’s Saturday.
👉Grab a Taste Lab pass at Sans Bar Institute before the deadline.
Sources:
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