New sober bars stir up Metro Vancouver, Kelowna social scenes

Barsthat offer only alcohol-freeoptions have opened in Kelowna and Metro Vancouver, as they hopeto stir up the province's drinks scene with a dry twist.

Bevees in Port Coquitlam and Sobar in Kelownabelieve they are the first "sober bars" in British Columbia, with both promisingasophisticated,inclusive bar atmospherewithout the expectation or, indeed, option to drink alcohol.

"They're [for] the people who want to enjoy Sunday morning as much as Saturday night," said Hanna Spinelli, co-owner of Sobar, which opened in downtown Kelowna on Friday.

It joins a list of sober bars that have popped up around the world, including inToronto, as demand for non-alcoholic beers, wines, spirits and pre-mixed cocktails skyrockets.

Some experts say the growing trend is happening largely due toshifting attitudesamongyounger generations, particularly as more evidence of the health impacts of drinking emerges.

Adam Sherk, a scientist with the Canadian Institute of Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria, says it's great to see sober bars offer more options for people choosing not to drink.

"It does seem that we're kind of ata tipping point ...where enough people areeither questioning theiror, maybemore specifically, society'srelationship with alcohol," Sherk told CBC News.

"Hopefully [sober bars will]be done in a really good way that's popular andthe idea can spread."

WATCH | Inside Bevees, Port Coquitlam's new alcohol-free bar:

Metro Vancouver's first booze-free bar makes socializing inclusive, says owner

9 months ago

Duration 3:17

Racquel Foran, co-owner of Bevees in Port Coquitlam, says sober bars offer a fun going-out experience for people of all ages who don't want to drink, including those who avoid alcohol for cultural or religious reasons.

Many bars and restaurants have begun offering dry versions of traditional alcoholic drinks, while some producers, including craft breweries in B.C., have started diversifying with craft sodas and low-alcohol kombucha.

Racquel Foran, who opened Bevees with her husband, says it's great to see low- and zero-alcohol drinks become more popularbut adds that booze-free spaces are important, too.

She says Bevees is meant to be a no-pressure zone for people who don't drink due to religious or cultural reasons, because they are in recovery, or because they choosenot to drink alcohol due to health or personal issues.

"Bars are not inclusive," she told CBC's Gloria Macarenko, host of On The Coast, on Tuesday. "We wanted to create a space that was really welcoming and open for everybody."

In that regard, Spinelli says the timing of Sobar's opening is opportune.

"There's a lot of Christmas parties and expectations around alcohol and it gives people an opportunity to find somewhere to go where they can still be social, invite their friends, and it be a place to come without the repercussions that come with alcohol," Spinelli told CBC's Daybreak South on Wednesday.

Innovations in alcohol-freeoptions

Alex Viol, Spinelli'spartner at Sobar, says their new venture is possible because technological advancements have improved the taste of alcohol-free beers, wines and specialty drinks in recent years.

Long gone are the days of non-drinkers being offered simple sodas or juices at bars, he said.

"The kinds of products we've been showcasing are truly products that are crafted with intention for this purpose," Viol toldDaybreak South.

At Bevees, cocktail ingredients include hibiscus and rose-flavoured soda imported from the United Kingdom, spicy pineapple liqueur and grapefruit- and raspberry-infused non-alcoholic gin, with much of it available for purchase in the bar's retail space.

Bevees customers are "just so excited to have these options and they're really excited we've offered them a space to come and order a cocktail," Foran said.

Foran, Spinelli and Viol all say the response to their openings has been "overwhelmingly positive."

"It's a feeling people have been looking for," said Spinelli.