The Cocktail Trend Pinterest Thinks Will Dominate In 2023

There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who regularly order the same food or drink and those who are perpetually looking for interesting new things. Now, don't get us wrong — there's no judgement implied. While some people take pleasure in seeking out unusual ingredients and in sampling new food and trendy cocktails, other folks prefer to stick with what works. The Atlantic points out that there can be very good reasons for eating the same thing day after day: Some people have serious food sensitivities or allergies that make a predictably safe choice much more appealing and others find the repetition of foods to be a quiet, calm space in a busy, frantic day.

Whether you're a trend-watcher or you're blissfully following your own path, there's no denying that it can be fun to predict what's on the horizon for the coming year while also looking back on previous years' predictions to see just how accurate they were. One of the social media platforms that reliably plays the prediction game is Pinterest, and since, for the last three years, eight out of 10 of their predictions have been right on the money, they have a track record that makes them worth paying attention to.

The 2023 trend to watch, according to Pinterest, is the alcohol-free cocktail. And Pinterest isn't the only platform to make the no-booze call; Yelp forecasts a lower ABV (alcohol by volume) in 2023 as well. In fact, the trend is already underway with Instacart recently seeing double-digit growth for non-alcoholic beer and wine, as well as a massive triple-digit increase (203%) in sales of non-alcoholic spirits.

There's plenty of speculation about why non-alcoholic cocktails are so popular and who's drinking them. Pinterest explains that Gen X is driving the trend, while Megan Klein, founder of Little Saints mocktails, told Marketplace the interest in non-alcoholic cocktails comes more from younger generations. "I've heard a Gen Z describe drinking as Boomer technology," she said. 

Pinterest's perspective on the "why" of it is pretty inclusive. They explain, in their 2023 prediction, "Enough with the drinking judgment: Sometimes people want to drink, sometimes they don't, sometimes they only want to drink a little — it's not that complicated." 

Whatever the reason, there's never been a better time to sip a non-alcoholic cocktail without sacrificing flavor.