Founder Spotlight
Friend of Spirited Away Laura Silverman shares her thoughts on Indian piña coladas, how good YOU look right now and predictions for non-alc in 2023 and beyond. Read on, then peep her curated collection on www.dryatlas.com!
- Who are you and what’s your involvement with non-alc?
My name is Laura Silverman and I’m a booze-free babe. I started two platforms devoted to non-alc back in late 2019: Zero Proof Nation, focused on the national/international non-alc scene and Booze Free in DC, a hyperlocal travel guide to the Washington, DC metro area from a booze-free lens.
Why do I care? I got sober at the tender age of 24 after grappling with a binge drinking problem. Now I’m all about non-alc beverages and the sober curious / mindful drinking movements driving their growth — and creating an all-encompassing resource hub that just didn’t exist before. My platforms hope to answer the questions, “What do I drink now that I’m not drinking (booze)?” and, “Where can I find NA bevs and communities to connect with?”
- How would you describe your current state of mind with regards to the adult NA bev industry?
I’m loving everything I’m seeing. This is what I wanted when I was first starting out! And it’s also overwhelming AF. So many choices, and so many brands, bottle shops, and bars (pop-up or otherwise) cropping up daily that it becomes overwhelming to keep track of. So if I had to describe my state of mind in emoji form, it’d totally be 
= 
- What’s the last adult NA drink you drank?
Heineken 0.0 in Liverpool, UK as a pub before hitting another for karaoke.
- What’s the best NA drink you had out recently and what made it memorable?
I had a gorgeous Indian take on a piña colada at Dishoom in London. There was fresh coconut (so much fresh coconut!), pineapple, chai syrup, lime, coriander, and the presentation was stunning. Not only that, but the colada had top billing in either the main menu (teetotal tipples) or on the special “V is for Virtue” non-alc menu. But the best part was the company I kept, with the one and only Jonny Stevens.
- What are you serving to someone who drinks booze but wants to try their first elevated, adult NA drink?
Hmm. I think that person will want to try things that don’t mimic booze in any way. So no non-alc tequilas or beers or wines. That person will want the Tenneysons and Pathfinders and Wildertons and All the Bitters of the world. Something completely new.
- What’s the most underrated NA brand or product? Overrated?
Underrated? I love Crisp & Crude and Jas so much as female-founded and tasty AF RTDs.
Overrated? It’s my job to play Switzerland over here. *whistles*
- What doesn’t exist yet that you wish did?
I’ve tried more non-alc beverages now than I ever tried with alcohol. I don’t think I could scheme something up but it’s one of those “I’ll know it when I taste it” kind of things. Founders and flavor houses and kitchen tinkerers: keep doing your thing!
- What do you want to say to the adult NA drinking community?
Your choice to not drink (tonight, tomorrow, this month, for 9 months, or your whole life) is valid. You deserve options. And you look damn good.
- What are your adult NA predictions for 2023 and beyond?
More functional and more hemp/cannabis-infused beverages. More ready to serve cocktails (not just RTDs but glamorous and healthy options like Tilden). Hopefully there’ll be continued innovation in beer and wine since I love those two categories, but I think we’ll be seeing even more liquids that aren’t trying to be their alcoholic analogs.
- Anything else you’d like to share?
Follow me on Instagram! @zeroproofnation / @boozefreinDC / @wearesober
And score some merch to support your local non-alc bottle shops and booze-free bars. Just use code DRYATLAS20 for 20% off any order over $40.
New on Dry Atlas
- Curious Elixirs No. 8, a limited edition berry amaro from the OG booze-free cocktail brand
- Tilden, a just-launched duo of elevated ready-to-drink cocktails
- RSRV Collective, a hot-off-the-presses selection of kenshō cocktails from the Tar Heel state
- Free AF, alcohol-free cocktails with a proprietary ingredient that mimics booze’s burn
- Recess Zero Proof cocktails, new craft mocktails with guayusa and adaptogens
- Cann, a trio of ready-to-drinks that seek to be the future of social drinking
- Estrella Galacia 0,0, the new non-alc brew from Spain’s beloved Estrella Galacia brewery
What new brands and products are we still missing? Send them to us on Instagram!
