With the festive season fast approaching, new research has revealed that 2022 could be our driest Christmas yet, with two fifths of people (40 percent) planning to cut back on the amount of alcohol they drink. This is a trend most prevalent amongst Gen Z, with a fifth (20 percent) planning to cut alcohol out entirely for their festive celebrations this year.
The research from SodaStream has revealed that looking after our health is a top priority for most of us this December, with 40 percent agreeing this is the reason for the slow flow of alcohol. Furthermore, 38 percent of people want to drink more mindfully this Christmas, whilst 33 percent are aware of the cost of drinks and want to be more careful with their pursestrings.
However, cutting back on alcohol doesn’t mean having to have a ‘flat’ Christmas, and to help make sure the season is as sparkling as ever, SodaStream has partnered with ‘The Cocktail Guy’ Rich Woods, to create a delicious ‘Fizz-tive Menu’ of tantalising low and no alcohol tantalising creations.
Rich Woods said, “Everyone should be able to enjoy a special drink this Christmas, whether it’s low alcohol or completely alcohol free. And when you have a SodaStream in your kitchen it’s so easy to create your very own exciting sparkling drinks, just the way you like them. I hope people enjoy my sparkling creations!”
Despite the best intentions to be healthier this year, these may get swept aside as over half (52 percent) of those who drink alcohol admitted plans to stick to soft drinks at a party might fail. It seems that a lack of exciting soft drink alternatives is a contributing factor, with the research revealing that ‘cocktail envy’ (38 per cent), a boring choice of soft drinks at a party (24 per cent), and not enough variety of mocktails available (21 percent) keep glasses full of wine and lager at Christmas.
Just over a quarter (26 percent) of people agree that there’s a ‘danger window’ – when they might get tempted to have an alcoholic drink at a party, and 43 percent admit they are easily persuaded to ‘have another’ alcoholic drink. In fact a fifth (19 percent) have deliberately ordered soft drinks that look alcoholic in the glass to try and mask it, and three in 10 people (30%) said that they’ve had someone ask them why they’re not drinking alcohol at a party.
Furthermore, nearly a fifth (17 percent) of people plan on attending, as well as hosting (17 per cent), more social occasions this Christmas season compared to previous years. And whilst, two fifths (39 percent) of people planning to host festive parties said that they would like to offer an exciting mocktail option for their guests, over half (51 percent) are not confident they’d know how.
A third (32 percent) are unsure how to make good mocktails, and nearly a fifth (17 percent) think it would be too difficult to provide a variety of drinks; resulting in ‘boring’ non alcoholic choices being served at parties, including tea and coffee (26 percent), fizzy drinks (26 percent) and orange juice (22 percent).
Commenting on the research, Tiago Alves, Managing Director UK & IE of SodaStream said, “The festive season is back in full swing and it’s great to see that many people will be socialising more this December. Whether you’re planning to cut back a little on alcohol, or would like to balance drinking with an exciting sparkling drink option, with SodaStream it’s easy to create a whole host of delicious drinks at the push of a button. There really is something for everyone. We challenge anyone who isn’t confident of their mocktail making skills to just give one of these recipes a try. You’ll have fun and impress your guests all at the same time.”
