Dry January may have come to an end but non-alcoholic drinks remain big business across the calendar. In episode 251 of The Drinking Hour, host David Kermode speaks to Calixte Payan about the success of Sober Spirits, winner of the IWSC’s Low & No Cocktails & Spirits Producer Trophy in 2025.
The duo discusses the methods behind the creation of Sober Spirits’ products and how the brand’s approach allows the liquids to meet demand for sophisticated non-alcoholic options. With its home in Grasse, France, Payan explains how Sober Spirits harnesses local expertise in perfume to make its products, and how his experiences and experiments led to international recognition.
The conversation then turns to the use of non-alcoholic spirits in cocktails, culinary creations and modern ways of drinking. Payan also explains Sober Spirits’ ‘circular’ approach to de-alcoholisation and why the prices of premium non-alcoholic drinks can be justified compared with their conventional counterparts.
Discover more episodes of The Drinking Hour with David Kermode here.
