Dry January: What Portsmouth area pubs and bars are doing to entice in drinkers who have taken the pledge this month

And as the festive period comes to an end many of us are thinking about how to shed some of those pounds we’ve put on, and also how to reduce the pounds on our credit card bills.

Every January, thousands of people make resolutions to better themselves, and one of the most common ones is to take part in Dry January which see people ditching the margaritas for mocktails.

While this may be great for your health and wellbeing, it is not so good for the hospitality industry, which has been hit hard over the past couple of years. Portsmouth thrives on its vibrant nightlife and array of bars, restaurants and pubs, which have had to learn how to make the most of this period.

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Chris Vaux, owner of Southsea Village in Palmerston Road, says: ‘I think it's just an activity for people to do as part of a resolution. It's a good focus of people going into the new year about well-being. A bit of self-care.

‘There is kind of a ramification for people in this industry whereby what we sell is affected by it but you’ve got to try and make allowances for it really.

‘Being in the hospitality trade, you’ve got to learn to be adaptable.’

The bar serves a range of non-alcoholic drinks including zero per cent larger on draught, alcohol-free ciders, a variety of mocktails and freshly brewed coffee.

Chris, 42, has noticed these drinks becoming more popular as part of a general trend of people becoming more conscious about their alcohol consumption.

Not only has the pub got on board with Dry January, but they are also trying to support as many people as possible as the cost of living crisis continues.

Chris adds: ‘For a lot of people who just want substitutes, they can come around and enjoy a tea or a coffee in a nice pub. We’ve got a lovely fire in the pub, a nice warming effect.

‘We’ll be launching our Monday evening events called Glow which are going to be supporting Dementia UK. We’re going to have the whole pub just lit by candles and firelight, apart from the bar of course. People can come and play board games, come for a date night. We’ll encourage people to make some donations for Dementia UK because we’re supporting our local people. It’s something a bit different while also saving on our utility bills.

‘People have got a lot more conscious about their alcohol consumption in general I think, and obviously you’ve got people who when they go out are designated drivers.

‘We're not that necessarily really high energy [or a place] people come to get really drunk. People come to enjoy their food, nice relaxed surroundings or come to enjoy family time.

‘In general what we buy from our suppliers in terms of alcohol-free, we’re definitely ticking through a lot more than we have in previous years.’

Some of the most common mocktails include a virgin margarita, a virgin mojito, a Shirley Temple, strawberry daiquiri, cosmopolitan and a mimosa.

The non-alcoholic drinks market has taken off in the last few years and according to the Bacardi Cocktail Trends Report in collaboration with The Future Laboratory in 2022, 58 percent of consumers were moving towards alcohol-free beverages.

At The Vaults on Albert Road, Southsea, general manager, James Wilson, 28, says: ‘We don’t necessarily have a massive negative impact. We have quite a good range of non-alcoholic or low-alcohol beers and things like that.

‘Largely , I think dry January can be a positive thing.

‘We've got Brooklyn Lager’s Special Effects, Brewdog and Nanny State and we’ve got a couple from Big Drop Brewery like a stout and an IPA. We also have Lucky Saint which is probably our most popular non-alcoholic lager and we’re planning to put it on draught.

‘For the first time ever, The Vaults has chosen a mocktail as our “cocktail of the month”, promoted alongside an alcoholic option. A variation of classic cocktail The Bramble, which traditionally includes dry gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup and crème de mûre will be made with Sipsmith’s Freeglider non-alcoholic spirit.

‘I’ve been in the industry for about 10 years and I would say in the last four or five years I’ve noticed significant demand for non-alcoholic alternatives. I’ve seen that more and more throughout the duration of the year as well.

‘Even in December we had a lot of alcohol-free beer purchases as opposed to previous years. More people are deciding to either not drink as much alcohol over the party season or they are designated drivers.

‘Having a better range means that we are able to upsell from a lemonade to a non-alcoholic lager and make sure people still get the desired experience.’

Vito Lounge in West Street, Fareham is not specifically taking part in dry January, but assistant manager Will Jacomb says: ‘It’s a good little detox, I suppose, since everyone goes a little mad over the Christmas festive period don’t they? People who usually do that get involved in Dry January so they can relax a bit.’

The Square Cow Coffee Bar and Bistro, is taking a longer-term approach to changes in drinking habits. The Wickham venue is in the process of transforming into a hybrid business that is a cafe by day and a bar by night, offering food and drink.

They are launching this change today, which will not only support Dry January, but hope this will also help their trading during quieter periods.

Landlord Frank Dixie, says: ‘I guess I’m the same as every other landlord. We totally understand that people are doing it and fully support them. However, for our industry it can be crippling.

‘Therefore, the way that we’re compensating for it is to focus as much as we can on other sides of the industry.

‘It’s really keeping up with the market and the market is dictating for us to go down the non-alcoholic route, which is ironic.’

They have a range of non-alcoholic drinks which will include a variety of gins, wines and beers. They also have mocktails on offer for people that are looking to go out and have an evening out without suffering from the hangover the next day.