Welcome back to the BevNET spirits newsletter. This week we’re talking with the operators of a non-alc space on what’s winning with guests and how brands can fill the gaps. 

What insiders are reading: How Mingle Mocktails won with Whole Foods, and the oat-based spritz has (finally?) arrived.

Thanks for reading.

-BevNET spirits editor, Ferron Salniker

Greenpoint, Brooklyn-based Soft Bar + Cafe – co-founded by Carl Radke, known for his role on Bravo's “Summer House” and canned cocktail brand Loverboy – opened its flagship last September, after a run of pop-ups. 

The space pairs a daytime coffee program with an evening menu of soft cocktails, built by beverage director Richie Millwater, formerly of Eleven Madison Park and Clemente Bar. 

We spoke with Audrey Grabowski, general manager, and Antonia Petaccio, director of concepting and programming about how they’re framing non-alc replacements, what's selling, and where the category still has room to grow. 

Familiarity drives the evening cocktail menu: "A lot of guests resonate with comparison,” which means an interpretation of a Negroni or an Aperol Spritz. 

But mood leads the pitch - bringing a hospitality approach versus a product approach. 

• Staff are trained to lead with the guest's mood rather than a flavor profile or cocktail desire. “When someone sits down, we ask how they're feeling, not what spirit they normally drink. Then we figure out how to enhance that mood with a functional ingredient."

There’s a demand for drinks that replicate the social, chatty vibes of alcohol, so the team has their eye on Kanna and additives like L-theanine as growing trends. 

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The time is right for founders of scaled RTD brands to consider exits with the emergence of a “classic seller’s market,” Arlington Capital Advisors managing director Townsend Ziebold declared earlier this month.

• There’s a supply-demand imbalance, with an abundance of strategic buyers that have a need for growth, and a shortage of independent RTDs of scale. But “there’s not going to be enough targets relative to buyers.”

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Columbia Distributing has completed its acquisition of certain wine and spirits distribution rights from Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) in Oregon and Washington, but spirit providers have been left out of the Oregon business. 

• The new business breaks down to roughly 500,000 cases of wine and 350,000 cases of spirits. Spirits volume is confined to Washington, given Oregon’s status as a control state. 

Get the full breakdown with Insider

Cristian Molina built Hugo’s Cocktails on the premise that his nearly two decades behind the bar is a better source for flavor research than any focus group – now he’ll test that theory as he scales into new markets. 

• Hugo’s Cocktails (a cheeky, less-trademarked spin on jugo, or juice in Spanish) combines the bartender’s sensibility of competitor TipTop with other RTD brands that reflect their founders’ cultural heritage. 

• But the commitment to using fresh fruit juices and its premium positioning creates a structural tension that Molina is still figuring out.

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Amass Brands Group (Afterdream, Good Twin) has joined the protein bandwagon and acquired sparkling protein water brand HpO, the latest in a series of moves aimed at growing its holdings in emerging NA and functional categories.

Read the full story with Insider access