Toronto Mocktail Competition

I must be honest…. I get kid in a candy store excited about mocktails! I’m at the point that I research restaurant menus prior to going to the venue to ensure they have something I will enjoy. Of course, there are times I land in a restaurant with family or friends and there are no mocktail options. When this happens, I am ‘that customer’ that will say something (kindly of course) to the effect it would be really nice if you had a mocktail alternative for your alcohol-free clientele. I get it… they have ‘pop’ but honestly giving me a ‘pop’ is like telling me to sit at the kid’s table. Inclusiveness is important. Everyone needs to feel like they are important and valued. Gluten-free/vegan/peanut-free options exist… why not a mocktail? Business functions are the worst for the no mocktail alternative. The ultimate goal of business functions is to network. Vanessa Van Edwards shares her research in CUES proving that the ideal time to approach someone at a networking function is right after they leave the bar area. There is something about having that glass in hand that provides comfort. The non-drinker has the exact same experience. I recently held a function at BEVEES in Coquitlam, British Columbia which is my all-time favorite place to be in the Vancouver lower mainland https://www.bevees.ca/. At this function, one of my very dear friends who struggles with social anxiety came to support my event. He had never engaged in the mocktail world and had an alcohol-free martini. All social anxiety melted away! He was the most social he had been in years!

This brings me to the Toronto mocktail competition. When scrolling through my alcohol-free friendly feed on Instagram in December of 2023 I came across Toronto’s first mocktail competition hosted by Sobar Social Club https://www.instagram.com/sobarsocialclubtoronto/.

The first thought that ran through my head was what an amazing idea I wish I could go but I live in Vancouver. My second thought was I should tell my East Coast alcohol-free friends about this, and they should go! After I convinced my small handful of East Coast friends to attend, I checked flight prices with Flair Airlines and they had an unthinkable price on a roundtrip ticket from Abbotsford -Toronto so I bought a ticket! I had enough points to stay at the Marriott downtown for free due to my Bonvoy membership… everything was aligning. I did experience some fear that I was too old to be doing this… BUT that is something incredibly beautiful about the alcohol-free community. Age does not matter. It sounds strange but people that don’t drink just seem to organically connect with one another with the sole commonality of being alcohol-free.

The Mocktail Competition took place at El Mocambo. A famous bar from 1948…. With incredible history that recently had an overhaul renovation in 2020. It was perfect! 6 bartenders competed using the same spirit-free base products provided by Ceder’s. The smoking, torching, shaking, frothing and salting of these drinks was unbelievable! The lines were long but live music was playing and connections with fellow non-drinking new friends were made. It was perfect. I quit drinking 6 years ago and this has easily been the event that I have felt the most alive at.

With my trip being only 48 hours in duration I saw as much as I could of Toronto the next day! What an incredible city. Toronto has a vibe that I have never experienced in Canada before. Our stop at Sobr Market https://www.thesobrmarket.com/ was a treat! They have a try-before-you-buy system and we got to sample various alcohol-free spirits that I never would have thought of trying!

If the Sobar Social Club plans on making the mocktail competition and annual event HOOKED will host a 3-day trip to Toronto so our alcohol-free travelers can experience this outstanding Canadian city with the highlight evening being the competition of course!

Vanessa Van Edwards – CUES – https://www.scienceofpeople.com/cues/