The non-alcoholic (N/A) beverage category’s rapid rise is indicative of a larger shift in consumer attitudes around beverages and their ingredient lists. Here are three examples:
- The Alcohol Exodus: The perception of alcohol has fundamentally changed. A staggering 53% of Americans now believe that even moderate drinking is bad for one’s health, according to Gallup News Poll.
- The Sugar and Artificial Sweetener Retreat: A remarkable 75% of U.S. consumers are actively trying to limit or avoid sugar in their diets, according to the International Food Information Council.
- Honey’s Emergence as the Preferred Sweetener: Americans say they are more likely to consume foods and beverages with honey over any other sweetener, according to the International Food Information Council.
Based on the data, it’s evident that many consumers are flocking to N/A beverages in an effort to live a healthier lifestyle. It’s the same lifestyle switch that has seen honey’s popularity and usage explode in the last couple of years.
Blind Tiger, the highly-decorated N/A beverage maker, has capitalized on this switch with its Bee’s Knees canned N/A cocktail. The Best of Class Finalist at the 2024 World Spirits Competition uses orange blossom honey with lemon juice concentrate and juniper berry extract to provide the flavor foundation in this classic cocktail, without the alcohol.
However, it’s not just honey’s health halo that makes it the perfect sweetener for N/A beverages. Honey is a functional powerhouse that delivers natural sweetness, complex flavors and an improved mouthfeel.
Natural Alignment on Sweetness
Honey is a core ingredient in countless cocktails, from the classic Bee’s Knees and Gold Rush to the modern classic Penicillin and Honey Deuce. This beloved sweetness comes with an added benefit in N/A beverages: it’s backed by Mother Nature herself. This gives non-alcoholic beverages the sweetness consumers crave from a source they trust.
Plus, at a time when consumers are turning toward products that carry meaning and origin stories, honey offers emotional and sensory value that few other sweeteners can match. Honey’s connection to bees and pollination dovetails with the sustainability and authenticity narratives that are now foundational to many N/A beverage brands.
Marketing benefits aside, honey’s sweetness also adds depth due to the ingredient’s unique composition of 20 different carbohydrates, including fructose, glucose, maltose and turanose. Combined, these carbohydrates give honey a layered sweetness that hits the palate in stages and rounds out a drink without overwhelming it with one note sweetness.
Flavor Complexity
One of the biggest challenges in developing sophisticated non-alcoholic beverages is replicating the complex flavor experience that alcohol naturally provides. When you remove it from the equation, drinks often feel flat or one-note.
This is where honey steps up and adds the needed flavor complexity in N/A beverages.
Honey’s natural acids, including gluconic acid, add a brightness to beverages and help elevate the flavor notes in a variety of botanicals. These acids help lift citrus and distinguish herbal flavors. Honey also delivers aromatic compounds that act as a built-in botanical layer.
These benefits come from one ingredient, allowing beverage formulators to streamline their ingredient decks with a clean label sensory powerhouse.
Improved Mouthfeel
In cocktails, alcohol adds the necessary weight and staying power that amplifies the drinking experience. When the alcohol is removed and the liquid canned, you create a pretty hefty formulation challenge. Thin drinks are a pain point many N/A product developers face.
Honey helps alleviate this challenge by naturally enhancing mouthfeel and adding body to N/A beverages. Its unique blend of sugars, acids and minerals boosts viscosity and adds a perceived body that makes an N/A beverage feel more complete.
The Time to Innovate with Honey is Now
The N/A beverage market is projected to continue its robust growth in 2026 and beyond. Consumers are making mindful, health-driven choices to avoid alcohol and reduce sugar. By integrating honey into N/A beverage formulations, N/A producers are delivering what their consumers want:
- Natural sweetness from a trusted source
- Complex, sophisticated flavors
- An improved mouthfeel
- A powerful health halo that resonates with mindful consumers
Transform your N/A lineup with honey, an ingredient that delivers sweetness, complex flavor, body and authenticity in every sip. Start a new formulation today by emailing keith@honey.com and learning more about the flavor and functional benefits of honey.