A new year will soon be upon us, and as people embark on their tradition of slowing down their alcohol consumption post-holidays, I always get asked, “What is new and fun in the NA world these days?”
To help guide you through the world of spirit-free tipples, I thought I would share what is trending and exciting in the world of teetotaling.
Matcha, matcha, matcha
In 2025, the world went matcha-crazy. At Starbucks, which reported a 40 percent year-over-year increase in matcha sales for the first quarter of 2025, its top two viral drinks of the year were its Dubai Chocolate matcha and its Strawberry Matcha.
From big coffee chains to small mom-and-pop shops, matcha is king. This is in part due to the world seeking brighter, more interesting options for caffeine. Gen Z is seeking out iced caffeine options and responding to drinks that are bright in color and bold in flavor, all things matcha does very well.
But not all is well in the matcha world: Growers and wholesale producers of matcha, a traditional Japanese tea grown in the shade and made into a powder with care, cannot keep up with demand. Pretenders to the matcha process—so protected in Japan—now offer lesser options, like powdered green tea and flavored varieties, to keep up with demand.
There is another option, however, that some (like me) argue is a tea with a more interesting flavor, which is much more available these days. Hojicha, which is made from roasting mature leaves as well as stems and twigs from later harvests of the camellia sinensis plant (where matcha comes from), has the potential to take the world by storm. Rich, roasty flavors make it perfect for lattes, and it pairs well with flavors like hazelnut and vanilla.
The dirtiest trend
I write drink recipes for a living, and for the past year, I have received more requests for dirty sodas than for any other beverage category. Originally made as a fun beverage hack for Mormons looking for something interesting to drink, the dirty soda has spread beyond Utah.
A traditional recipe for a dirty soda is soda, syrup and non-dairy creamer, but the drink has grown beyond that into a world of flavor. The popularity of the show Secret Lives of Mormon Wives features messy drama for the world to slurp up—and a dirty soda is in each of their dramatic hands.
The largest dirty-soda outlet is a chain called Swig, which has made it to Las Vegas, but not Northern Nevada—at least not yet: Swig now has more than 120 locations, with more coming, growing by 54% just in 2025. However, Sonic, Carl’s Jr., Jack in the Box and many others have joined the pack, selling these creamy sodas. The marriage of sparkling beverages with bold flavors and creamy texture is a match made in heaven, and people are thirsty for it. The menu at Swig reads like a person high on sugar closed their eyes and threw a dart at flavors, with combinations like Coke Zero, peach puree, pineapple, lime and coconut cream—all in one drink; the flavors can be mind-blowing. While this trend may be keeping dentists up at night, it is not going anywhere.
Ready to drink
When the non-alcoholic cocktail movement took off in earnest, we saw a lot of one-to-one spirit alternatives—products that did everything in their power to be the flavor equivalent of whiskey, gin or tequila, without the booze. However, many people looking for spirit-free cocktails aren’t exactly looking for drinks that taste like what they are trying to avoid. These days, there is a world of ready-to-drink canned options that offer the interesting, complex flavors of a cocktail without pretending to be one.
Beverage industry darling The Pathfinder, a non-alcoholic amaro, has released a series of canned drinks, the newest being its Espresso Tonic can, which might be its most interesting and delicious offering yet. They partnered with Seattle coffee shop Caffe Vita to offer a blend of quality coffee, bitter tonic and wild herbaceous Pathfinder, which is great out of the can or on the rocks. This canned cocktail will be available Jan. 1 at Whole Foods, and at local retailers like Craft Wine and Beer later in the month.
Other great complex canned sippers are the many wild flavors from Casmara Club, which take the idea of a spritz and turn it up to 11. My love for Casmara Club’s many options is overflowing, as each is a bitter, refreshing, lightly salty reminder that there are people in the world who are much better at making drinks than I am. My favorite of theirs is their Super Classico, which prompts the question: What if a Negroni and a Coke had a baby, and it was handsome and delicious? Made from classic Italian bittering herbs and citrus, bourbon-grade Madagascar vanilla and minimally processed demerara cane sugar, Super Classico tastes as stylish as it feels to drink it.