Drinking Around the Globe: New Alcohol and Travel Trends for 2020

Dry January might only last a month, but with new partnerships and premium products ready to take new markets by storm, non-alcoholic and alcoholic drink and travel trends are ready to roll out throughout 2020. From on- and off-menu specials around the globe to maintaining quality wine options at 35,000 feet, these are the drink trends to travel for and to keep you moving this year.

“Sober Curious” and Hilton

A term coined by Ruby Warrington in her new book, Sober Curious, more people are experimenting with sobriety for many different reasons. While we all know Millennials are drinking far less than other generations in the past, they’re still drinking and traveling. As the trend to take a break from alcohol continues well beyond “Dry January” and into the rest of 2020, Hilton Hotels and Resorts have partnered with mixologist Elliott Clark to provide a remedy for proofs of drink. While a menu of mocktails is available at the hotel’s bars around the world, an exclusive off-menu cocktail list is also available this year. From Palomas and Tiki drinks to Bourbon and Cognac, ask your Hilton bartender for the off-menu drink list for more booze throughout the year-and zero-proof drink trends.

Archer Roose and JetBlue

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Another recent partnership to keep an eye on is that between Archer Roose and JetBlue. The Boston-based wine collective announced on Jan. 7 that their eco-friendly canned wines will slowly make their appearance on all JetBlue flights. The crisp Chilean Sauvignon Blanc from the Casablanca Valley is currently being served, but a Provence rosé will make its debut in the late spring. Keep up as the partnership develops throughout the year and more wines from the world’s most beloved wine regions appear on board.

Napa Valley and Hard Seltzer

If, by some miracle, you happened to miss out on the White Claw fad that was summer 2019, then you likely also missed out on how thoroughly hard seltzer blasted onto the scene, even outselling Budweiser. While White Claw is a gluten-free hard seltzer made with cane sugar and malted grains, there’s another premium player poised for the same market-and it’s even worth visiting its region of production too.

While Napa Valley is best-known for its wines, Ficks is the new reason to visit. They started making hard seltzer four years ago with all-natural fruit juice from fruit farms all along the west coast. There’s no added sugar, and the real-fruit hard seltzer is as crisp and refreshing as a glass of club soda with berries or citrus tossed in. Though the company started out making cocktail mixers with a healthy bent, their latest creation is easily a hit. Whether you’re sitting next to the pool or need some help relaxing after a busy day, crack open a can of Ficks for a truly adult LaCroix-like experience. With just above five percent alcohol, this low-sugar, gluten-free option is the perfect way to unwind, lightly.

Molly Harris is a freelance journalist. You can often find her on the highway somewhere between Florida and North Carolina or taking life slow in Europe.