You’ve probably seen it happen at your favorite bar and not even realized it. A group of friends orders a round: someone gets a craft IPA, someone else asks for a zero-proof cocktail, and they clink glasses like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Then an hour later, they do it again. Same table, same energy, just different liquids in the glass.
Welcome to zebra striping: the practice of alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks during a single night out. And if you’re running a venue or just trying to keep your finger on the pulse of where nightlife is headed, this one’s worth paying attention to.
What Is Zebra Striping, Really?
The term started popping up in UK hospitality circles around 2024 and has since spread globally. According to research from KAM Insight and Lucky Saint, about 25-28% of UK pub-goers now alternate between alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks on a typical visit. Among 18-24 year olds, the number jumps to 35% who do this “most” or “all of the time.” And when you include people who mix alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks without strict alternation, that figure rises to two-thirds of all UK adults.
The old binary of “drinker vs. non-drinker” is collapsing. In its place is a fluid approach where the same person might have a mezcal negroni at 7pm, switch to a hibiscus spritz at 9pm, and circle back to a low-ABV beer by midnight. The goal isn’t sobriety. It’s longevity: staying sharp, skipping the hangover, and actually remembering the conversation.
The Numbers Behind the Shift
This isn’t just anecdotal. The data is striking:
Gallup’s 2025 Consumption Habits survey found that only 54% of American adults now say they drink alcohol, a record low in nearly 90 years of tracking. That’s down from 62% just two years prior. Among young adults aged 18-34, only 50% report drinking, and a full 66% of that age group believes even moderate drinking is harmful to health.
Meanwhile, the no-alcohol category keeps growing. IWSR reports that no-alcohol beer volumes jumped 23% in 2024 alone, up 175% since 2019. The broader no-alcohol market is expected to grow at a 7% volume CAGR through 2028, adding over $4 billion in incremental value across key markets.
And here’s an interesting twist: it’s not Gen Z driving most of this growth. According to IWSR data, millennials account for 61% of non-alcoholic beer consumers in the US (up from 45% just a year prior), along with 66% of NA spirits drinkers and 59% of NA wine consumers. They’re also the most frequent participants in month-long breaks like Dry January, with 31% of millennial drinkers taking at least one extended break per year.
Why This Matters for Venues
Here’s where it gets interesting for anyone in the hospitality game. Zebra striping changes the math on a few assumptions that have held for decades.
The “designated driver” is becoming obsolete. When half your table is drinking non-alcoholic options by choice (not obligation) the social dynamic shifts. Nobody’s stuck with soda water while everyone else celebrates. The non-drinker isn’t an outlier; they’re just another guest having a great night.
Check averages aren’t dropping; they’re diversifying. Early fears that non-alcoholic options would cannibalize alcohol sales haven’t played out. Venues report that zebra stripers often extend their stays. They’re not rushing home after two cocktails to avoid overdoing it. They’re settling in for the long haul, ordering food, trying multiple drinks, and coming back more often. According to KAM research, 44% of UK customers say they’re more likely to stay for “one for the road” if it can be a non-alcoholic version of their favorite drink.
Staff training matters more than ever. If your bartenders can’t speak confidently about your zero-proof menu, if they default to “we have Sprite” when someone asks for something interesting, you’re losing a growing segment of engaged, spend-ready customers. KAM found that 37% of UK adults have left a venue early or felt disappointed due to poor low and no-alcohol options. That’s real money walking out the door. The best venues right now are treating their NA offerings with the same care as their wine list: seasonal rotations, house-made ingredients, proper glassware.
What Good Zebra Striping Looks Like
We see the venues that get this right, and they share some DNA:
Parity on the menu. Not a sad “mocktails” section tucked at the back. Non-alcoholic drinks listed alongside their boozy counterparts, with descriptions that emphasize flavor, not absence.
Visual cues that work. The drink arrives looking intentional: distinctive glassware, proper garnish, maybe a branded coaster. Nothing screams “afterthought” like a plastic cup.
Staff who don’t make it weird. No raised eyebrows, no “are you sure?” No defaulting to “it’s basically juice.” Just: “The smoked rosemary number is excellent tonight.”
Flexible formats. Some zebra stripers want a full mocktail experience. Others just want a great NA beer or a complex sparkling tea. Options at multiple price points and complexity levels keep everyone in the game. If you’re looking to explore what’s out there, the range of non-alcoholic options on Amazon has expanded dramatically in the past few years.
The Bigger Picture
There’s a temptation to file this under “Dry January trends” and move on. That would be a mistake. The data suggests zebra striping is structural, not seasonal.
NCSolutions reported in January 2025 that 49% of Americans planned to drink less alcohol that year, up from just 34% in 2023. Among Gen Z specifically, 65% planned to cut back, with 39% aiming for an entirely dry year. These aren’t people swearing off alcohol forever. They’re people who want more control over when and how much they drink.
What we’re witnessing is the normalization of intentional drinking: where alcohol is an option among many, not the default setting for socializing. For venues, that’s actually good news. It expands your addressable audience, creates new occasions (lunch, weekday evenings, wellness-adjacent events), and builds loyalty with a generation that values authenticity and inclusion.
As Susie Goldspink, Head of No- and Low-Alcohol Insights at IWSR, put it: “As the no-alcohol category matures, consumers want more than just an absence of alcohol. They want products that deliver on taste, complexity, and overall drinking experience.”
Finding Your Zebra Striping Spots
At Downtown Dry, we’re seeing this pattern emerge across the country. The venues that show up in our directory aren’t just “alcohol-free” or “traditional bar” anymore. They’re increasingly both: places where the same guest can navigate a full evening without ever feeling like they’re compromising or explaining themselves.
If you’re building a night out and want to zebra stripe it yourself, look for spots that list their NA options clearly, train staff to engage without judgment, and treat the craft of zero-proof drinks seriously. They’re not hard to find anymore. They’re becoming the standard.
Have you tried zebra striping on a night out? We’d love to hear about venues that get it right. Drop us a line or tag us in your next sober-curious adventure.
