After Dark
Courtesy Holland Collective
Providing welcoming spaces has always been at the core of Tina Howard’s vision for Leaves Bakery and Books. The business famed for superlative vegan baked goods and individually crafted hot and iced teas is relaunching its After Dark series to provide welcoming evening events for social-minded folks who appreciate well-crafted non-alcoholic drinks.
Howard said she first learned about the growing alcohol-free movement when she opened her store in 2018.
“Within the first year, I was considering whether we would pursue a liquor license so we could sell tea-inspired cocktails after hours,” she recalled. “When I was researching how tea was being used in cocktails, I discovered this [zero-proof] cocktail trend, mostly in New York. At the time, it was new to me.”
The first After Dark iteration ran from 2019 until COVID forced the shutdown of gathering spaces. Now at her newish space off West Magnolia Avenue, the business owner is diving into zero-proof cocktails — finding a happy medium between tea culture, cocktail culture, and the growing zero-proof cocktail trend.
Howard started by looking at classic cocktails and breaking them down into their basic flavor components. A mojito, for example, is characterized by lime, ginger, mint, and a bubbly texture.
“We have those elements in our shop right now,” she said. “I’ll use one of our sparkling teas instead of using tonic water. We brew ginger into our mint tea. We may add hibiscus in to add a tart component when it uses citrus.”
Teas can deliver complex flavors. Lapsang Souchong is smoky and can add flavors commonly found in Scotch. Her store sells teas and specialty teas, but for something to qualify as a “mocktail,” it needs to be multi-layered and complex.
The After Dark series runs every other Friday and features two to three mocktails. As word spreads about the 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. events, she hopes to expand the number of mocktails she offers and start including an event component. The total market value of zero-proof beers and alcohol-free adult beverages is predicted to reach $30 billion next year in the United States. The rise in popularity of botanical alternatives like kava and hemp-derived Delta options adds another level of complexity to the alcohol-free adult beverage market.
To spur a discussion on what these changes mean for local bar culture, Howard is co-hosting a Q&A panel discussion, Crafting Change, on September 9 at her tea shop. The choice to research and craft tea-based mocktails wasn’t a pure business decision, she said.
“People are much more aware of mental health issues, the effect that stress is having on us, and what are healthy coping habits and unhealthy coping habits,” she said. “I think it is important to help people cope in a healthy way. I do watch business trends, but I still make decisions based on our values and visions in the shop.”