A Great Cocktail Program is Intentional - and so Being a Great Humanitarian

Jose Andres is one of the most creative and inspiring people in the culinary world. With a background that includes El Bulli, he emigrated to the US 30 years ago, and has gone on to build a global restaurant empire rarely seen. I have eaten at several of his restaurants and the experience was at the top of my list. I cannot wait for it to happen again.

Additionally, he is a humanitarian through and through. The releaf organization he supports - World Central Kitchen - is as inspiring as it gets. Often being one of the first NGOs on the ground in disaster areas, they support people at their worst moment, virtually anywhere. Serving meals is one of the best means of support that people in a disaster can be helped with.

We are deep into Dry January in the short term, and an increasingly sober-curious world in a broader sense. Being in the drinks industry this causes me some obvious conflicts in how to approach things, but I have had to adapt and embrace this trend. I have long held to the system of drink less, but drink better in my personal life.

​Many of us in the industry feel as though we are truly a generation or two away from seeing this trend work it way through. It feels as though it be a long time before a plateau and a correction might occur. Don't get me wrong - people are still drinking - but what they drink and how often they drink has definitely shifted, especially among younger generations. Industry pros are learning and addressing this trend head-on. If you are not, then you are being left behind.

This week, Jose Andres posted a great note on Substack discussing current trends in the low and no alcohol drink conversation. I think it warrants a read. Here is the link...

A great cocktail program is intentional.

https://open.substack.com/pub/joseandres/p/what-does-drinking-look-like-in-2025?r=17ewma&utm_medium=ios