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Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations often used to result in a hangover the next day, but with moderation now the order of the day the new drinks industry buzzword is “coasting”.
This involves choosing a white wine, lager or even a cocktail that is about half the strength of the traditional version of the drink – meaning you can have the same number of drinks without feeling the worse for wear.
Vanessa Pearson, Ocado Retail’s trading manager for beers, wines and spirits, credits “coasting” for a “huge increase in customer interest in mid-strength wine”. In 2025 its sales of these types of wines soared 4,000% as the nascent category gained ground.
As the name implies, “mid-strength” drinks occupy the middle ground between no and low-alcohol (nolo) and standard options. There is no firm industry definition yet, but the beers and ciders are about 2-3% alcohol by volume, wines 3-9% and spirits 15-20%.
The advent of coasting chimes with data showing Britons drinking less alcohol than before. The average UK adult consumed 10.2 alcoholic drinks a week in 2024, according to the latest figures from the drinks industry data company IWSR.
This is the lowest figure since data collection began in 1990 and down from a high of 14 weekly drinks two decades ago. However, total abstention is not on the rise despite the decline in consumption, which suggests more cautious drinking habits have driven the trend.
Along with other big supermarkets, Ocado is tapping into the country’s changing drinking culture by stocking more mid-strength brands, including La Felicite rosé (9%), Nice Session sauvignon blanc (3.4%) and Quarter Proof gin (15%), alongside nolo options.
Ocado and Waitrose reported an increase in shoppers searching their websites for nolo brands before the holidays.
Popular searches include Botivo – a British non-alcoholic aperitif in the style of Italian classics such as Campari and Aperol – and Mother Root, a fiery ginger non-alcoholic aperitif. There is also a buzz around Bero, the new beer brand co-founded by the Spider-Man actor Tom Holland.
Sarah Holland, a Waitrose drinks buyer, said people still want “big flavours” from nolo drinks. “They want more than just gin alternatives – options like Mother Root and Botivo are selling really well.” Sales of alcohol-free cocktails and wines in cans are also “booming”, she said. It recently added Jukes 8’s sparkling rosé and Pentire’s booze-free paloma cocktail to its shelves to meet this demand.
To make mid-strength drinking “mainstream” a group of specialist drinks brands, including Club Soda, Quarter Proof, Gentle Wines and Small Beer, has formed the “mid-strength collective”.
A poll of drinking habits on its behalf found 21% of consumers are still drinking alcohol but having fewer drinks in total on each occasion. Another 13% “coast” through their evenings, while 6% are “zebra striping” (alternating between alcohol, mid-strength and alcohol-free drinks within the same occasion).
The “way consumers engage with alcohol is evolving”, said Blake Gladman, a strategy and insight director at the consultancy Kam, in the report.
“While some consumers are opting for alcohol-free alternatives, a growing segment is embracing mid-strength alcohol as the perfect middle ground,” said Gladman, suggesting this was “allowing them to extend their social experiences without compromising on taste, quality and experience”.
