Mill Valley man finds success with nonalcoholic cocktail brand

Free Spirits

"At the end of the day, we’re a cocktail brand. So, when we do product innovation, we always look at what cocktails people are drinking these days," says Milan Martin of the Free Spirits Co. (Photo by Jeff Burkhart)
“At the end of the day, we’re a cocktail brand. So, when we do product innovation, we always look at what cocktails people are drinking these days,” says Milan Martin of the Free Spirits Co. (Photo by Jeff Burkhart)

Wednesday is the last day of January. But more importantly, it is the last day of Dry January, a monthlong no-drinking tradition that has taken hold in the 21st century. And if you’ve made it this far, perhaps you can go a little farther. The nonalcoholic drink market alone now exceeds $11 billion a year. Those sales are up from $8 billion in 2018, according to IWSR, a company that does alcoholic drinks market analysis. And while much of that is nonalcoholic beer (up to 86% according to some research) that still leaves a $1.5 billion market share — that’s billion with a b.

Mill Valley’s Milan Martin (pronounced MY-lin) and his company, the Free Spirits Co., are reaping the benefits of that trend.

“The driver of the growth is that more people — drinkers and nondrinkers — have woken up to the benefits of alcohol moderation,” says Martin, 50. “But here’s the thing, I started Free Spirits, in large part, because I love cocktails. So what’s been most exciting to see is that the category — and our growth — is being led by drinkers, those who want to go out and have a few cocktails, have a great social experience and still wake up the next day feeling great.”

Mill Valley resident Milan Martin is behind the Free Spirits Co. (Courtesy of Milan Martin)
Mill Valley resident Milan Martin is behind the Free Spirits Co. (Courtesy of Milan Martin)

I profiled Martin back in 2021, right smack in the middle of a pandemic. Things have certainly changed, as evidenced by the market growth reported by IWSR. Free Spirits has not been idle; they have since released two new products: the Spirit of Milano (pronounced ME-lanno) and the Spirit of Vermouth Rosso.

We caught up with Martin recently to see how things were going.

Q When last we spoke, it was in the middle of a pandemic. Did only online sales help or hurt Free Spirits? Now, are you seeing an uptick in interest and sales?

A Oh man, how the world has changed! Our little “COVID baby” of a business has really started growing up. I’d say we’re in the awkward teenager phase (on our way to becoming a confident young adult). We started out as a direct-to-consumer brand, but in 2021-22 we pivoted to wholesale/retail. We’re now in a couple thousand national retail and independent retail locations across 48 states. Free Spirits proudly sits on the shelves of amazing retailers like BevMo!, Safeway, Total Wine & More, Walmart and so many more.

Q Which consumer group is your largest demographic?

A The media talks a lot about the younger generations driving this shift in drinking behavior. And they’re 100% right. Generation Z was just born smarter in how they view their relationship with alcohol. That notwithstanding, this trend, and our consumer base, spans all age groups, geographies, demographics and cultures. Some of my most ardent, hardcore drinking friends and colleagues (who scoffed at the idea of Free Spirits in its early days) are now loyal customers. And that is becoming evident in the latest research from IWSR that shows that nonalcoholic sales will account for 4% of all alcohol sales globally by 2027.

Q Dry January is definitely a thing (no alcohol), but so is Damp or Moist January (some alcohol). How does Free Spirits fit into that?

A Dry January as we see it is less about complete abstinence and more about experimentation. Experimentation with all the great new nonalcoholic options but really experimentation with a new relationship to alcohol and the benefits of less alcohol. I guess more people are just waking up to the personal realization that they can have equally elevated, special social and personal occasions, with less or no alcohol at all, and have a productive Saturday, too!

Q You have two new products, the Spirit of Milano and the Spirit of Vermouth Rosso. Why did you pick those products to emulate specifically?

A At the end of the day, we’re a cocktail brand. So, when we do product innovation, we always look at what cocktails people are drinking these days. The Spirit of Milano, our homage to the great Italian bittersweet aperitivos, is the star player of cocktails such as the Spritz, the Boulevardier and so many more. And sweet vermouth is the silent hero of many other classic cocktails, so we created the Spirit of Vermouth Rosso to round out great nonalcoholic cocktails like the Negroni, the Manhattan, etc.

Q Vermouth is an aromatized wine. How do you go about making a nonalcoholic version?

A Many of the classic Italian-style sweet vermouths start out with the Pinot Grigio grape (a white wine varietal), which is the same place we start with the Spirit of Vermouth Rosso, capturing the tannins, sweetness and fruitiness of that specific varietal. As with all sweet vermouths, we then fortify the core liquid with notes of that wonderfully bitter wormwood and some other savory notes like cocoa and oak.

Q Your Spirit of Milano is clearly a riff on classic amaros — which are all the rage. Was there a particular style you were shooting for?

A The Spirit of Milano was inspired by the great Italian bittersweet amaros like Campari and Aperol. It’s great chilled on its own and it’s really the heart and soul of some of our favorite cocktails like the Negroni, or my personal favorite, the Rosita (a Negroni, swapping out gin for tequila).

For more information or to purchase, go to drinkfreespirits.com.