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    This drinks festival doesn't have alcohol. That's why hundreds of people came

    One of the hottest tickets in Washington, D.C., was to a festival that was all about drinking and having fun — but not about booze.
    by Bill Chappell Jan 26, 2023 5 minutes
    People enjoy nonalcoholic old fashioned cocktails from a recipe by mixologist Derek Brown during the Mindful Drinking Fest in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 21.

    One of the hottest tickets in Washington, D.C., last weekend was to a festival that was all about drinking and having fun — without being fueled by alcohol.

    The sold-out Mindful Drinking Fest was emphatically zero proof, but it offered plenty of proof that the movement to drink less alcohol is booming. And with an explosion of new choices, it's also delicious.

    From a ginger old fashioned to espresso martinis and spritzes, hop water to pink rosé, the rich complexity of today's alcohol-free drinks was on full display.

    "I'm certain you're going to find something you love here," award-winning bartender and author Derek Brown, one of the festival's three organizers, told NPR.

    The party stretched across four floors of the Selina, a boutique hotel brimming with industrial chic, where more than 300 people tasted an array of cocktails, wines and beers. Many attendees were

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