Dray Drinks offers evergreen beer, wine, and spirit selections, alcohol-free. In the South End, the store’s large windows, painted mural, and open floor plan reflect the space’s mission, according to founder and owner Pat Dooling.
“We wanted to create an environment that was very inviting,” Dooling said. “It feels like you know where you are, but it also has this more positive, vibrant element to it.”
Dray became Boston’s first non-alcoholic bottle shop when it opened in the fall of 2023. Now with another location in Cambridge, Dray Drinks focuses on selling a wide variety of completely non-alcoholic products. Ranging from alternatives to wine and beer, to unique spirits like Kava Haven, Limonzero Limoncello, and several ready-to-drink cocktails like Recess’s Craft Mocktails, Dray has something for everyone to try.
Dooling even says that the non-alcoholic world may even provide more opportunities to explore unique beverages, with some spirits that don’t even have alcoholic counterparts. Most of the products are made in small batches, with extra steps in the process to dealcoholize the beverage, which Dooling says gives it more “intention.”
“I do think we’ve elevated conversation on non-alcoholic alternatives and drinking behavior in the city to some degree,” Dooling said. “I do think it does take a lot of conversation to break some of these traditions and show that it is a viable business.”
Although now very invested in the growing market and business side of things, Dooling says that opening Dray Drinks was an important step in his personal journey with sobriety.
“I quit drinking back in 2021, and really came into this business through that personal decision,” Dooling said. “I identify with the sober recovery community, and found that just as I went through that myself, I loved the replacements that were out there.”
But while there were plenty of non-alcoholic drinks on the market, Dooling realized that they were not largely advertised. He hopes to change that with Dray Drinks, while also “meeting customers wherever they’re at on the non-drinking spectrum,” as the website states.
“It took a while for me to quit drinking, to just realize how ingrained alcohol and drinking is in our lives in general,” Dooling said. “I know 80% of our customers still drink, in some fashion.”
With this only being their second “Dry January” in business, Dooling says he’s already noticing an increase in business this month. He says there are plenty of people throughout the year looking to “take a break” from alcohol for all sorts of reasons—young people are one of the company’s biggest demographics.
“What’s neat there is that because a lot of them don’t have that predisposition towards [alcohol], there’s more freedom for them to explore and not get tied down to tradition or anything like that,” said Dooling. “There’s groups of [young people] visiting, and I get this sense that they are making this choice together … they’re being smart about their health and wellbeing.”
According to The Washington Post, “alcohol sales volume in the United States fell 2.8% in the first seven months of 2024,” and several surveys have suggested that young people are spending less and generally consuming less alcohol. Additionally, a recent warning from the surgeon general linking alcohol consumption to cancer, is pushing people to rethink their habits.
Although some people might be hesitant in how non-alcoholic drinks compare to their alcoholic counterparts, Dooling urges people to have an open mind, as that is one of the most important aspects of a successful experience at Dray Drinks.
“I think it’s a little bit of a mental trick people are playing on themselves with this barrier they’re putting up to not drinking,” Dooling says. “It’s sort of open-mindedness, and if people are willing to go on the journey with us, we can help you over time sample a bunch of stuff and find something that fits for you.”
From hosting tasting events to simply just having a space for people to come together and make better choices for their mental and physical wellbeing, Dooling says that breaking the societal perception and traditions around drinking is just as important to him as what Dray sells.
“I see hundreds of people a week that come into my store and are making that choice not to drink,” Dooling said. “You’re not alone.”
