When The Maze NYC opened its doors in Manhattan’s Flatiron District in October, it marked a cultural milestone—the city’s first alcohol-free members’ club. Designed by Opa Architecture with interiors by Laube Studio, the space unfolds as a sequence of distinct rooms: a European-style dining area with mosaic-tiled bar, a sports lounge anchored by plush sofas, and a concealed speakeasy wrapped in burgundy millwork. This isn’t abstinence. It’s sophistication redefined.
Founder Justin Gurland, seventeen years sober, envisioned The Maze as the place he wished had existed when he first gave up drinking—a space where connection eclipses consumption. It signals something larger: the alcohol-free movement has matured beyond trend into a refined lifestyle choice, complete with its own luxury landscape.
Seedlip pioneered this territory nearly a decade ago. Creator Ben Branson, inspired by 17th-century herbal distillation recipes and his family’s three-hundred-year farming heritage, spent two years perfecting the world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirit. What began in a kitchen in the woods now graces the bars of the world’s finest hotels and restaurants. Seedlip’s Garden 108, Grove 42, and Spice 94 offerings prove that botanical complexity doesn’t require alcohol—just meticulous craft. Diageo’s acquisition of the brand in 2019 confirmed what early adopters already knew: this is the future.
The category has since flourished. Lyre’s expansive collection mirrors classic spirits with remarkable precision. Ritual Zero Proof—now fully owned by Diageo—offers tequila, whiskey, gin, and rum alternatives that let home mixologists craft authentic cocktails. Ghia and Everleaf deliver aperitif elegance, while brands like Three Spirit incorporate functional botanics designed to elevate mood and cognition.
Then there’s Bero. When Tom Holland launched his non-alcoholic beer brand in October 2024, it wasn’t celebrity endorsement—it was personal mission. After a difficult Dry January in 2022 revealed an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, Holland committed to sobriety. Two years later, he created the beer he wished had existed: premium, sophisticated, packaged in distinctive gold cans that don’t announce abstinence but celebrate choice. Each variety—Kingston Golden Pils, Edge Hill Hazy IPA, Noon Wheat, and Double Tasty West Coast IPA—references his London upbringing and personal life. The care shows. As Holland told interviews, “This isn’t just for those on a similar path, but for everyone who appreciates quality, craftsmanship, and living life to the fullest.”
What ties these brands together isn’t what they lack. It’s what they offer: the ritual, the taste, the social grace of a well-crafted drink, without compromise. This is adulthood choosing presence over haze, connection over consumption, and bright mornings remembered with clarity instead of regret.
https://www.seedlipdrinks.com
https://lyres.com
https://www.ritualzeroproof.com
https://drinkghia.com
https://everleafdrinks.us
https://us.threespiritdrinks.com
https://berobrewing.com
Photos | Christian Harder · Seedslip · Bero
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