First look: ANA Drinks, Adelaide’s first dedicated non-alcoholic bottle shop, opening on Hutt St

Wine bottles, beer cans and gin will line the shelves – but there won’t be a drop of alcohol. This unique CBD store plans to win over boozehounds and teetotallers alike.

Inside an unassuming shopfront in the CBD’s east, Lisa Fraser speaks excitedly about the products soon to fill her shelves.

Everything from wine bottles to beer cans and gin sit ready to be unpacked – but there isn’t a drop of alcohol in them.

ANA Drinks, which stands for Australian Non-Alcohol, will be Adelaide’s first dedicated booze-free bottle shop when it opens its Hutt St doors at the end of September.

Ms Fraser, whose extensive hospitality background includes a stint at me&u, the QR code company responsible for hi-tech menus across the state, says the idea was born from a particularly silly Christmas season last year.

“I remember getting to the first of January and thinking, ‘We’re not drinking for three months’, and I started looking at non-alcoholic options and realised they were actually really good,” she said.

While many associate non-alcoholic options with teetotallers, Ms Fraser says more Australians are turning to a “mixed approach” to drinking.

“Rather than just having a soft drink when you go to a party you can go, ‘Oh cool, I’ve got a beer’, or ‘I’ve got a wine or cocktail’,” she said.

“I want people to enjoy their drinking experience – if you’re not drinking for any reason, you don’t have to feel stigmatised or like you need an excuse not to drink.

“We’re right before summer, I think Adelaide is ready for it.”

Lisa Fraser, founder of Adelaide's first non-alcoholic bottle shop ANA Drinks, inside her soon-to-be stocked and fitted store on Hutt Street. Picture: Mark Brake

Ready for it we are – according to industry research firm Fitch Solutions, alcohol-free is on the rise in Australia.

In 2020, Dan Murphy’s and BWS reported sales growth of 103 per cent on non-alcoholic beverages, while Fitch forecasts alcohol consumption will fall from 106.3l per person in 2021 to 101.4l per person in 2025.

Ms Fraser also hopes to win over the alc-free sceptics, making sure everyone who walks through ANA Drinks’ doors can experience the best of Australia’s producers.

There are plenty of standout SA offerings as well – some of Ms Fraser’s favourites include Little Bang Brewery’s American Pale Ale, Bridge Road Brewers’ Pale Ale, Pure Vision Wines’ organic shiraz and Barossa Wine Cartel’s no-alc rosé.

The Hutt St store will have regular tastings alongside local producers, explaining everything from flavour profiles to food pairings, as well as single cans for those wanting to experiment at home.

But there won’t be an online store – for now.

“I want people who’ve never tried a non-alcoholic beverage to come and give it a good crack, to try a really well-crafted product that will really rock their socks,” Ms Fraser said.

“There’s a little bit for everybody, you’ll get stuff you’ve never seen before and have the chance to try and figure out whether it’s for you.

“I really want to be able to talk to people and give that sense of exclusivity, so that they can come in and understand the product they’re buying.”

ANA Drinks is set to open at 208 Hutt St, Adelaide at the end of September.