视频：https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV18V411t7uA
Non-alcoholic drinks: the sober（不夸张的，无猜测的） truth
Outperformance（优异表现） of traditional drinks during pandemic shows alt-alcohol（非传统饮料） market has solid foundations
out.... outperform；outnumber
alt=alternative
No more cakes and ale（暗指圣诞节的欢乐已经过了的意思吧，因为cakes and ale 是“人生乐事”-出自-莎翁戏剧《第十二夜》）.January is often a month for cutting calories and booze（酒精饮料）. But going on the wagon involves less self-denial（节制，克己） than it used to. A wave of innovation is expanding choice beyond dreary（索然无味的） fizzy drinks（汽水） and juices.
be/go on the wagon 戒酒
The nolo — no and low alcohol — sector was growing at an annual rate of 8 per cent before the pandemic slammed on the brakes（猛踩刹车）. Sales of beer variants（变体，变种） stagnated（停滞） in 2020, while those of spirits（烈酒） fell slightly, according to drinks analytics group IWSR. But both put in a sparkling（气泡的 出色的） performance compared with alcoholic drinks, which fell 8 per cent.
slam V. 砰地关上
grind to a halt 慢慢停下来
stagnated adj 停滞的
That outperformance is expected to continue, in part（partially） because of increasing teetotalism（滴酒不沾n.）, particularly among young people. The proportion of drinkers is expected by the World Health Organization to fall globally by 1.4 percentage points to 40.3 per cent in thefive years to 2025. Production techniques that lead to better-tasting productsare also a big driver.
Brewers（酿啤酒） have vastly improved their non-alcoholic offerings. The world’s third-largest brewer Carlsberg（嘉士伯） reckons that share of the beer market held by zero-alcohol ranges（产品，种类） could triple to 15 per cent in western Europe in the next few years. They can expand the outlets（门店） and occasions where such brands can be sold. Dutch brewer Heineken（公司名） reports far less cannibalisation（同类相食） of mainstream beer sales by its zero-alcohol product than its low-alcohol version launched in 2005.
Spirit and wine makers are experimenting too. France’s Pernod Ricard is expanding its nolo choices, along with Jacob’s Creek Better by Half wines and a partnership alcohol-free gin（杜松子酒） company called Ceder’s. Last year, the world’s largest spirits company Diageobought majority control of Seedlip, maker of a gin alternative sold in many Michelin-starred restaurants. In January it also took a stake（持股） in Chicago-based Ritual Zero, which makes whiskey and gin alternatives.
Profitability is enhanced by lower or non-existent alcohol duties（税）. These can account for up to 40 percent of the cost of spirits. That said（话虽如此）, such drinks’ high price tags （价格标签）— often as high as their alcoholic rivals — could be hard to sustain（持续） as competition in tensifies.
Of the many new drinks being concocted（调制（饮料））, a lot will fail to win loyal fans. Some of the buzz（嗡嗡声） around alt-alcohol may fade too. But, as with（和。。一样 just like） the rising popularity of meat substitutes（替代品）, there is a solid foundation to this trend. Changing lifestyles mean non-alcoholic drinks are not just for January any more.
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