Welcome to Sober October, the month-long reset that challenges us to ditch the booze and discover what fun feels like, no hangover required. Much like Dry January, it’s a cultural moment, a pause, and this year, the timing couldn’t have been better. Why? Because we just witnessed firsthand how good life can taste without alcohol. Enter Drinks With Benefits, a festival so bold, so immersive, it’s redefining what it means to raise a glass.
Hosted by Bottle Raiders, the authority on spirits and non-alcoholic beverages, Drinks With Benefits made its electrifying debut on September 27th, 2025, at The Altman Building in Chelsea. This wasn’t your average sip-and-stroll event. It was an all-day sensory takeover, a collision of flavor, music, wellness, and culture.
Over 60+ zero-proof and functional beverage brands (think adaptogens, THC, CBD, and botanicals) came together under one roof to celebrate a lifestyle that’s conscious and cool. With the global NA beverage market on track to surpass $1 billion by 2025, this festival hit at the perfect moment, when saying “I’m not drinking” finally sounds like a power move.
The vibe? Think modern-day speakeasy meets wellness retreat. Guests bounced between activations that blurred the line between indulgence and intention. The Drinks With Benefits Tasting Gallery was a playground of discovery, offering a range of elevated mocktails and mood-boosting tonics.
The Food Hall featured Omakase Pairing Counters, where culinary icons like Spring Café Aspen, Seatopia, The Butcher’s Daughter, and Adoro Lei served up mindful bites with a decadent twist.
In the Drinks With Benefits Mixology Lab, brands like Fluere, The Pathfinder, The Alchemist’s Kitchen, and For Bitter For Worse turned barcraft into an art form, proof that zero-proof can be anything but boring. The energy spilled into The Drinks Rhythm Lounge, a boho-inspired hangout pulsing with live sets from Dragonfly of Maku, DJ Bellatrix, DJ Brooke Flecca, and DJ CCNY. Even the NA Beer Garden felt like a revelation, with craft brewers pouring pints that could fool even the most loyal IPA devotees.
And because no cultural moment is complete without a little content, Drinks With Benefits hosted a Live Podcast Lounge, where Samantha Feher (Bravo, CAPSLOCK) and Sober Fit Girl led candid, unfiltered conversations with wellness disruptors and beverage innovators. The event’s aesthetic game was just as strong, with Lutfi Janania Zablah’s lush floral installations turning photo ops into art moments, featuring partners like St. Buena Vida, Norie, and Société de La Rassi’s Sparkling Experience.
The brand lineup read like the future of the bar cart: Cipriani, Fluere, Giesen Wines, Athletic Brewing, Kin Euphorics, Three Spirits, Curious Elixirs, Surely, French Bloom, and Aplos, just to name a few. Each one pushing boundaries, crafting liquids that lift spirits, literally, without the buzz.
Capping off the experience, the festival unveiled the inaugural Zero Proof Choice Awards, honoring the best in class across six categories after nine industry experts tasted through over 200 submissions.
So yes, it’s Sober October, but this isn’t about restriction; it’s about revelation. Drinks With Benefits made one thing crystal clear: the future of fun is functional, and the best nights out don’t need a drop of alcohol.
For more info (and a bookmark for next year’s event), head to www.drinkswithbenefits.com. Trust us, you’ll want in on this buzz-free revolution.
