Drink Dry is Championing the Zero Alcohol Revolution with Hospitality Leaders of the Future

Drink Dry is happy to announce that we are partnering with Jumeirah Group and Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management for the 2021/22 educational calendar.  

The purpose of the partnership is to educate the students about the best-in-class non-alcoholic beers, wines, and spirits. It will also enable them to offer non-alcoholic wines as part of the WSET courses ongoing in the academy.

The education will include familiarizing the students with the manufacturing process and the craft that goes behind the production of beverages. Students will also be able to authentically carry out dinner services within Icon Restaurant with a fully stocked non-alcoholic drinks menu.

This partnership has been championed by Chef Michael Kitts and Food and Beverage Lecturer Sarah Belanger.  

With an extensive 40 years of experience in the world of culinary, Michael is known as “ The Godfather of Culinary in Dubai” 

Sarah, on the other hand, is an award-winning Sommelier and WSET Certified Educator with experience of over 15 years in the hospitality industry. 

It is a great honor for Drink Dry to have such an experienced duo on board. 

Both Chef Micheal and Sommelier Sarah are also staunch supporters of the Zero Alcohol Revolution.    

A kick-off event 

To announce the partnership, a kick-off event was held on July 12th, 2021, with all faculty members of the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management attending the food and drinks workshop.  

The event commenced with the introduction of the non-alcoholic category and how it has grown all over the world (including the UAE) in the past few years. Faculty enjoyed the ‘Recovery’ non-alcoholic aperitif curated by Sarah, using Pearsons non alcoholic gin,  which was used as a showcase at the Hotel Show, along with non-alcoholic beers on arrival.

 Chef Michael created a number of tasting dishes that were expertly paired with Natureo 0.0% Grape Beverage by Familia Torres, showcasing the great occasion of food and wine pairing in a non-alcoholic setting.

The need for education

According to Insight Slice, “The global non-alcoholic beer market size was estimated to be US$ 9.6 billion in 2019 and expected to reach US$ 35.6 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 8.1%”. 

Despite the enormous growth, a lot of myths encompass the industry - the biggest of them being that non-alcoholic drinks are a marketing gimmick to sell alcohol to health-conscious individuals.  

The reality is that with the advancement in technology, it is now possible to completely remove the alcohol and produce a 0.0% ABV drink, and that too without negatively impacting the taste.  

In fact, the zero-proof drinks we have at Drink Dry are of the highest quality and of premium taste!. Don’t just take our word for it, try it yourself.  

Our partnership with Jumeirah Group and Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management is a stepping stone towards dispelling all myths surrounding the non-alcoholic drinks industry by providing people a platform to learn how such drinks are manufactured and what goes on behind the curtain.  

"We wanted to go a step further and to start educating the future hospitality leaders about the non-alcoholic drinks category. Zero Alcohol drinks are not a fad or a fashion trend, it is here to stay and therefore it is vital to invest into the education element of it. We are grateful to our friends Chef Michael and Sarah for making this happen.", said Erika Doyle, the Founder and Managing Director of Drink Dry.

Another purpose of the education is to raise awareness of the health benefits of such drinks. 

We are thankful to the Jumeirah Group and the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management for giving us the opportunity to share our expertise of the non-alcoholic industry with the students.  

Cheers to the Zero Alcohol Revolution!