Wild Folk botanical cocktails at Fire & Flora in Calgary.Sarah B Groot/The Globe and Mail
About four or five years ago, Dalia Kohen noticed that more of her restaurant patrons were looking for non-alcoholic drink options beyond usual lemonades and colas, so she introduced some zero-proof cocktails to the menu of The Coup, the vegetable-forward eatery that she helped start and co-owned.
“People were either making new choices for themselves … or that they felt the pressure to be a part of the party and didn’t feel like they could do it without ordering a wine or alcoholic cocktail,” says Ms. Kohen. “I decided to create a few options that would make adults feel like they could participate without the stigmatism, or question.”
Her creations quickly became a popular feature at The Coup. When she sold her stake in the restaurant in March of 2020 – just before the COVID-19 pandemic upended her industry – she gave up the food menu as part of the deal but retained ownership of her non-alcoholic concoctions.
“At the time, I didn’t have a plan for them,” she says, referring to the drink recipes that she kept from the sale. “I had about a year off and was toying with a couple business ideas. The one that felt the most authentic and personal were the beverages.”
Dalia Kohen with her Wild Folk botanical cocktails at Fire & Flora in Calgary on Aug. 12.Sarah B Groot/The Globe and Mail
In late 2021, Ms. Kohen debuted Wild Folk as the first ready-to-drink cocktail line on the Prairies, with two flavours: Vermouth Spritz and Sparkling Negroni. The initial response was positive and she produces about 4,000 cans per month.
Her line leans largely on drinks based on spirits that get their flavour from blends of botanicals, which she can recreate in a non-alcoholic form.
She jumped into non-alcoholic beverages at a time when the sector is seeing significant growth across the continent, even while large producers such as Anheuser-Busch InBev have increased their alcohol-free products. That has also prompted a wave of new entrants into the market, including from smaller, local outfits such as Wild Folk.
Wild Folk, which Kohen created in November 2021, are 95 per cent organic and made with a mix of 19-26 herbs and botanicals.Sarah B Groot/The Globe and Mail
Wild Folk has found a home in popular Calgary destinations such as Ol’ Beautiful Brewing Co., Posto, Vendome, as well as Wild Life Distillery in Canmore, and the canned cocktails have also been picked up by liquor stores such as Vine Arts and Willow Park Wines and Spirits.
Having seen the demand grow steadily since the brand launched last year, Ms. Kohen is looking at ways to improve what is currently a labour-intensive process. For example, she says the process of creating a truly palatable non-alcoholic cocktail can often still involve distilling, though stopping short of alcohol extraction.
“It often is more expensive than creating an alcohol version,” she says.
Wild Folk drinks are made with as many local botanicals as possible and each of the three drinks has a paired story.Sarah B Groot/The Globe and Mail
“Some people distill, which adds a step of removing the alcohol, and others, such as my recipes, are steeped,” she explains. “You need a ton of ingredients to get the layered complexity and mouth feel of a [regular] cocktail.”
In the coming weeks, Ms. Kohen will debut a third drink called the Bee’s Knees, which will be her zero-proof take on the classic cocktail (a mixture of gin, lemon and honey simple syrup) of the same name.
“I have plans for a lineup of 10 core classic cocktails, followed by fun, one-off collaborations, and [in terms of ingredients] our current flavours are inspired by the Prairie wilds and what grows well in this region,” she says. “I do have another idea for a second line, but I would magically need to find more time or a business partner.”
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