The concept was controversial: a pop-up bar offering bellinis and spritzes that, while non-alcoholic, were served in chilled cocktail glasses in the capital of teetotalling Saudi Arabia. But although customers were initially wary of the experiment -– which coincided with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting…
Mocktails – non-alcoholic drinks presented in cocktail glasses and made to mimic alcoholic ones – are gaining acceptance in Saudi Arabia. A recent pop-up showcased a ‘no-groni’ and a spiced date sour.
The concept was controversial: a pop-up bar offering bellinis and spritzes that, while non-alcoholic, were served in chilled cocktail glasses in the capital of teetotalling Saudi Arabia. It was precisely this challenge that drew marketer Mousa Shihadeh to Saudi Arabia after he completed culinary school in Germany and worked with bars and hotels there.