No More Juice, Please – How ZERO Cocktail Bar Rose Up to Provide Non-Drinkers with Flavourful, Alcohol-Free Cocktails
For the past 10 years, Gail Lynch, CEO & Cocktail Designer at ZERO Cocktail Bar, made a decision to not drink alcohol. She knew the importance of this for her own mental health, and though she was happy with her choice, sometimes people just didn’t get it. They’d say things like “What’s wrong with you?” or “You don’t know what you're missing!”
She saw how limited non-alcoholic options were at the social events she attended, and often found herself ordering pop, juice, and water.
When the pandemic left us all shuttered indoors, she got to work–building a 2x4 cement countertop on her patio where she started crafting flavour-filled non-alcoholic cocktails that used premium ingredients.
Facing challenges
Like many women entrepreneurs, Gail had difficulty accessing the support she needed.
She found it challenging to break into the B2B market, as companies tended to pour their focus into the alcoholic beverages they’d be serving, and left little thought to their non-alcoholic offerings. Shipping products into Canada could often be a headache as well, with high shipping costs, delays, and turbulent winter weather sometimes preventing her from obtaining the high-quality varied ingredients she needed.
Much to celebrate
Despite these challenges, Gail has reached impressive heights.
ZERO Cocktail Bar has now crafted well over 1,000 non-alcoholic cocktails for events that have made guests who choose not to drink a priority, opened its own bottle stop at Toronto’s Don Mills and Steeles intersection, and curated a sober space at the TO Drink & Food Fest.
This year, she looks forward to increasing access to her cocktail bar and the fully stocked bottle shop by extending its hours, and launching an exciting new spicy ginger drink into the retail market.
What success looks like
As Gail explains, “To me, success is measured by the impact of what I do. My goal is to do everything to the best of my ability, always. I find my personal and professional values overlapping constantly, and love that I’m able to connect with likeminded people through my work. I am a certified trainer so I use those skills to teach cocktail classes. I hike so I’ve started some hiking trips to engage customers. I’ve found that staying active in nature is a great option for those of us who don’t consume alcohol, and have really enjoyed spending time outdoors with people who’ve made the same decision I have.”
Her advice
As an alumnae of The Forum E-Series Presented by RBC, The Odlum Brown Forum Pitch Finale, and the inaugural Level Up program, Gail has been deeply involved in The Forum community over the years.
Apart from her involvement in our programming, she also played an impactful role as a focus group participant for the AFIA DEI Index–a first of its kind initiative that’s helping Canadian funders overcome the systemic barriers women entrepreneurs face when accessing funding.
When asked what advice she would give to entrepreneurs who are just starting out or are having difficulty achieving the success they envision, she sums it up with: “Join the FORUM, point blank period!”