Club Soda reveals new dates for low and alcohol-free drinks academy

Mindful drinking specialist Club Soda will be holding the next session of its Low and Alcohol-Free Specialist Drinks Academy on 13-14 January 2025 at its Tasting Room in London’s West End.

This two-day programme is designed to allow industry professionals to stay ahead of the curve, refine their offerings and deepen their expertise in the rapidly growing low and no-alcohol sector.

The training is tailored for hospitality professionals including bartenders, venue and bar managers, front-of-house teams, heads of departments, drinks buyers and marketing.

Attendees will gain insights into the alcohol-free drinks landscape from industry leaders such as Nicolas Medicamento (aka Dr Cocktail), Club Soda founder Laura Willoughby and the company’s head buyer and brand relationship manager Josh Kelly, research firm KAM Insights and Christine Parkinson from the World Alcohol Free Awards.

The programme also offers exclusive access to alcohol-free brands and hands-on experience in crafting non-alcoholic cocktails. Attendees will learn more about alcohol-free beer and wine, gain skills for enhancing their menu and discover tips for photographing and promoting their range on social media.

There are 12 spaces available for the course, at £350 + VAT each, with bursaries available for individuals and small businesses. The Drinks Trust can support travel and accommodation grants for those outside of London who qualify for their assistance.

Academy partners are: Everleaf, Rebels 0.0%, Goodrays, Three Spirit, Smiling Wolf, Noughty, Zeno, Moderato, Big Drop, Lucky Saint, NuWave, Double Dutch, WAFA, the Drinks Trust and KAM Insights.

This will be Club Soda’s second academy. Its last in October was attended by bar owners from independent venues like London’s Rusty Bucket, and Giovanni Ferlito, head of wine and beverage at the Ritz.

Club Soda’s Willoughby said: “The last academy was a great success and we want to continue to support the hospitality and retail sector to gain more knowledge in this vital category. We intend to run three academies in 2025.”

Sam Contractor from distiller William Grant & Sons, who participated in the first academy, said: “The deep knowledge and passion of the Club Soda team is infectious and made the course even more enjoyable on this incredibly exciting and important topic. I enjoyed the cross section of various industries with rich content from manufacturing, tasting, insight into today’s UK consumer behaviours, off-trade barriers across non-alc categories.”

To sign up for the course, click here.