TROY — Gina Verney, bar manager for Clark House Hospitality, has gotten used to certain trends in the alcohol industry that shifted post-pandemic.
The so-called “Clifton Park housewives,” a demographic that Verney described as “ol’reliable” for their consistent consumption of Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and martinis, have started ordering mocktails. Rather than a drunken night out of binge drinking, younger consumers are opting for a two-drink maximum of craftier cocktails, she said.
People are drinking less, starting to drink earlier in the day and prioritizing experience over outcome — which had previously been to get drunk, Verney said…