Zero-Proof as a Design Problem

The capability: you can build a non-alcoholic drink that a person who drinks would order twice.

Prerequisites: Modules 12, 46.

The practice

Taste one of your zero-proof drinks against a cocktail. Notice the body and the length.

Then add bitterness to one build — strong tea, coffee, or a non-alcoholic aperitif — and taste the difference.

Then add three drops of saline. The cheapest improvement in the module.

Then brew strong tea and use it as a base and learn what tannin does.

And rebuild all four house zero-proof drinks with a bitter or tannic backbone, an acid that is not only citrus, a saline correction, and a real aromatic top.

The reference

A cocktail, tasted alongside — because the standard is a drink built for an adult, not a soft drink.

What you are building

The replacement of four things that disappear together: viscosity, aroma carriage, warmth, and length.

And the service posture that goes with it: take the order without comment. The reason someone is not drinking is not the bar's business, and designated drivers are a structural feature of a rural music venue rather than a niche.

Verification and boundary

The rebuilt drinks, tasted against the originals, and the sales change over a month.

Boundary: nothing here is medical or dietary advice, and a guest's reason for not drinking is not a subject for inquiry.