Mocksie, a mobile bartending service specializing in nonalcoholic beverages, has been a refreshing addition to Wilmington’s social scene thanks to Carter Jewell’s entrepreneurial vision. 

Jewell is a Wilmington native who studied at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and later pursued graduate studies in Valencia, Spain. Upon returning to her hometown and marrying a fellow local, she and her husband worked in consulting and found it required near-constant post-work social commitments. 

“We were at just a ton of (work) events, and we felt like all of them revolved around alcohol,” Jewell said. “I mean, every night of the week we were at something that was, you know, cheese and grapes and wine.” 

Jewell realized something was missing: an alcohol-free option that wasn’t just water or soft drinks. Something that people could enjoy sipping without the extra calories and side effects of alcohol. 

The idea for Mocksie took root as Jewell realized the growth of the nonalcoholic beverage industry and the sober curious movement, which encourages people to be more mindful of alcohol consumption. These observations revealed that Wilmington lacked convenient access to NA beverages, both for retail purchases and at bars, restaurants and events. 

But who exactly is in the market for these beverages? Those who are sober? Pregnant women? Those who can’t tolerate alcohol because of how it interacts with their medication? Those looking to achieve their wellness goals? Jewell said it’s all of the above and more. 

“At any given time, 35% of the population is not drinking, whether they are sober or pregnant or taking a break, it’s a much larger percentage of the population than most of us would assume,” Jewell said. 

Jewell decided to create a space where people could sample high-quality, nonalcoholic wines, spirits and mixers before committing to a purchase. She opened Mocksie in Wilmington in early 2023 along with a mobile bartending service. From mocktails to dealcoholized wines and spirits, Jewell built Mocksie to provide diverse nonalcoholic options for the wellness community, the sober community and anyone interested in an occasional alcohol-free alternative. 

“A lot of folks still drink alcohol but will maybe drink an alcoholic beverage, then a mocktail, then a water so that they’re gradually decreasing their normal alcohol intake,” Jewell said. 

According to NCSolutions, 41% of Americans are trying to drink less in 2024, an increase of 7% over 2023. Alcohol consumption trends highlighted in this report show that millennials specifically have had a major shift in drinking behavior, decreasing their average weekly alcohol intake by 40% in one year. NCSolutions also reports that Gen Z is prioritizing mental health over alcohol consumption with 34% stating that they are more likely to try a new drink product if it is marketed as aligning with the sober curious lifestyle. 

Jewell said that in her experience, people gravitate to alcohol-free beverages for a number of very personal reasons. Within the sobriety community, the response to these beverages often differs greatly as well. 

“There are folks who have decided that they cannot have something that mimics the flavor of alcohol so they stay away from alcohol-free spirits because they can be triggering,” Jewell said. “And so, when I’m talking with them, I say that if you want something that tastes like alcohol, we can go that way, but we also provide a lot of options that do not contain anything that reminds you of alcohol.” 

Jewell collaborates with other nonalcoholic bar owners, stays informed through industry events and curates a wide selection of products that go beyond traditional NA beverages. One growing sector of the NA market is “functional beverages” which can contain adaptogens, CBD or THC, and are mood-altering. 

“The drinks with THC became legal through a loop in the Farm Act of 2018, but it’s something that I think Congress is going to be looking at again because it’s legal weed,” Jewell said. “I think we will see a lot more regulation there. From a research perspective, it’s been a really interesting aspect of the industry to keep up with.” 

In an attempt to provide only the best-tasting products, Jewell said she never sells or serves anything she hasn’t personally tasted. For example, she found that there is a noticeable difference between nonalcoholic wine and dealcoholized wine. 

“The nonalcoholic wines I found were very bad,” Jewell said. “They just taste like random flavors blended together. But a dealcoholized wine is real wine that goes through the whole process of becoming a quality wine, and then at the end, they spin out the alcohol, but the complexity and depth of flavor remain.” 

Jewell pointed out that removing the alcohol also removes most of the calories. 

“So, a typical glass of champagne might be 95 to 125 calories, whereas a dealcoholized sparkling chardonnay has only about 15-25 calories,” Jewell said. 

By October 2023, Moxie was bustling, and Jewell employed a team of six bartenders to support events ranging from weddings to nonprofit fundraisers. 

“At one point we had 23 events in one month,” Jewell said of Moxie’s growing demand for events. 

While thrilled with the growth of this side of the business, Jewell found it increasingly difficult to staff events and keep the shop open. She made the decision to close the brick-and-mortar location in July. 

“We were the first nonalcoholic bottle shop in North Carolina, so this was a very tough decision,” Jewell said. 

While the immediate focus will be on events, Jewell has plans to expand the brand further by placing “Mocksie” shelves in local bottle shops by the end of the year, allowing for retail access to her curated selection of beverages. 

“I’ve told folks to hang tight and keep following us, and we’ll let you know as soon as we get that kind of permanent shelf home,” Jewell said. “And I encourage people to ask about nonalcoholic options at bars and restaurants because the more people ask, the more likely they are to start offering more options.”