Chicago is a place where you can find almost anything. And yet, up until 2022, the option for sourcing non-alcoholic beverages was limited.
That changed when Adriana Gaspar and Hector Diaz decided to open In Good Spirits, a spirit-free store which began as a pop-up. Today, the event space and retail store is the longest-running non-alcoholic store in the city.
“We went through some personal moments that led us here,” said Diaz, co-founder and partner to Gaspar. “But also our professional and our career backgrounds gave us the credentials to build this. I primarily worked in the beverage alcohol space for almost 10 years. I’ve been passionate about beverages for as long as I can remember.”
Gaspar had a similar career path working for marketing agencies that represented iconic alcohol brands.
The business started with pop-ups in 2022 and opened its brick-and-mortar store in July 2023. Since then, the alcohol-free shop has seen significant growth with Dry January being their top-performing month. The couple focuses on being a source for unique, small-batch non-alcoholic beers, wines, and functional beverages.
The store is divided up into five categories. When you walk in, on the right you have spirit alternatives and ready-to-drink mocktails. On the left there’s CBD and THC drinks, functional beverages (think adaptogens), and beer and wine—all alcohol-free or less than 0.5% in alcohol content.
“We were very into cocktail culture,” said Gaspar. “Every time we traveled, we made it a point to visit some of the best bars in the world. Drink was a big part of our interests.”
The shift away from alcohol, and the inspiration for the concept was driven by Gaspar, who went alcohol-free in 2020 as a way to honor her father Marcelino Gaspar. He had been an active member of the AA community and had passed away due to COVID-19 complications.
“COVID was such a strange time,” said Diaz, who spoke on Gaspar’s behalf due to her difficulty speaking on her father’s passing. “Everyone was kind of drinking a lot at home. Adriana wanted to be intentional about her decision to be more level-headed, clear minded, and also just to honor him. He had been on this sobriety journey for years and she wanted to continue his legacy.”
Diaz supported Gaspar’s decision to go completely alcohol-free and two years later a health scare inspired him to join her.
“I was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2022,” said Diaz. “I began to reflect on my habits and think of ways to improve my health. I was navigating a life-changing situation. Adriana had already been alcohol-free for a couple years. I decided to live with more intention and cut alcohol from my habits.”
Diaz’s cancer is in remission and while Gaspar has remained completely alcohol-free, Diaz drinks a boozy beverage on occasion.
“In the world of non-alcoholic beverages, we refer to this as mindful drinking, which means you know you’re more intentional when you drink alcohol,” said Gaspar. “It’s not black and white of whether you’re sober or a drinker. It’s just being more mindful when you are consuming alcohol, and not doing it out of social expectations or because it’s an automatic habit as a result of how ingrained alcoholic consumption is in our culture.”
The story also features a variety of internet-favorite food and beverages items that are hard to source elsewhere. Alongside bottles of Oddbird’s de-alcoholized wines, Copenhagen sparkling tea and Danny Trejo’s non-alcoholic tequila, expect to find Graza chips, Rocky’s matcha and Persian Pistachio syrup.
In addition to their products, the couple’s shop has become a meeting ground for people eager to explore the world of non-alcoholic beverages and alternatives to socializing while sober.
“Beyond retail, we’re a community space completely free of alcohol,” said Gaspar, “All of our events are alcohol free, which is pretty important because as an adult, it’s become too common to have alcohol present in any and every social gathering.”
To learn more about In Good Spirits and their events, you can visit here.
