https://www.blackenterprise.com/lp-obrien-leads-inclusion-mocktail-industry/

As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, Lauren Paylor “LP” O’Brien used her big win as the inaugural champion of Netflix’s Drink Masters. In the show, mixologists competed to win $100,000 and the title of Drink Masters Champion to springboard her career.

According to a press release, O’Brien is also celebrating one year of sobriety and regularly partners with Disney, Food and Wine, and American Express on curated mocktails for events.

In 2023, the Washington Post reported that contrary to popular belief, a study indicated that even moderate amounts of alcohol could contribute to an increased risk of disease or even an increased risk of death. 

As Carol Boyd, the founding director of the University of Michigan’s Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking, and Health, told CNN in May via email: “Questioning one’s relationship with alcohol is a very healthy trend, we know that moderate alcohol consumption has health risks, and risk increases as alcohol consumption increases,” Boyd said.

In addition to this, an op-ed from Tamar Haspel, the author of “To Boldly Grow: Finding Joy, Adventure, and Dinner In Your Own Backyard,” for the Post indicated that non-alcoholic beer or other beverages could help drinkers cut back on alcohol consumption. 

O’Brien described some reasons for her staunch advocacy for the low and no alcohol-by-volume market and those who prefer to remain sober in social settings in a June interview with Beverage Wholesaler. 

“I’m also a huge advocate for the low and no ABV market. I’m a sober bartender, and I think that any bartender who can make a delicious non-alcoholic beverage that isn’t lemonade provides an elevated service. It’s not about the cocktail — it’s about the experience. There are people who don’t drink and we need to respect that and make them feel just as included.” O’Brien told the outlet.

According to Full Pour, O’Brien became the co-owner of Siponey Spritz Co. in 2023, in addition to owning her own company, LP Drinks, which focuses on creating safe, diverse, and inclusive spaces that promote wellness and balance within the hospitality industry. 

O’Brien discussed the growing interest in holistic health and hospitality in the industry with Full Pour.

“It’s always been really important to me to figure out the ways in which I can take care of myself, but more importantly, the ways I can take those things that have worked for me and share them with others. I think simply put, the most important thing is how can I live life with purpose, with meaning, and move in a way that allows me to be fully present in everything that I do?” O’Brien said.

O’Brien continued, “And I think when you get to that point where, first of all, you love what you do, and you found a way to have it truly aligned with what your missions and values are, then moving with intention and moving with purpose just makes it that much more fruitful.”

O’Brien told Beverage Wholesaler that her propensity to bet on herself and, in the process, change what people think about non-alcoholic drinks has propelled her to higher ground in the hospitality and mocktail industry.

“I’ve grown so much, mostly because I think I’ve learned to bet on myself. There was a point where I was so caught up in the noise around me that I lost focus on what was most important, and to me, that’s ensuring that I’m in a position where I acknowledge I have an opportunity to change the way people think about drinks.” O’Brien said.

O’Brien also connected her time on the Netflix show to one of her current projects.

“I have a pop-up that’s an extension of Ultimate Drink Masters. I’m an Afro-Puerto-Rican, so on episode two of the show, I made a topical beverage that represented the Bronx and Bodegas. And now, I created this fun, lively and interactive pop-up where I can see people’s smiles and their enjoyment when they drink and eat. There’s something so magical about seeing other people enjoy what you’ve created.”

However, the journey has not been all positive for O’Brien, as she recently detailed some of the barriers she has faced as a Black woman in the non-alcoholic and hospitality spaces to Forbes Magazine. O’Brien, however, has determined to go beyond those limits and define success for herself.

“The unfortunate truth is that sometimes people see a product, and there are these biases that are within them, that associate a product by a Black person as being less than. When we soar, we excel and just keep doing what we do unapologetically.” O’Brien told Forbes.

O’Brien continued, “It really does allow those individuals to check that bias and acknowledge that we are just as if not more talented. That product, at the end of the day, that we’re able to curate and create has a story, has meaning, has emotion, and passion. We have a responsibility to continue to open doors by just being who we are and nothing other than that.”

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