Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca; Jeff Bachner
By Tory N. Parrishtory.parrish@newsday.comToryParrish1August 24, 2026 2:00 am
About 15 adults wearing blue plastic gloves trimmed and repotted bonsai trees Wednesday at South Shore Craft Brewery in Oceanside, sipping beer as an instructor walked them through the process.
“We have to wire the tree into the new pot. … If the tree is loose and pulls the roots away from the soil, the roots die,” instructor Tim Stamm, owner of Bonsai Social, told the class
The $75 Sip & Snip Bonsai class is one example of how Long Island breweries, bars and wineries are getting more creative to draw customers as alcohol consumption declines nationally
Experts and Long Island business owners pointed to several factors that may be contributing to the decline, including younger people drinking less than previous generations; increased marijuana use as recreational cannabis has become legal in more states; and growing economic concerns affecting how people choose to spend their money
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- Long Island breweries, wineries and bars are responding to declining alcohol consumption by hosting more fee-based events and adding more non-alcoholic and low-alcohol drinks.
- Experts and businessowners pointed to several factors that may be contributing to the decline, including younger people drinking less, increased marijuana use, growing use of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs and economic pressures.
- Nationwide, the share of household budgets spent on alcohol is near a 40-year low, according to a Bank of America Institute report published in February.
They also cited the growing popularity of GLP-1 weight loss drugs, which can reduce alcohol tolerance or cravings for some users
Long Island breweries, wineries and bars are hosting more fee-based events, including sip-and-paints, tri
They’re also adding more non-alcoholic and low-alcohol drinks and marketing their spaces for private events such as bridal showers, rehearsal dinners and retirement parties
Some owners are cutting labor costs, putting more money into their businesses, bringing in partners and expanding food offerings to keep customers coming, said Scott Wexler, executive director of the Empire State Restaurant & Tavern Association, an Albany-based trade group
But food is less profitable than alcohol, he said
“You’ve got to sell five times as many food items to make the profit of one alcohol item … because of the cost of preparation and cost of product,” Wexler said
Breweries adjust to changing tastes
Founded in 2019, South Shore Craft Brewery generates about 80% of its revenue from selling its own beer on tap and in cans to go, as well as wines and liquors produced by other manufacturers, at its tap room in Oceanside, co-owner Nick Cimorelli said. The brewery also distributes its products to restaurants, beverage retailers and grocery stores on Long Island
Not only is the brewery seeing a decline of customers in their 20s, but also the young patrons who are still buying drinks are seeking more canned cocktails and hard seltzers than beer, Cimorelli said
After seeing its beer sales decline 5% last year in its tap room, South Shore Craft Brewery began experimenting with ways to boost sales
“We’ve had hard seltzer on tap [for a few years], but we decided to put it in a can to make it more attractive” within the last month, he said. The brewery also has been adding flavors, such as fruit punch and black cherry, to its hard seltzer for the last six months, and it has been expanding its selection of canned cocktails produced by distilleries in the state, he said
The brewery also is hosting more ticketed group events, such as the bonsai class and a Sip & Succ, a succulent plant arrangement class scheduled for Sept. 9, Cimorelli said
Hewlett resident Barrie Weisblum, 36, sat at the brewery’s bar on Wednesday sipping an IPA beer made with Australian and New England hops. Over the last year and a half, she has cut back on going out to bars as the prices of Uber rides have soared, she said
“It’s getting more and more expensive for me to go out and drink the beer. That’s going to decrease the amount that I go out and drink,” said Weisblum, who said several of her friends have cut back on drinking in favor of marijuana use
Nationwide, the share of household budgets spent on alcohol is near a 40-year low, according to a Bank of America Institute report published in February. Furthermore, Gallup reported that the percentage of U.S adults who said they consumed alcohol in 2025 fell to 54%, the lowest since the pollster started collecting the data nearly 90 years ago. The percentage remains the same this year, according to 1,200 people surveyed for the poll Gallup published on Thursday.
Some of the dip in alcohol consumption has to do with changing attitudes and increased awareness about the effects of drinking
Among U.S. adults, 51% believe drinking one or two alcoholic beverages a day is bad for one’s health, compared to 27% in 2001, Gallup reported
Meanwhile, 24 states and Washington, D.C., allow or regulate cannabis for non-medical use by adults, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, despite growing public health concerns about the regular use of marijuana
These shifts are occurring as the percentage of American adults who reported they were taking GLP-1 drugs, such as Ozempic or Wegovy, for weight loss has risen significantly, from 3% in 2024 to 11% in 2026, according to a spring poll of 5,065 U.S. adults conducted by Gallup
Selling more than drinks
Nationwide, sales of alcohol at stores have declined more than at bars, which could be an indication that bars are having more success with offering mocktails, non-alcoholic beer and other alternatives, according to the Bank of America Institute report
After COVID pandemic quarantines were lifted, business boomed in 2021 at Greenport Harbor Brewing Co., which has a tasting room in Greenport and a tasting room and restaurant in Peconic, co-owner Rich Vandenburgh said
Business has been up and down since then, with sales falling about 15% last year compared to 2024, he said
“And, again, this is all based on the creep of cannabis and the GLP-1 drugs. And, you know, the economy and everything costing more. So, people were, I think, tightening their belts and making certain decisions about what they were … spending on craft beverages,” he said
In response to the sales decline, Greenport Harbor Brewing expanded its live music series last summer by carving out a bigger space for performances in its brewing facility, where it added a stage. The business is also marketing its space for community events, such as makers markets selling wares by local craftspeople, and private events, such as weddings, rehearsal dinners and retirement parties
Also, the brewery is charging fees for customers to see live bands’ outdoor performances on its 1-acre lawn, where it sells beer at a trailer, Vandenburgh said
The changes are paying off, he said
“It’s definitely helped us. … It’s an industrial space that just has a very cool vibe to it,” which is helping to drive business, he said
Tim McCarthy owns McCarthy’s Pub in Centereach and co-owns Daisy’s Nashville Lounge in Patchogue and Miller Place. Both Daisy’s locations have live music performances several times weekly, but the Patchogue location attracts more young adults, while the Miller Place location, which has a full-service restaurant, appeals more to families, he said
Not only has business fallen significantly at Daisy’s in Patchogue, but customers’ nights end earlier, McCarthy said. On-demand food delivery services have cut into sales too, he said
“This business has changed drastically with like DoorDash. That has become a big part of the business because these new kids don’t come out really. They just want everything delivered to the house,” said McCarthy, who has increased the number of tri
On-demand food delivery services are legally allowed to deliver alcohol in New York State, but customers buy less alcohol when using those services than they would if they were dining in restaurants or bars, experts said
By Tory N. Parrishtory.parrish@newsday.comToryParrish1
Tory N. Parrish covers retail and small business for Newsday. She has worked at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y
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