English restaurant makes a splash with water-only menu
La Popote, which is recognised by the Michelin Guide, was inspired to launch the bottled water menu after its co-owner, Joseph Rawlins, attended a water and food pairing event. He said he hopes to provide diners with “something a bit different”, as consumers cut down on alcohol.
La Popote, a French-style restaurant in Cheshire, has become the UK’s first restaurant to launch a ‘water menu’, curated with a dedicated sommelier.
This comes as consumers cut down their alcohol intake: a 2023 Gallup poll revealed that only 62% of adults under the age of 35 say they drink, down from 72% two decades ago.
Joseph Rawlins, co-owner and head chef at the venue, told The Times it was the perfect moment to “provide something a bit different” to diners, after that people were drinking less, and looking for alternatives to alcohol.
Speaking to CNN, chef Joseph Rawlins, who runs the eatery with his French partner Gaëlle Radigon, said he had initially been approached about the idea by Doran Binder, who was already supplying the restaurant with their ‘house’ water under his Crag Spring Water brand.
What’s on the list?
Binder is an accredited water sommelier, having earned his stripes at the Fine Water Academy. When he first posed the idea of a water menu three years ago, Rawlins initially “laughed it off”.
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But then, the couple attended a tasting at the supplier’s Peak District “water bar”, sampling five or six various varieties paired with food like Manchego cheese, chocolate, Parma ham and olives. It was only then that Rawlins was won over: “Like with a wine, the taste just changed,” he told CNN.
The establishment, working in partnership with Binder, has curated a list of bottled waters from France, Spain, Portugal, England and Iceland.
The water list’s most expensive bottle is the sparkling Portuguese Vidaga at £19. It’s described as having an “effervescent” mouthfeel and “delicate, salty” taste. There’s also Lauretana Mineral Water, which promises a “clean, crisp” taste and “sharp, dry” mouthfeel for £12, and the award-winning Crag Spring Water, from the Peak District, is the cheapest bottle on the list at only £5.00. It has no taste, apparently, but feels “smooth, creamy” and “silky” on the palette.
Low-and-no trend
Crag Spring has been available at the venue since Mr Rawlins acquired it alongside partner Gaëlle Radigon in 2019.
The no and low-alcohol segment is proving it isn’t just a fleeting trend. A quarter of drinkers across IWSR’s recent surveyed markets are now consuming no-alcohol beverages, with particularly high adoption in Spain (40%) and Germany (44%).
North America is catching up, with participation doubling compared to last year, though it still lags behind Europe. No-alcohol beer continues to lead the category, while no-alcohol spirits are gaining traction in the US, UK, and Germa
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