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Geopolitics

The World's A Mash - Presenting: Bo Xilai Nouveau

Worldcrunch

PARIS - Get it!?

Ok, we know our pronunciation of both French and Mandarin expand=1] is less than perfect...But this is the sort of stuff that gets mashed together at Worldcrunch HQ, where the continents converge, cultures cross and alcohol is not forbidden.

So we hope you like our super-fresh bottle of Bo Xilai Nouveau as it hits the Internet to coincide with this week's annual Beaujolais Nouveau roll out AND the Chinese Communist Party Congress' choice of a new leader, who would've, should've, could've been Bo, if not for his belle... Ok, that's enough. Cheers! Santé!! Ganbei!!!

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Society

How Gen Z Is Breaking Europe's Eternal Alcohol Habit

Young people across Europe are drinking less, which is driving a boom in non-alcoholic alternatives, and the emergence of new, more complex markets.

photo of a beer half full on a bar

German beer, half-full?

Katarzyna Skiba

Updated Dec. 6, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.

PARIS — From Irish whisky to French wine to German beer, Europe has long been known for alcohol consumption. Of the top 10 countries for drinking, nine are in the European Union, according to the World Health Organization.

✉️ You can receive our Bon Vivant selection of fresh reads on international culture, food & travel directly in your inbox. Subscribe here.

But that may be starting to change, especially among Gen Z Europeans, who are increasingly drinking less or opting out entirely, out of concern for their health or problematic alcohol use. A recent French study found the proportion of 17-year-olds who have never consumed alcohol has multiplied, from less than 5% to nearly 20% over the past two decades.

The alcohol-free trend is propping up new markets for low- or zero-alcoholic beverages, including in one of Europe’s beer capitals: Germany.

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