LP O’Brien leads the charge for soft drink industry integration

How As previously reported, Lauren Paylor “LP” O’Brien parlayed her big win into the Netflix show’s first-ever champion, where mixologists competed for $100,000 and the title of Drink Masters champion, right into a career-defining springboard.

According to O’Brien can be celebrating his first anniversary of sobriety and frequently collaborates with Disney, Food and Wine and American Express to create non-alcoholic cocktails for events, based on a press release.

In 2023, it was reported that contrary to popular belief, the study showed that even moderate amounts of alcohol can contribute to an increased risk of developing the disease and even an increased risk of death.

As Carol Boyd, founding director of the University of Michigan Center for Research on Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health, said, said in May via email“Questioning your relationship with alcohol is a very healthy trend. We know that moderate alcohol consumption carries health risks, and those risks increase as alcohol consumption increases,” Boyd said.

In addition, an editorial by Tamar Haspel, creator of To Boldly Grow: Finding Joy, Adventure, and Dinner In Your Own Backyard for indicated that non-alcoholic beer or other beverages might help drinkers reduce their alcohol intake about alcohol consumption.

In an interview for the June issue of The Guardian, O’Brien outlined a few of the reasons she is so vocal in support of the low- and no-alcohol drinks market, in addition to those preferring to remain sober in social situations.

“I’m also a big advocate for the low-ABV and no-ABV market. I’m a sober bartender, and I think any bartender who can make a delicious non-alcoholic drink that’s not lemonade is providing great 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 , O’Brien became co-owner of Siponey Spritz Co. in 2023, and likewise owns her own company, LP Drinks, which focuses on creating protected, diverse, and inclusive spaces that promote wellness and balance in the hospitality industry.

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

“It’s always been really important to me to figure out ways that I can take care of myself, but more importantly, ways that I can take the things that have worked for me and share them with others. I think, simply put, the most important thing is, how can I live 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 the point where, first of all, you love what you do and you find a way to really align it with your mission and your values, then acting with intention and purpose makes it that much more fruitful.”

O’Brien said her tendency to face her ground and in doing so change people’s opinions about soft drinks has allowed her to rise to prominence in the hospitality and soft drinks industry.

“I’ve grown so much, mainly 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 for me that’s putting myself in a position where I feel like I have the opportunity to change the way people think about drinks,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien also combined her time on the Netflix series with one in every of her current projects.

“I have a pop-up that is an extension of . I’m Afro-Puerto Rican, so in the second episode of the show I created a drink that represented the Bronx and bodegas. And now I’ve created this fun, lively, interactive pop-up where I can see people’s smiles and their joy as they drink and eat. There’s something so magical about seeing other people enjoy what you’ve created.”

However, the trip wasn’t all positive for O’Brien, as she recently described a few of the barriers intimately As a black woman, she faced challenges in the alcohol-free and hospitality spaces. O’Brien, nevertheless, decided to push those boundaries and define success for herself.

“Unfortunately, the truth is that sometimes people see a product and they have a bias that associates a product by a black person with something inferior. When we soar and we tower and we just do what we do without any qualms,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien continued, “It really allows these individuals to check that bias and recognize that we are just as talented, if not more talented. This product that we are able to curate and create has a story, meaning, emotion, and passion. We have a responsibility to continue to open doors by simply being who we are and nothing less.”