Our Community: Lyre’s
Lyre’s exquisite range of lovingly crafted non-alcoholic spirits was born from a quest to make the impossible possible – giving consumers the freedom to drink their way. After three years of rigorous development and refinement, the brand has launched a premium range of 13 alcohol-free spirits and three ready-to-drink non-alcoholic cocktails, all now available in Singapore (alongside 50 other countries and counting).
Lyre's products are crafted using a unique understanding of food science and flavour architecture that allows them to pay homage to the flavours of the world's most time-tested spirits. The brand believes that people want to make better choices around their alcohol consumption while still enjoying their much-loved drink of choice.
Working with Lyre's in our Communications division, the team at Accela joins their mission to help spread the word about the non-alcoholic movement. Beyond Dry January, the shift towards more mindful drinking has rippled throughout the year with Moderation March, Dry July, and Sober October. Thinking of trying out your own dry month? Read on to learn more about Lyre's from the brand's Regional Asia Manager, Rachel Ling, and see how you can work their products into your drinks routine…
Let's start at the beginning. How did the idea for Lyre's first come about?
The very beginning of Lyre's conceptualisation started with the CEO and co-founder, Mark Livings. Mark is a serial entrepreneur and has helped create, innovate, and mature businesses that provide services to some of the world's largest consumer product companies.
At some point, Mark realized that if he and his team developed their own product, they could gain a better understanding of the challenges that these companies and clients face. So, Mark and the group decided to challenge themselves by picking a product category they wished existed.
The team recognised a significant lack of sophisticated non-alcoholic drink options. This was very apparent when they were out with clients or the team, but chose not to drink because we had a big day coming up or fitness goals or didn't feel like it. Mark and the team felt a gap where anyone could order the drinks they loved without compromising taste or experience. Realising there was nothing on the market, they began their mission in 2017 to craft a range of non-alcoholic spirits - which everyone knows as Lyre's now.
The concept of "non-alcoholic spirits" is still quite new, but we definitely see the category growing quickly. What sets Lyre's apart from your competitors?
Compared to the Western counterparts like the US, UK, and Australia, the Asian market is still catching up in consumer education and demand for non-alcoholic products. However, since launching in 2020 for Singapore, China, and Hong Kong, we are starting to see a shift in conversation and more interest in non-alcoholic products like Lyre's.
Lyre's stands out with its exquisite range of products. At the moment, we have the world’s largest, most valuable and most awarded range of non-alcoholic spirits with 13 core variants and five ready-to-drink offerings (three currently in Singapore, and two launching soon!). Not to mention, our spirits are made to look, taste, smell and sashay around your palate, just like the original alcoholic versions. With a bottle of Lyre's, anyone can play bartender and explore different cocktails and combinations for everyone to enjoy their drink the way that they want to.
We know the brand is expanding across Southeast Asia - what are some of the new markets you're working with?
It has been an exciting time for Lyre's, having first launched in three key Asian markets in 2020; Singapore, China, and Hong Kong. Lyre’s has always prided and seen itself as a global brand with followers in all corners of the world. The company’s focus in the broader Asia region has been to create relevance and familiarity. We are excited to do more with Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Thailand, India, and Vietnam.
What interesting challenges have you faced with the regional expansion?
Everyone knows that Asia is a beautiful region with different cultures, the region is so vibrant and exciting. No two Asian countries that Lyre’s work with will adopt the same strategy to raise awareness and relevance.
The team was so surprised that China is our fastest growing country in the region, and the consumers were ready to embrace the category like other Western markets that we work with. However, what worked in China cannot be applied to countries like Malaysia. This is because there is a different cultural understanding of alcoholic spirits, and explaining the non-alcoholic category would be different. In the case of Malaysia, there will be a focus on brand building and ensuring that consumers understand the category and what it means for them.
One of the most important things that Lyre’s learned fast was the need to understand the country's knowledge of the alcoholic category and pinpoint key tastemakers and opinion leaders that can help educate on the non-alcoholic category. As Lyre's has been leading the charge in the non-alcoholic category, the team will continue to face exciting challenges and pave the way for more non-alcoholic products.
And what about opportunities and challenges in Singapore specifically?
When Lyre’s first expanded into the Asian market, the team saw Singapore as a gateway where East meets West. Singapore is home to some of the world's best and most innovative bars, with top industry talent – it was an opportunity to take Lyre's to the next level.
Many have had to stay home during the pandemic, and conversations on wellness and mental health started to grow. Lyre's had a chance to help educate people to be more mindful of their drinking and potentially reconsider some old habits.
The biggest challenge with launching a brand and a new product category is raising awareness. Working with top bars and restaurants like ATLAS, Manhattan, Tippling Club, Writer's Bar and more, Lyre’s has seen more non-alcoholic cocktails being integrated into menus. It is an excellent stride as we can help make people feel more comfortable in their freedom to enjoy their drink in the way they want that is sophisticated too.
Where can we find Lyre's in Singapore?
Lyre's award-winning range of 13 non-alcoholic spirits and five ready-to-drink canned cocktails are available for purchase online at lyres.asia, where you can also find recipes and bundles to recreate your favorite cocktails in non-alcoholic form.
You can also find Lyre's at Cold Storage and Marketplace supermarkets, Lyre’s have also recently launched on Fairprice online and Giant Hypermarket Tampines.
With Lyre's expanding rapidly across different countries, you can visit our store locator and find out how close you are to Lyre's stockists, from top bars and restaurants to retail partners.
Can you tell us your favorite way to enjoy Lyre's?
My favorite way to enjoy Lyre’s is often time of the day or occasion-led. We have so many non-alcoholic spirit options, and a variety of cocktails you can create with Lyre’s.
With food, I like to have a light and refreshing Lyre’s Classico (sparkling canned cocktail) or a Lyre’s Dry London & Mediterranean Tonic that doesn’t overpower my meal but enhances it. For sunset or evening drinks, I would order a full-flavored classic Nogroni (non-alcoholic Negroni) or Boulevardier. They’re great non-alcoholic remakes of the classics, with the same spirits and recipes, sans the burn and hangovers. My breakfast or mid-day pick-me-up is an aromatic and bright Lyre’s Coffee Originale and Tonic.
