Minnesotans looking to eliminate or cut back on booze in the new year have more options than ever.

Why it matters: Reducing alcohol consumption is good for your health.

• The growing availability and popularity of tasty, booze-free beverages can make temperance, even if temporary, more enjoyable and normalized.

The big picture: Creative mocktails and non-alcoholic craft beer are gaining real estate on menus and shelves across the metro as more consumers embrace "Dry January" or cut back more broadly.

• "There is more of a demand for low-alcohol or nonalcohol than there ever has been," Tony Chesak, executive director of the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association, told Axios.

By the numbers: The nonalcoholic beverage industry is booming nationwide. Sales increased 33% to $331 million in 2021, per Nielsen data, and analysts expect the sector to continue to grow.

Driving the trend: An explosion of more, and often more flavorful, options is quenching consumers' thirst, industry leaders say.

Zoom in: The trend is playing out here with new offerings crafted by some of the Twin Cities' most well-known chefs, brewers and distillers.

• Norseman Distillery, for example, is involved in a new Food Building pop-up serving local nonalcoholic cocktails and beers.

Between the lines: Selling higher-end zero alcohol-by-volume options can also be good for business.

• Minneapolis-based Hairless Dog Brewing Co. sold more of its 0% ABV "beer" in the fourth quarter of 2021 than the three previous quarters combined, co-founder Paul Pirner said.
• Blue Plate Restaurant Co., meanwhile, saw the share of sales from non-alcoholic beverages double from 1% to 2% after introducing a new mocktail menu across its seven restaurants last month.

What to watch: Industry insiders expect the presence — and ambitions — of non-alcoholic options to continue to flow, with an emphasis on more experimental mocktails and small-batch brews.

• Pirner hopes to eventually open a taproom. Freehouse Restaurant, meanwhile, is in talks to brew its own non-alcoholic beer.

The bottom line: For bars and brands, New Year's resolutions and resets create opportunities to reach new customers and grow market share.

• "Dry January is our Super Bowl," Pirner said.

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Shopper traffic at Target stores rose by 6.2% between Nov. 1-Dec. 25 compared with the same period of 2019, outpacing many of its rivals, according to data reported by Reuters.

Meanwhile, Walmart foot traffic was flat and Richfield-based Best Buy's traffic was down 11.5%, according to Placer.ai, a research firm that collects anonymized location data from 30 million mobile devices.

Yes, but: Minneapolis-based Target isn't expected to have the same profit margin as 2019 due to in part to supply chain logjams, Reuters reports.

🚌 An ongoing bus driver shortage is causing delays and canceled activities for kids in Minneapolis and St. Paul. (Star Tribune)

🚨 Now five of Hennepin County’s seven commissioners and a Minneapolis City Council member are calling on Sheriff David Hutchinson to resign following his DWI crash. (WCCO)

🙏 Mel Reeves, a longtime local activist and editor of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, has died of COVID-19 complications. (Minnesota Reformer)

🏄 Big swells on Lake Superior brought out surfers — in wind chills below zero! (MPR News)

🎄 Undecking your halls this weekend? Here's how to dispose of that Christmas tree. (Axios Twin Cities)

The Vikings and Bears face off in a meaningless game on Sunday at noon, but Nick and our Axios Chicago colleague Justin Kaufmann, had a fun conversation about the history of the rivalry. Here's what the longtime Bears fan told Nick.

What do you like about the Vikings? They always have fun players to watch. Randall Cunningham, Randy Moss and now Justin Jefferson. 

What do you dislike? Uniforms. Purple and yellow? Nah. 

What's your favorite play from the rivalry? Easy. Jim McMahon's Minnesota Miracle in 1985. 

If the Bears could sign one Vikings player in history, who would it be?  The 80s linebacker who always had blood all over his pants. 

Read their takes on the rivalry.

🎆 Start the New Year with a new job. Check out these openings from our Job Board.

1. IT service desk technician at TEKsystems.
2. Graphic communication team leader at IKEA.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Post a job.

Many events have been canceled this weekend, but there are still a handful of things to do around the Twin Cities.

• We recommend checking for possible day-of changes.

🎨 Get the tattoo of your dreams at the Minneapolis Tattoo Arts Convention this weekend, where hard-to-book artists from across the country gather for walk-ins, sessions and contests. $20-$40 entry.

🦮 Watch over 1,500 pups do their best at the Land O' Lakes Kennel Dog Show this weekend in St. Paul. There's even a Puppy Party for dogs ages 4-6 months. $5-$10.

• Bonus: The building is also a free COVID testing site.

🧊 🏰 Endure the cold in a giant castle created by "professional ice artists" at the Ice Castles in New Brighton, starting today. $11-$22.

⛸ It's ice skating season! Bryant Square Park will be filled with hundreds of lamps for a Luminary Skating Party Saturday night. Free.

Adventurous souls who aren't afraid of heights — or cold — are gathering to scale frozen formations at this weekend's annual Sandstone Ice Festival.

How it works: Climbers use ice axes and spiky crampons on their boots to work their way up the frozen walls of the former quarry at Robinson Park. (Think Jon Snow and the Wildlings in "Game of Thrones.")

• Ropes and harnesses provide some protection from falls, as with rock climbing.

Torey's advice: Beware the screaming barfies.

Want to give it a try? Vertical Endeavors and a Sandstone gear rental and guide company both offer lessons.