In the years following the pandemic, America's relationship with alcohol is quietly fracturing along generational lines. Young adults, who once led the surge in drinking during lockdown, are now pulling back in what marks the first meaningful decline in their consumption since COVID-19 — while older Americans continue to drink more, moving against the tide. This divergence, felt in the reservation books of Tempe bars and the spreadsheets of beverage executives alike, raises questions not just about commerce, but about how different generations are processing the long aftermath of a shared uphe