On a Saturday in December, the pop-up bar in Montpelier's North Branch Café was packed to the walls. Twentysomethings sipped drinks laden with fancy herbs in the dimly lit space. On a makeshift stage, burlesque performers, drag queens and belly dancers took turns captivating a crowd of nearly 60 people. The café — a quiet, casual place by day — had been transformed into a standing-room-only pop-up bar called Flower Haus for the night. Despite the swanky vibe, the evening was alcohol-free. The drinks being sipped were mocktails, and the purpose of this "dedicated sober herbal wellness" lounge was to create a comfortable venue for those who want to socialize without alcohol. Mollie Gaito, the 28-year-old organizer of Flower Haus, has been amazed by the turnout at the two events they've put on since October. "I put out as many chairs as I could at North Branch, but it's just never enough," Gaito said. "There's a real desire for these types of spaces without the pressure of alcohol." The success of Flower Haus reflects a larger cultural moment. Gen Z and millennial Vermonters are saying goodbye to booze at record rates. Binge drinking by young adults in Vermont has decreased 15 percent in the past 10 years, according to community surveys by the Vermont Department of Health. Alcohol use among 18- to 20-year-olds has fallen nearly 10 percent in the same time period, according to the same surveys. Nationally, drinking rates have declined at about the same rate among younger generations. A variety of factors may be at play according to experts: the pandemic, the legalization of cannabis, the rise of the wellness industry, growing mental health awareness and, more broadly, alcohol's declining reputation. The result, though, is evident: Bar menus list mocktail options and nonalcoholic beers; sober meetups and alcohol-free dance party posters litter coffee shop bulletin boards. Vermonters' alcohol use overall remains among the highest in the country. In fact, substance misuse by Vermonters age 65 and older is increasing, according to the health department's community surveys. Meanwhile the number of high school-age Vermonters who have reported trying alcohol has decreased by 10 percent in the past decade, according to the department. One reason alcohol consumption may be down among younger Vermonters is the increase in rates of anxiety and depression in that age group. The number of young people prescribed antidepressants — which often cannot be…