Lose the soda water and lime. Several area bars and restaurants are coming up with mocktails so fancy you’ll forget they don’t have any alcohol in them. Photo: Taylor Simpson.
Writer: Hailey Allen
As we all come down from our recent holiday highs, January is the perfect time for a restorative restart. If you’re setting off on a Dry January adventure, or simply looking for less booze this year, you’re in luck. Several local bars offer creative (and tasty!) nonalcoholic options. Here are a few places to get you started.
Clyde’s Fine Diner:
Under their zero proof menu, find several options at this East Village spot. Toss the gin and tonic and reach for the “Love Is The Groove,” made with elderflower, bitters, sparkling water and lemon. Or, if you’re craving an espresso martini, get your caffeine kick with the “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).” It starts with cold brew espresso, then adds coconut water, grapefruit, peach bitters and cinnamon into the mix.
Django: This downtown restaurant is featuring new creations weekly on a rotating basis. Right now, you’ll find the “Utah 75,” a take on a French 75 featuring Seedlip 42 and Fever Tree Sicilian sparkling lemonade. Then on Friday it’s gone for good, to be replaced by “Directing Traffic,” made with house-made nonalcoholic rum, lime juice and simple syrup. Check their menu next week to see what new mocktails are in store for later this month.
503 Cocktail Lab + Tasting Room: New as of last year, 503 Cocktail Lab + Tasting Room offers a variety of alcohol-free options. Sip on a chocolate Old Fashioned featuring zero-proof whiskey and chocolate bitters, or if you prefer bubbles, try the “Orange and Cardamom Spritz.”
