Ring In The New Year Mocktail Style 

A Guide To Celebrating The New Year & New You With Non-Alcoholic Spirits 

When Chris Marshall opened Sans Bar in 2017, America wasn’t fully ready for an alcohol-free bar. Featuring drinks with names like the Nada Colada, the trendy space—located steps from the Texas Capitol in Austin—had all the trappings of a typical lounge with one caveat: no booze. 

“People were like, ‘This is a joke. What’s next, a restaurant without food?’” Marshall recalls. “People just couldn’t wrap their heads around it.” 

Nearly a decade later, Marshall’s mocktails are mocked no more. Not only have sober bars opened up in cities from Los Angeles to New York, but cocktail menus in wet establishments—subterranean speakeasies, hotel watering holes, and happy hour hotspots—now routinely feature non-alcoholic options alongside traditional offerings, often with clever names. There’s the Lazy Mule, a zero-proof version of a Moscow Mule at the Lumber Baron Bar in Grand Rapids, Michigan; the Innocent Cranberry Margarita at Florida’s Grande Lakes Orlando resort; and the Phoney Negroni, a bottled mocktail that approximates Italy’s bitter sipper at True Chesapeake Oyster Co. in Baltimore. 

Their prominence on cocktail lists signals a shift in the country’s drinking culture. A whopping 41 percent of Americans said they were trying to drink less in 2024, according to a consumer sentiment survey by NCSolutions that gauged drinking habits and preferences. It’s especially apparent as the holidays roll to a close—Dry January gains more adherents every year; in 2023, an estimated 35 percent of U.S. adults participated in the month-long alcohol abstinence event. 

The Rise of Mindful Drinking 

Gen Z and Millennials are largely credited with leading the less-alcohol movement, which encourages moderation and wellness without sacrificing a fun night out with friends. So widespread is the phenomenon that 34 percent of Americans now identify as “mindful drinkers,” according to the NCSolutions survey. 

Though drinking less for mental and physical health benefits was gaining momentum before the pandemic, bartenders and industry insiders say it gained traction during the Covid-19 hysteria, when people were confronted with just how much alcohol they were consuming during “lockdown.” Many decided to cut down. 

“Covid changed a lot of habits in the bar,” says A.J. Galecki, bar manager and lead mixologist for restaurant Brother Fox and cocktail bar Sister Hen in Pensacola, Florida. When patrons returned to the nightlife scene, they wanted to be able to socialize, “while still maintaining that mindful drinking lifestyle,” says Galecki. 

They asked for alcohol-free options, and bars across Pensacola delivered, including Sister Hen, which opened in 2023. Galecki makes four beautiful and delicious nearly 0% drinks on his AWOL list, and also offers two non-alcoholic beer options, a Chardonnay and a sparkling wine. 

The Andromeda, a riff on a gin sour that shakes in Seedlip Garden (a zero-proof spirit), lemon juice, house-made ginger syrup, and egg white, is by far the most popular, followed by the balanced Sober Spritz, an Italian-style spritz built with soda, non-alcoholic sparkling wine and Dhos Bittersweet, a non-alcoholic aperitif. Galecki’s drinks are complex and layered, and look as good as they taste—an important consideration so those choosing not to indulge will still feel included and special. 

“With mocktails, you start adding different flavors to create something that makes people happy but doesn’t get them drunk,” says Galecki. 

Zero-Proof Beverages Today 

Ten years ago, bartenders tinkered with botanicals, vinegar shrubs, juices, and even teas to try and mimic the taste of booze in mocktails, with mixed results. Now, brands such as Seedlip and Lyre’s offer a range of non-alcoholic spirits—think Agave (faux tequila), London Dry (pretend gin), and Spice 94 (like a spiced rum)—that have allowed mixologists to create drinks that hold up to their alcoholic cousins. 

“Zero-proof options have come a long way since sugary, soda-based drinks mixed with fruit juices,” says Mercedes Cowper, resident mixologist, and sommelier at the iconic Round Robin Bar in Washington, D.C. Round Robin uses Seedlip’s three non-alcoholic spirits, which are crafted from natural botanical distillates, citric acid, and herbs, in combination with house-made syrups and freshly squeezed juices. Like Galecki, Cowper believes the same amount of care and effort should go into zero-proof drinks as alcoholic ones, and the result is popular non-alcoholic picks like the Spiced Panoma, a take on a traditional Paloma. 

At the same time, breweries have rolled out better non-alcoholic beers. Most major brewers, including American heavyweights Coors and Budweiser, offer non-alcoholic options and craft brewers are beginning to cater to the dry market. True Chesapeake Oyster Co. in Baltimore serves four non-alcoholic options from Athletic Brewing Company in Stratford, Connecticut, for example, including a Hazy IPA. The restaurant says these options outsell their canned alcoholic beers. 

The Future of Dry Drinks 

Non-alcoholic alternatives are the fastest-growing segment of the beverage market, and Marshall doesn’t see any sign that demand will slow down. He says there are so many people who do (or did) drink alcohol that want something that tastes like a cocktail, beer, or glass of wine on nights they’re not drinking, especially in social situations. 

“I think the future is that we see [on menus] the same amount of non-alcoholic drinks as there are alcoholic drinks. And in some places it might even reverse, and we see more alcohol-free options,” says Marshall. “A lot of people are saying, ‘Alcohol, I could take it or leave it.’ Now, it’s easier to leave it because there are so many alternatives.”  

4 Non-Alcoholic Drinks To Consider 

BUBBLY: Ring in the new year with Noughty dealcoholized sparkling Chardonnay from Thomson & Scott. Made from organically-grown grapes, its tiny bubbles and crisp taste may fool Champagne aficionados. 

STOUT: Leave it to dark beer specialist Guinness to brew a non-alcoholic version of its famous stout that’s so good, it’s indistinguishable from the real thing. 

IPA: The smooth, sessionable Run Wild IPA from Athletic Brewing Co. in Connecticut combines hoppy flavor with sweet malt and a bright orange nose for a delicate but dynamic non-alcoholic brew. 

CIDER: Meriwether Cider Co. in Boise, Idaho, makes a delightful zero-proof cider called Wild Abandon. Fresh-pressed Northwest apples meet hibiscus, rose hip, juniper, and lime for a softer take on a hard cider. 

Two Righteous Non-Alcoholic Mocktail Recipes 

Goose

This refreshing tropical mocktail delivers beachy vibes with frothy pineapple, bitter notes, and a hint of gingerbread from the molasses syrup. 

 Serves 1 

Ingredients 

• 1 oz Giffard "Sirop" Non-Alcoholic Aperitif 

• 3/4 oz lime juice 

• 1/2 oz molasses syrup 

• 2 oz pineapple juice 

• Pineapple frond, lime wedge and mint sprig  

Method:  

Shake Giffard “Sirop,” lime juice, molasses syrup, and pineapple juice with ice. Strain into a Collins glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a pineapple frond, lime wedge, and mint sprig. 

—Courtesy Paul Palombo, beverage director, 
True Chesapeake Oyster Co. 

Spiced Panoma

For a non-alcoholic take on a Paloma, substitute Seedlip Spice 94 for tequila. 

Serves 1 

Ingredients 

• 1/2 oz Seedlip Spice 94 

• 1 oz Fever Tree sparkling grapefruit 

• Top with soda water 

• Jalapeño round and mint sprig garnish 

Method:  

Build over ice in a Collins glass and garnish with a jalapeño round and mint sprig. 

—Courtesy Round Robin Bar at the Willard InterContinental