“It’s hard.”
That’s what Pip Hanson, the brains behind Bar Mara, a cocktail lounge at Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis, admits about designing a non-alcoholic cocktail menu. That’s not a complaint or an excuse; it’s just an honest assessment, and why sometimes even excellent cocktail bars fall short when it comes to no- or even low-ABV offerings.
Ask a bartender what the biggest mistakes are being made with NA cocktail programs, and you’ll get a few different answers. “I feel a missing focus in the category is the more decidedly ‘adult’ flavors,” says Hanson. “The challenge has never been to recreate tropical juice drinks; it’s how to scratch the itch of wanting an Old Fashioned. And most of those attempts are pretty rough.”
“A lot of places still think non-alc means ‘sweet juice in a fancy glass,’” adds Supatta Banklouy, the beverage director at the acclaimed Thai restaurant Soother LIC. “That’s the problem. Alcohol doesn’t just add flavor — it adds texture, warmth and length. When you ignore bitterness, salinity, aromatics and mouthfeel, the drink feels flat. A good zero-proof cocktail needs just as much structure as a boozy one.”
And it may also stem from expectations of consumers who may not understand NA drinks. “I think the public at large has many misunderstandings about bars that try to be intentional with non-alcoholic cocktails,” says Ricky Ramirez, owner of Milwaukee’s The Mothership. “Most bars rely on their soda guns or juices for non-alcoholic options, and some bars, like us, have a small menu that still relies on technique for their NA choices. Two of the three drinks on our NA menu have about a day’s worth of prep each to get the drinks available for service. That labor is noticed by our guests.”
We spoke with nine bartenders and bar directors from a wide range of bars (some booze-forward, some geared more toward booze-free outings) about the philosophies behind their NA menu, a few ingredients that make a big difference in no-ABV drinks and what spirits-free drink from their bar they’d recommend. Some highlights and lessons learned, below.
Presentation Is Key: Rosette
Based in Seattle, Rosette is the city’s first bar dedicated to nonalcoholic cocktails (along with beer and wine). “Rosette was created around the idea that non-alcoholic cocktails deserve the same care, creativity and consideration as any traditional cocktail,” says Mark Paschal, one of the owner/operators of the worker-owned bar. “A lot of bars treat non-alcoholic drinks as an afterthought, or a way to cash in on a trend, rather than an important part of a well-rounded menu. We highlight seasonal flavors and ingredients.” To that end, the bar uses a homemade “cranadine” (in place of grenadine) to highlight the Pacific Northwest, along with seasonal syrups such as butternut squash and red curry.
It’s also about the cocktail prep. “Many of our non-alcoholic drinks draw inspiration from classic cocktail structures while using non-alcoholic spirits and house-made components,” says Paschal. “We also want to show that the pageantry and delights of a well-made cocktail don’t require alcohol — the cocktail itself is paramount.” Drink: Easing Into It, made with Aplos Ease, lime and simple syrup.
Go Functional: Bar Mara
Pip Hanson at Minneapolis’s Bar Mara recently introduced Minnesota’s first functional cocktail menu, using adaptogens, botanicals and extracts for his booze-free drinks. “There’s a huge number of herbs and botanicals we have basically overlooked in our beverages, and I’m excited to see products come to the market that highlight some of the botanicals known to improve health or lifestyle,” says Hanson, who’s also a big proponent of utilizing tea in his cocktails to bring body, color and aroma. “One interesting aspect of functional products — the term I generally use for the NA category — are the differences and diversity in flavor compared with what one finds in spirits. With functional cocktails, there’s rarely anything in the ingredients that provokes the kind of extreme reaction you’d expect from a shot of navy-strength gin. It all requires a totally different approach to balance, and I think rebranding it as ‘functional’ to focus on tea or chamomile or nettle, rather than what’s absent, is going to help get people to see the possibilities.” Drink: Bridge and Snooker, made with Three Spirit products and an NA glycerin-based tobacco bitters from Fee’s Bros.
Find Balance: Santi
Michelin-starred Chef Michael White’s new Italian restaurant Santi features a bar with a fairly robust NA drinks menu. “All of our mocktails are riffs on classics and made to have depth and personality,” says beverage manager James Lamb. That said, it’s not just a matter of adding or subtracting a spirit. “Alcohol has such a strong flavor. These non-alc cocktails we have are measured to be perfectly balanced as-is,” he adds. His secret ingredient? Saline. “It goes a long way in non-alcoholic. It tends to balance any juices you may be using, since you don’t have those bold booze notes to do the job.” Drink: Giusto e Sbagliato, a riff on a Boulevardier and a Negroni Sbagliato with a wonderful chocolate note.
Get Clarification: Soothr LIC
At Soothr LIC, Beverage Director Supatta Banklouy takes inspiration from Southeast Asian flavors and ingredients (including clarified soy sauce and even MSG). “We treat our non-alcoholic drinks exactly like real cocktails — because they are,” says Banklouy. “Same balance, same structure, same attention to detail. Instead of just taking the alcohol out, we rebuild the drink from the ground up using proper techniques like infusions, carbonation, clarified juices and fermentation. And we still jigger, shake, stir, fine-strain and pay attention to ice, glassware and garnish.” Drink: Emerald, a refreshing and spicy mix of cucumber juice, apple juice, wasabi honey and shoyu.
Play Nice With Booze: 48 Record Bar
“Just like the cocktail menu, the non-alcoholic offerings are inspired by seasonality and built with the same level of thought and craftsmanship,” says Siri, who oversees the drinks menu at Philadelphia’s listening room 48 Record Bar. “Rather than serving as stand-ins, these drinks are designed to stand on their own while also pulling double duty, easily adaptable with a complementary spirit if desired. We allow for the crossover [to an alcoholic cocktail] while maintaining the integrity of the drink’s structure.” Drink: The Mock Milk Punch. “It captures the flavors and structure of one of the bar’s more booze-forward cocktails, demonstrating that a non-alcoholic drink can still feel layered, complete and satisfying,” says Siri.
Embrace Acidity: Richard Sandoval Hospitality
Richard Sandoval Hospitality recently launched The Art of Zero-Proof, an eight-mocktail menu throughout its locations around the globe, crafted by the star chef/owner. “Each drink is composed like a piece of art,” says Sandoval. “We focus on structure, layering, aroma and finish, not just flavor. Some drinks reinterpret classics, while others are original compositions inspired by Latin ingredients, fermentation, botanicals and culinary technique. Too many non-alcoholic drinks rely on sweetness or juice. What’s missing is bitterness, texture, temperature and length on the palate.” His secret? “Ingredients like verjus, citrus blends, fermented elements, or bitter aperitif-style bases give a drink tension and length. Acidity is what keeps a zero-proof cocktail from feeling flat and gives it that satisfying finish you expect from a great drink.” Drink: The Smoked Old Fashioned, where “bitterness, smoke, herbal notes and aroma are all in balance,” says the chef
Vary Your Style: The Peach Crease Club
Founded by Denver-based bartenders and husband-and-wife duo Alex Jump and Stuart Jensen, The Peach Crease Club offers a wide-ranging menu of both boozy and NA offerings. “It’s important to have a balance of cocktail styles, as well as other offerings, so the menu feels well-rounded and there’s something for everyone,” says Jump. “It’s important to me personally because I don’t really enjoy drinking sour-style cocktails, so I always challenge myself to write a non-sour, non-alcoholic cocktail. So we have one Collins, one sour, one odd-ball (the Borscht) and one bitter/boozy non-alcoholic option.” The bar also has a number of low-ABV options, non-alc beer and wine and even lists the ABV of all its drinks on its menu. Drink: Borscht, a clarified milk punch with beet juice, dill syrup, lime juice and yogurt, with the addition of either a horseradish NA spirit or a horseradish-infused vodka,
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Go Off-Menu: The Mothership
*My philosophy on non-alcoholic drinks is, How do we get across a good drink that doesn’t make someone think about alcohol versus no alcohol in a drink?” says Ricky Ramirez, owner of Milwaukee’s The Mothership. *Our thoughts on NA drinks are to have drinks that don’t feature products from the rest of the menu. We wanted to make drinks that stand on their own. I do often see bars that offer NA options of their cocktails, and that’s great, but I definitely wanted to create a space for drinks that were great on their own and still showed off creativity.” Drink: The Michenada, a non-alc Michelada that’s clarified and features acid-adjusted guava, Tapatio hot sauce, Sal de Guasno as a seasoning and served with Athletic’s NA copper lager in a frost beer mug. “That drink has a camaraderie effect visually between drinkers and those who are abstaining,” says Ramirez.
Design Your Boozy and NA Drinks Concurrently: Archive & Myth
“There’s a very intentional philosophy behind our non-alcoholic drinks,” explains Laurie Howells, the head bartender at London’s Archive & Myth. Most importantly, the majority of the cocktails on the menu can be ordered in a non-alcoholic format. “We design them in parallel from the outset. We set out to mirror the flavor profiles, structure and textures of our signature cocktail list. We look closely at elements like acidity, bitterness, mouthfeel and aroma, and rebuild those layers using techniques such as clarifications, cordials, ferments and distillates — just without alcohol.” One sign that a bar isn’t treating its NA menu with the same thought and care as its boozy side? “When they pair a non-alcoholic spirit with ginger beer, tonic or juice.” Drink: The NA Bee’s Knees, featuring Everleaf Forest, bay, wildflower honey, carrot and almond amazake, propolis, barley and lemon. “It has depth, softness, and a naturally honeyed texture that feels incredibly grown-up and grounded,” says Howells.
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