Non-alcoholic

BOOZE-FREE BAR HOPPING

In an “evolved drinking culture” quality potables come in varying levels of potency, including zero proof

Story by CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB | Illustrations by JESSICA TURNER

QUESTION: “WHY AREN’T YOU DRINKING?” ANSWER: YOU ARE.

Even if alcohol is out, the days of teetotalers sipping sad soda waters, excluded from toasts and cheers, are over.

“All the best places in the world, cocktail-wise, have equity on their menus dedicated to non-alcoholic cocktails,” says Trey Roland, former bartender and sales representative for a line of nonalcoholic spirits. “That’s just the standard now.”

Inside Atlas a few hours before Bishop Arts grows wild with bachelorette parties and impromptu photo shoots, Roland lines the bar with bottles that look like high-end libations — bourbon, gin, an orange aperitif. But this is a zero-proof brand called Lyre’s.

Tending bar a few years ago, Roland noticed increasing demand for socalled “mocktails.” He thinks no-booze bar hopping will become even more common in this post-pandemic, morehealth-conscious world.

“When people were stuck home, I think drinking probably spiked, but as we come out of that, there is a movement toward mindfulness and wellness,” he says.

And there is no denying the trend’s favorable social element, he says.

“It’s about people being able to say that, in this moment, I don’t want to drink. If I’m entertaining clients in a business setting, going on a first date and prefer not to drink with somebody I don’t know, or if I’m starting a family — I might not care to explain that to everyone,” he says. “Now, I am having a cocktail — it looks like one, tastes like one and we’re enjoying ourselves.”

Atlas owner Danny Bui, who also owns Krio, started bartending in the 2000s to finance college and says he’s been watching the drinking culture evolve for years.

“Back then it was a lot of vodka tonic, vodka Red Bull, Crown and Coke, Sex on the Beach,” he says. “But now it’s coming back to the actual spirits. You see the daiquiris and classics coming back. People are respecting the ingredients and the bar program in general.” And alcohol is optional.

Brands such as Lyre’s (Ritual and Seedlip also are popular NA names) mean nondrinkers need not sacrifice the intended feel and taste of a crafted beverage, the mixology pros say.

“We want to give folks who abstain some dedicated curation and also offer a pacing tool for those who do partake but want something lower proof,” Roland says.

He says Revelers Hall, Written By the Seasons, Tiny Victories, Chimichurri and Krio in Bishop Arts all also carry the nonalcoholic brand, Lyre’s.

To test the theory that one can enjoy a pleasurable evening of drinking while 100% sober, we bounced around to several spots within walking distance of Atlas (because, though perfectly fit to drive, parking still stinks).

Even among establishments without a dedicated low-alcohol-by-volume or mocktail menu, an encouraging number of gracious bartenders stepped up to the task with beautiful, lovingly crafted, buzz-free — caffeine doesn’t count — creations.

1. PINKY SUMMER AT PRESSED BY PERLA

It’s not the first place that comes to mind when one thinks of bar hopping, but the new West Davis juice bar Pressed by Perla is an oasis for anyone on a health journey in the land of BBQ, extreme doughnuts and adult milkshakes. Naturally sweet hydration is bottled with care by Perla Murillo, who opened Pressed last spring. Murillo says the Pinky Summer is her most popular summertime drink— that’s fresh aloe and mango in watermelon and pineapple juice. She says the Pinky “keeps you hydrated when hungover and helps with acid reflux too.”

With the right timing, you’ll drop in and find this juicebar tender making a batch of strawberry oat milk or kiwi lemonade, which she will serve on ice and strawberries.

2. THE LAURA PALMER, THE MISS JUDY OR THE CHAI SODA AT LA REUNION

Friday afternoon customers are beginning to fill the barstools at La Reunion. In days past, alcohol abstainers might feel obligated to clear out and make way for the “real” clientele buying liquor. But it’s a new world where the sober can run up a tab like anyone else. Bartenders Patrick Saadatmand and Riann Wilson do not shun the temperate — they blend three boozeless, addicting nonetheless, beverages:

One: The Laura Palmer, made of lavender lemonade, Topo Chico and topped with Kyoto Cold Brew. Imagine the classic Arnold Palmer but crisper and cleaner with burnt umber bite.

Two: The Miss Judy, a variation of the Laura Palmer but topped with green matcha, for dark, rich, emerald layers.

Three: Chai Soda, made with Fever-Tree ginger beer, housemade chai, topped with nitro iced coffee and cinnamon. For designated drivers requiring a pick-me-up, this is the one.

La Reunion owner Mike Mettendorf says bartenders here can come up with all manner of low- or no-abv concoctions to suit varying tastes, but he highly recommends taking advantage of La Reunion’s exceptional coffee program. And for those steering clear of caffeine, order direct-source, high quality herbal teas or sugar-cane processed decaf, he suggests.

3. PIS-NO SOUR AT TINY VICTORIES

Flying into the Tiny Victories pub solo sans that social lubricant is almost intimidating because, like all of the tenants in the TyPo (Tyler Polk) building, this place is so dang adorable. But inside, behind the bar, a shrine to painter Bob Ross makes everything seem OK.

Barkeep Jake Crews mixes up one citrus-y mocktail, mint-y hued, garnished with a sprig, looking just like the pisco sour from which it is inspired. It hasn’t an official name, but, with crowd consensus, it’s dubbed the Pis-no Sour. A couple from Duncanville is in for a quick drink before the Oak Cliff Film Festival and a conversation about one of the movies ensues. Camaraderie among strangers in a bar, alcohol optional. Enter feeling tiny; emerge victorious.

4.ESPRESSO MOJITO AT COCOANDRE CHOCOLATIER

On a melting hot summer day the chocolate, thankfully, is safe inside the cool confines of CocoAndre, a house of handmade truffles and candies lined up in cases like many fine jewels. Cindy Pedraza Puente, owner, along with her mother Andrea Pedraza, has instructed her son Andrew Rodriguez to whip up “something with clouds” for the teetotaling wanderers.

Smiling, Rodriguez presents the beverage, announcing ingredients “lime, mint, simple syrup, sparkling water and espresso on ice.” It is life giving on such a day. Famous for its ethical chocolate (CocoAndre uses only fair-trade goods and services) — and now its no-jito — the Bishop Arts business is known for in-house horchata, a Mexican drink made from rice milk and cinnamon. Customers come for dirty horchata (with espresso) but there is also matcha, prickly pear, strawberry, piña colada, mocha, marzipan, pecan and cacao.

5. LYRE’S RUGGED FLOWER AT ATLAS

This dark and velvety Bishop Avenue bar is celebrated for craft cocktails such as the Rugged Flower (made with Chihuahua Marfa Sotol — sub Lyre’s agave reserva — tamarind puree, tajin, citrus). In the past, if you wanted the mocktail version, a bartender would add a little soda or citrus, subtract the hard stuff and serve it up. That’s a mocktail. But owner Danny Bui prefers intentionally crafted nonalcoholic spirits to “mocktails.”

His non-alcoholic spirits sales rep Trey Roland says, “We are not mocking anything. Here you’ll have something that engages with your senses and feels like a classic cocktail without any alcohol being involved in the process.”

6.THE BLUE HAWAII AT WOW WOW LEMONADE STAND

Another darling Eighth Street bungalow, another opportunity to embrace your liquid diet. Fuel a 100-degree shopping spree with a sip — or guzzle — from a selection of handcrafted beverages made with pure cane sugar, just enough, because you want to taste the lemon, says Wow Wow’s Nancy Taylor, who owns the Oak Cliff lemonade bar with her husband Kevin.

“We try to keep everything as natural as possible — no artificial flavoring or syrup, just natural pureed fruit.”

The prettiest and arguably most addictive drink on the menu is Blue Hawaii, a craft pressed-coconut lemonade that gets its azure hue from a splash of spirulina, a blue-green algae with antioxidant properties.

Taylor says her favorite, today, is Mango Colada, a crushed passionfruit and guava fruit lemonade, or Butterfly Mojito with real mint, lime and butterfly pea flower. “My favorite is really whichever one I am drinking now,” she says.

Buy your drink in a colorful glass mason jar or growler for discounted refills. And if you hop off the wagon, this makes for an exemplary mixer. “We can give you some tips,” Taylor says.

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