This is an exciting time to be sober or sober-curious, and it’s easier than ever to find delicious alcohol-free fare in beverage superstores, specialty bottle shops, grocery stores, and online. But, if your town is like mine, it’s not so easy to find more than one or two alcohol-free beer brands on the menu at a bar or restaurant. So, what’s an AF fan to do?
Here are some ideas… and I encourage you to try them out!
1. Name it to claim it!
Many bar and restaurant managers think that because guests don’t specifically ask for alcohol-free options, they don’t want them — however, you and I know this is not the case. Many folks prefer not to speak up if AF options are missing from a menu. I get it. It can be embarrassing to ask for a zero-proof cocktail and then receive a “deer in the headlights” look from a server. But I promise you, the more we ASK for sophisticated zero-proof fare, the more a bar or restaurant will believe their guests want it.
2. Don’t be afraid to ‘veto.’
When choosing where to go with a group of friends, be bold enough to purposely select an establishment with at least a few alcohol-free options. This will encourage that bar or restaurant to keep up the excellent work, and might start sending a message to places that fail to cater to the growing number of their non-drinking guests.
3. Take your AF bevies with you.
I’ve successfully brought a bottle of alcohol-free spirits or wine to restaurants and bars. Bartenders love the challenge of whipping up a cocktail with a zero-proof spirit — and many don’t even know they exist! This creates a much more sophisticated flavor profile and fuller body than soda- or juice-based AF cocktails. I’m not sure about you, but I’m more than happy to pay a corkage fee to have a chilled bottle of zero-proof wine in a beautiful glass poured by my server. Also, I often ask them to take a taste, which opens up a productive, encouraging conversation (see #1 above).
4. Share a favorite recipe.
Ask the bartender to mix up something more sophisticated than the typical mocktail. I always enjoy pomegranate and lime juices mixed with ice in a shaker, then poured into a coupe glass topped with ginger beer and a pretty garnish. Any bar or restaurant worth its salt should be able to mix up something that looks beautiful and tastes fabulous.
5. Be on the lookout for pop-up events!
In Los Angeles, posh bottle shops like Boisson (Brentwood, Beverly Hills, Studio City, and several NYC locations) and The New Bar in Venice often host tastings of delicious AF bevies. Also, local independent pop-up venues, such as Clarity Lounge (yours truly!), ZeroProofed, Licoeurbar, and (many, many!) more are constantly mixing up spirited merriment without the spirits, so be sure to find some in your area and join the fun!
The bottom line: If you love to drink (but just not alcohol) and prefer something sophisticated to the typical water, soda, or iced tea options at bars and restaurants, then hopefully, these small actions will create ripples — and then waves! — to turn the tide in our favor. Let’s do this, my friends!
About Kate Danaj
When Kate decided more than seven years ago that alcohol was not serving her any longer, she decided to give up drinking for Lent and was surprised that she made it through successfully. Realizing how much better she felt without “wine-o’clock” cravings, boozy brunches, or dreaded hangovers — she wanted to keep herself accountable to a mindful drinking path. That’s when she came across two books that solidified her booze-free path (This Naked Mind by Annie Grace and Kick the Drink Easily by Jason Vale) and completely changed her life.
She felt like she took the red pill, tumbled down the rabbit hole, and became “unplugged” from the Matrix of alcohol that had cast a haze over her life. It was surprisingly easier than she expected to almost completely cut booze from her life after seeing alcohol for what it is — a toxic depressant that our healthy bodies treat as poison. She realized alcohol wasn’t making her more relaxed, fun, effervescent, or witty — she already had those qualities inside her — but instead, it made her feel tired, cranky, foggy-headed, and anxious. And on top of that, much of the allure of alcohol was coming from shiny ad campaigns and eye-catching packaging, and we know how that turned out for the tobacco industry.
Bye-Bye Booze!
After drinking moderately for six years, she decided to go completely alcohol-free on December 28, 2021, and hasn’t looked back since. Knowing that she wanted to get involved in the AF space, she enrolled in and graduated from SansBar Academy—a comprehensive 10-week instructional course—which ignited even more passion for the spirit-free category. She kicked off her first zero-proof pop-up event in honor of Dry July 2022 and was recently named one of Los Angeles’ most fascinating people for 2022.
Kate is also co-founder of Rise Beverages — a sales and marketing firm dedicated to connecting boutique alcohol-free brands to the bars, restaurants, and guests who love them.
Kate received her Master’s from Northwestern University and has specialized in marketing, marketing research, and customer user-experience research throughout her 25-year career. She has also consulted for an array of global brands, including Amazon, Disney, FedEx, Facebook, Google, Instagram, Microsoft, Nintendo, Twitter, and many more.
In her free time, Kate mixes up non-alcoholic cocktails, shares drink recipes with other AF aficionados on her “Sober in the Southbay” social account, explores plant-based cooking, hangs out with her two teenaged sons, walks along the beach, and cheers for the Rams.
Follow along with Kate
- Website https://www.claritylounge.com/
- Instagram: @kate_by_the_0cean, @clarityzeroprooflounge, @hello.risebeverages, @soberinsouthbay
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