Dry January is in full swing. Whether you're 100% sober, Cali Sober, sober-curious, or limiting your alcohol intake to improve your physical and mental health, you're not alone. More than a third of American adults (36%, to be precise) say they don't drink alcohol. What are we drinking instead?
Anything more original than soda or fizzy water with a splash of juice. Not that there's anything wrong with a Shirley Temple (oh, those bright red, fakey-fake maraschino cherries!), but it's great to see more Southern California bottle shops, bars, and liquor stores offering high-quality non-alcoholic drinks. Plus, Los Angeles just got its first completely alcohol-free bar, STAY. There's never been a better time to be a teetotaler. On the downside, you can no longer blame those weepy, middle-of-the-night texts on being drunk.
Bottoms up! Here's to not having a hangover.
More: Sober curious? Head to LA’s non-alcoholic bottle shops
The Tiger, a non-alcoholic cocktail at STAY. in LA's Chinatown is based on a mezcal margarita. Photo by Stan Lee
NA BARS
STAY. (Chinatown)
Congrats to STAY. (aka Stay Zero), Los Angeles's first no-alcohol cocktail lounge, which just opened on Jan. 12. Beverage director Derek Brown, author of Mindful Mixology, oversees the libations at this zero proof joint. Made with housemade juices, fresh herbs and non-alcoholic spirits, the drinks are named after the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac. Brown was kind enough to share his recipe for the Tiger with us. For noshes, chef Erica Daking of Kitchen Mouse LA will be curating plant-based bar snacks.
425 Gin Ling Way, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tiger
One Serving
Glassware: Coupe
- 1.5 oz. Free Spirits "Tequila" Alternative
- 1 oz. Lapsang Souchong Tea*
- 1 oz. Fresh Pineapple Juice
- 1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
- .75 oz. Agave Syrup
- One Dash Salt Tincture**
- Dash Green Tabasco Sauce
Tajín Rim
- Step 1: Rub a lime wedge around the outside rim of half the glass. Roll rim in Tajín.
- Step 2: Combine remaining ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously.
- Step 3: Strain liquid into rimmed glass.
* Brew tea as directed on the package but double the time.
** Make salt tincture by combining water and salt at 4 parts to 1 part and shake until salt crystals are dissolved.
Austin Hennelly stands behind the Amakaze Swizzle, made with masala chai, coconut, almond, and lime. At Kato, he has created a non-alcoholic beverage pairing. Photo by Kenny McMillan
RESTAURANTS & BARS WITH NA DRINKS
Although STAY. is LA's only dedicated no-alcohol cocktail lounge, plenty of bars and restaurants have terrific NA drink menus, including…
Bar Nuda (pop-up)
This roving, Mexican-inspired, alcohol-free pop-up was co-founded by Pablo Murillo after he got sober. He told the LA Times, "My father passed away from alcoholism." For the mocktails, he partners with bartender Bryant Orozco, who specializes in native ingredients.
Baroo (Downtown)
The resurrected Baroo (yay!), features NA drink pairings courtesy of beverage director Jason Lee. In keeping with the restaurant's ethos, they lean toward fermented beverages, such as seasonal kombuchas.
905 E 2nd St #109, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Big Bar (Los Feliz)
In Los Feliz, Big Bar has developed a roster of impressive NA drinks. In honor of Dry January, this month's newest featured cocktail is the Abalone Bay. Inspired by sangria, it involves a bourbon alternative, an aperitif, verjus and ginger beer, among other ingredients.
1927 Hillhurst Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Birdie G's (Santa Monica)
The NA drinks at Birdie G's feel like they were crafted with thought and care, not just thrown on the menu to cash in on a new market segment. The Smoke & Mirrors, a combination of lemon, strawberries, orgeat, a hint of smoke and one of Ritual's zero-proof aperitifs, is particularly good. Pomegranate juice, kumquat syrup, faux tequila and lime give the Sneaky Sipper its bite.
2421 Michigan Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Death & Co (Downtown)
The DTLA iteration of NY cocktail bar Death & Co has half a dozen non-alcoholic drinks that change seasonally. The Edge Of Seventeen is made with Lyre's Agave Riserva, an NA mezcal, grapefruit, raspberry and chilies while the Osprey relies on Ritual Zero-Proof Rum, Lyre's White Cane Spirit, lime, honey, calamansi and Blanc Verjus.
818 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Kato (Downtown)
Bar manager Austin Hennelly masterminds the non-alcoholic drink pairings at Kato. Approximately half are sourced wine alternatives while the rest are made by juicing and clarifying produce then mixing it with something else. The juice of bitter melons and cucumbers might be mixed with carbonated white peony tea to make something akin to a vegetal gin and tonic.
777 S Alameda St Building 1, Suite 114, Los Angeles, CA 90021
Melrose Umbrella Co. (Fairfax)
In 2023, parent company Umbrella Hospitality started a no-ABV cocktail program that's available at the Corner Door in Culver City and Ella Beverly Hills, in addition to its flagship Melrose Umbrella Co.
7465 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046
The Semi Tropic (Echo Park)
Cormac Brown at the Semi Tropic makes incredible mocktails — "creative and not sweet," says Krissy Barker of KCRW's Senior Events Producer. Request "Krissy's favorite and please set it on fire" and she promises, "You'll get something really good."
1412 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
More: Mind-blowing beverage pairings with no alcohol required
Lots of bottles, no booze. Non-alcoholic bottle shop Soft Spirits in Silver Lake offers a variety of distilled liquors that are ethanol-free. Photo by Megan Jamerson/KCRW
BOTTLE SHOPS
Boisson (Brentwood, Studio City)
After opening its flagship store in Brooklyn, New York-based Boisson has expanded into Los Angeles with two shops. From white, red and rosé wines to beers, aperitifs, pre-mixed cocktails, sparkling teas and NA spirits inspired by rum, whiskey, gin and tequila, this store has it all.
11762 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049.
12330 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604.
More: Evan Kleiman’s guide to non-alcoholic wines
Soft Spirits (Silver Lake)
Soft Spirits, LA's first non-alcoholic bottle shop, blazed a trail when it opened in 2021. Sales have been growing since then. The non-alcoholic bourbons, gins, and tequilas that owner Jillian Barkly sells are made via a traditional distillation process before the ethanol is removed. It's even more work than traditional alcohol production, Barkley explains.
3208 1/2 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026.
The New Bar (Venice, West Hollywood)
Despite its name, the New Bar is a store, not a bar. Opened by Brianda Gonzalez in the fall of 2022, it sells low-alcohol and no-alcohol drinks. Options include pre-mixed aperitifs and non-alcoholic distilled liquors, making it easier and more fun for people to drink less alcohol year-round. "It's important to be able to share those moments with your family and the people you love… I think it's just a whole lot more fun when you feel like there's people along for the ride with you," Gonzalez told KCRW reporter Megan Jamerson.
The company opened its second retail shop, in West Hollywood, in late February.
1821 S. Lincoln Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90291.
8363 W. 3rd Street, West Hollywood, 90048.