Enjoying the sun and the sand without alcohol has gotten a lot easier with a wave of nonalcoholic menus at restaurants and bars.
Shirley temples filled with maraschino cherries and virgin piña coladas are finding some competition at beaches everywhere as more restaurants and bars jump on the sober-curious wagon. The options blend sophisticated ingredients, modern techniques, and zero-proof spirits that rival boozy alternatives for style and flavor.
According to research by Nielsen, the desire for more conscientious drinking options, from abstaining completely to alternating no-alcohol drinks and regular strength cocktails, comes in response to younger generations looking for healthier alternatives when imbibing. IWSR Drinks Market Analysis reported in 2022, "Sales of no- and low-alcohol beverages grew by more than 7% across global markets, surpassing $11 billion in market value."
As more bars and restaurants respond to this market shift with a wave of nonalcoholic menus, enjoying the sun and the sand without alcohol has gotten a lot easier.
Lily Hall, Pensacola
In March 2023, Lily Hall (a once abandoned church, now a boutique hotel) made its Pensacola, Florida, debut. In the alley beside the hotel, a vintage rotary telephone hangs outside a door with the instructions "Don't knock, use phone" emblazoned. The sultry space's interior, lit by candles and red light, evokes images of Prohibition's illicit underground bars and classic cocktail culture. Creative beverages populate the menu, but bar manager A.J. Galecki also ensures some equally inspiring nonalcoholic options had space.
"The alcohol-free cocktail movement has been exploding in the last few years and seems to get bigger every year as more people are discovering they can still enjoy interesting cocktails without the booze. We want to offer people more than just sodas or 'fancy lemonade' so we stock a few alcohol-free spirits, including Kentucky 74, which uses a reverse distillation process to make a non-alcoholic bourbon replacement. We pair that with peach bitters, a rich demerara syrup, and our large format ice cubes that are cut and stamped in-house, to deliver a delicious booze-free Old Fashioned," said Galecki.
Just a few years ago, this level of craft in a zero-proof beverage would not have been possible, but today, the field of non-alcoholic spirits and the meticulous attention to detail by bartenders make complex booze-free alternatives a reality.
Pacific'o on the Beach, Maui
Visitors seeking a sober experience on the Hawaiian Island of Maui will find a dozen beverage options to imbibe near the clear blue waters of Lahaina Beach. At Pacific'o on the Beach, bartenders utilize an onsite farm for inspiration for their zero-proof cocktails. According to Bar Manager Mari Howe, "A lot of people want to try a Mai Tai when they come to Maui, so we wanted an option for people who don't drink alcohol." The signature drink, the Virgin Butterfly-Tai, blends pineapple, Liliko'i, macadamia nut orgeat, and fresh lime with a float of butterfly-jasmine tea, giving the drink a gorgeous ombre look that rivals a traditional Mai Tai.
For the health-conscious kombucha crowd, Pacific'o created two drinks: the Vitalitea Kombucha Restore made with Maui Gold pineapple, Kolo Kai Farms organic ginger, and turmeric, and the Vitalitea Kombucha Stardust prepared with organic hibiscus, Kolo Kai Farms organic ginger and organic blue spirulina.
For Howe, the decision to offer creative non-alcoholic beverages came out of respect for her friends who abstain. "Some don't drink for personal and health reasons, others are pregnant, but regardless of the reason, I want everyone to be able to come to our restaurant and know we put just as much love and thought into our alcohol-free cocktails as we do our regular cocktail menu," said Howe. And if you're looking for the trendy Aperol Spritz, she has you covered with Pacific'o's whimsically titled "Not an Aperol Spritz." Howe uses Giffard's Aperitif Syrup, formulated to resemble the flavors of Campari. It feels and tastes just as chic and grown-up as the original.
Inclusivity behind the bar
Inclusivity tops the reasons why restaurants and bars develop zero-proof menus. According to head bartender Matthew Veronesi at Willa's in Tampa, Florida, "Guests looking for non-alcoholic alternatives should be able to enjoy a mixed drink that is balanced and delicious, whether or not spirits are included." His latest addition to the menu, "Cool As A," utilizes their house tonic — a blend of lavender, cardamom, and cinchona bark, steeped for three days — as a base and is mixed with homemade cucumber syrup and fresh lime juice. It's a refreshing summer sipper that doesn't sacrifice quality or complexity for booze.
As bartenders will attest, creating zero-proof/spirit-free drinks requires the same level of craft as traditional cocktails. Many start with a quality non-alcoholic spirit and then the flavor is built from there, all while balancing acidity, sweetness, texture, and salinity. At Common Thread in Savannah, Georgia, bar manager James Nowicki builds drinks reminiscent of the classics like the Bandito — their n/a version utilizes a zero-proof cucumber, serrano, and lemon distillate (Amethyst from Bluffton, SC) mixed with fresh lime and orange juices to simulate the original and tap into a customer's nostalgia for the cocktail.
Experimentation and fearlessness with mixology is the backbone of the non-alcoholic program at Corazón Cabo Resort & Spa in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. According to marketing coordinator Igrayne Landeros, they are not afraid to try new ingredients or techniques to come up with a delicious recipe that will make a wide range of customers feel included in the cocktail experience.
Nobody wants to be the one at the table who feels left out, and often alcoholic beverages are equated with celebrating. Whether the choice to abstain from alcohol has to do with sobriety, pregnancy, healthier alternatives, or you're the designated driver, you still want to feel like you are part of the crowd, not the afterthought glass of soda water with a wedge of lime.
On the side
It's not enough to populate a drink menu with creative non-alcoholic options. These days, bartenders are upping the game with garnishes sourced hyper-locally and crafted into visual works of art. For Howe, it's the knowledge that people drink with their eyes first; if a drink looks beautiful, it feels special.
At Pacific'o on the Beach, the farm plays a big part in their garnishes. Nasturtiums, marigolds, and dianthus grown on-site bring seasonality to the drinks. Iconic Hawaiian pineapple makes appearances in many of the menu offerings, but also as a garnish. "We love to use the pineapple fronds for a pop of green. It's nice to give the fronds a second life rather than throwing them out," said Howe. They also use dehydrated fruit, like the small oranges hanging on the fruit trees outside the restaurant, giving the citrus a longer life when in abundance while keeping waste at a minimum.
For Veronesi, garnishes can be a tricky enterprise. "I love a simple garnish to elevate the cocktail and not get in the way of it. Cross-utilizing ingredients that are already used in the drink is a way I tie things together." The pineapple gum syrup made in-house yields an earthy core which is then dehydrated and used as a garnish.
One of the biggest trends of the classic cocktail boom over the last few years is intricate ice work. At spots like Sister Hen, ice is hand-cut to order and then embossed with logos and designs, creating another visual spectacle in the glass. Some watering holes even include a bit of honeycomb in their Bees Knees sourced from a local apiary or you might be greeted with sprigs of lavender grown in window boxes outside the bar.
Whatever the garnish, the drink's finishing touch is no longer just a plastic sword of cherries. It is an extension of the drinking experience and another avenue for restaurants and bars to showcase their dedication to sourcing locally and move towards a more zero-waste model while curating one more way for guests to eat with their eyes.
Two to make at home
Kat's Cradle — Common Thread, Savannah, Georgia
- 1 oz Giffard non-alcoholic syrup
- 0.5 oz Jack Rudy tonic syrup
- 0.25 oz lemon juice
- 0.125 oz 2:1 simple syrup
- Approximately 5 dashes of Bitter Truth celery bitters
Instructions: In a cocktail shaker, combine all ingredients and shake. Pour over ice. Stir in a pinch of salt and top with Topo Chico seltzer. Garnish with a celery stick and a sprinkle of celery salt.
Empowered Mocktail — Corazón Cabo Resort & Spa, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
- 1 1/2 cups papaya puree
- 1 oz mango puree
- 1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple juice
- 1 1/2 cups orange juice
- 3 lemon wedges
- Tajín powder
Instructions: Place the papaya and mango purees into a cocktail shaker. Add pineapple and orange juice, squeeze the lemon, and shake well. Dip the rim of a highball glass into lemon juice and then into the Tajín powder. Pour the beverage and add ice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge.
Story by Carrie Honaker. Photos by Sister Hen, Spencer Starnes / Pacific'o on the Beach, Eastwood Media, and Corazón Cabo Resort & Spa.
Originally published in Beach Happy Magazine, Issue 13 — Summer 2023.
