No Stupid Questions

I love the idea of going out and having tasty drinks with friends without the pressure of needing to be intoxicated. Think of it this way - if alcohol was the only reason people were going to bars, why even have cocktails to cover up the taste of it? To me it seems to fall very much in line with the other trends of society lately, like with bubbly fruity waters or healthier versions of soda. I've seen more and more people abstaining from alcohol for reasons beyond addiction. Wanting to be healthier and live life without a hangover, taking care of their bodies, challenging social norms of what's considered fun, replacing alcohol intoxication with other kinds, trying to connect in more authentic ways.

Personally I find myself drawn to these new ways of living too, and even though I still drink on occasion, I feel a lot better when I don't and I'm glad there are alternatives that are all-in (rather than just ordering a soda at the bar).

Covid isolation created a bunch of alcoholics and subsequently a bunch of recovering addicts. This gave rise to a desire for alcohol-free replacements.

My wife is 1 year sober, herself. She often struggles at restaurants because she wants something "refreshing" to drink. Most of the time, this leaves her with lemonade or soda. Neither of which is very exciting.

The demand is there and these bars are popping up to meet that demand. Long term, I think these business fail. We'll see more and more mocktails sold at grocery stores and people will be able to find something they want without having to go to a bar and pay more for the same thing they can find at a grocery store. The ones that succeed will be in small pockets where the number of people who are sober AND want a place to congregate and meet people is very high.

Seems like the problem besides being a possible fad is just how many mocktails will people drink at a single visit when the aim isn't to get drunk. This will certainly impact sales & tipping for the servers.

My Dad has cirrhosis and he can't drink anymore so he mostly drinks tea now but sometimes when he go to a social event he'll have a mocktail. I can see the utility of them. Great for pregnant women and people with health issues.

I think there is demand for places for people to get together and have fun together that isn't a place where you have to deal with drunk people (normally). Right now that's pretty much movie theaters, bowling places, skating rinks, etc.. but not that many great places to really gather and hang out free of alcohol. Maybe this bridges that need for a socializing place without feeling the need to have to drink alcohol? Idk.

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Personally I have little interest.

I do enjoy regular cocktails. But if not drinking alcohol I’d rather just go for coffee or something.

im a non drinker and all i go for are mocktails. 😂 thing is how much are they charging. i do despair that cocktails and mocktails are basically the same price even though it really doesn’t feel like it should be.

yes, i get it - skill, mixology, experience…but does it still need to be so much?

As a mostly non-drinker, I love it when restaurants / bars have mocktails because I can enjoy a yummy drink when I'm out with other friends who drink. I don't feel left out.

As a parent, I love it when restaurants have mocktails because our kids can enjoy some creative and different drinks, and learn a little bit about mixed drinks without actually consuming alcohol.

As for a bar that only serves mocktails - no food, no alcohol - the closest comparison I can think of is boba tea shops. They're open late, they only serve drinks, and they seem to be doing really well.

I hope it means that real cocktail bars bring in more decent mocktails (and I say that as someone who will always go for the boozy option). Virgin mojitos, Virgin Marys and mocktail Moscow Mules are great.

Great idea.

There’s one in my city I’ve been wanting to try, though it definitely has a reputation of being a really hipstery type of place.

Personally, my ideal bar would be a regular bar with a sizable non-alcoholic selection. (At least 3 different NA beers, a virgin margarita, a virgin strawberry daiquiri, a Shirley Temple, a virgin Screwdriver aka Orange juice + club soda, and some sparkling grape juices.)

Focusing exclusively on people that don’t drink might not bring in enough customers unless you decide to make it an all-ages music venue or something like that.

We enjoy de-alcoholized wine for the flavor, but don't touch alcohol. Seems that there's a market for it.