This time of year, many folks who regularly imbibe choose to take some time off from alcoholic drinks to take on Dry January, or a month without boozy beverages. For some, this sticks indefinitely – for others, you’re already eyeing how many more weeks are left in January! Either way, whether you plan to return to hard drinks or stick with the soft stuff, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite places to enjoy refreshing mocktails that feature all the flavor and fizzy fun of the cocktails you remember:
Sultry F&B
Billed as “fare for flavor enthusiasts,” Sultry F&B boasts a delicious menu of American classics with impressive technique and creative flavor twists that are best enjoyed while sipping on a tasty beverage. While Sultry F&B also welcomes you to BYOB, you don’t have to have a bottle to enjoy their menu of handcrafted mocktails like a Classic Arnold Palmer with iced tea and lemonade, the Sweet Summer Spritzer, the “If You Like Pina Coladas” with coconut milk and pineapple juice, and the Strawberry Basil Sprite shown above.
The Porch
With two locations in the ‘Burgh, The Porch features a menu of scratch-made dishes with a focus on local flavors – which obviously makes for a killer brunch. If you’re looking for something buzz-free to sip, The Porch offers mocktails for just $4 such as strawberry basil, peach, and watermelon mint, or the more adventurous “bartender’s choice” for a unique flavor designed just for you!
EYV Restaurant
The newly-opened Deutschtown joint EYV Restaurant (which stands for Eat Your Vegetables!) has a mind-blowing menu of dishes that truly make veggies the star. You won’t even miss the meat, nor will you miss the alcohol in their handcrafted NA cocktails! Built around popular NA spirits brands such as Ritual and Spiritless, cocktails like the “There Was a Gincident” and “Riders On the Storm” also contain fresh fruit and veggie juices for bold, savory flavors.
Alta Via
Mangia… e beve! That means “eat and drink” in Italian, and at Alta Via, there’s plenty to savor and sip for everyone. In addition to a robust house wine list and an Italian-focused cocktail program, there are plenty of zero-proof drinks on the menu to enjoy with your meal, such as the “Sinless Gimlet” and the “No Hanky Panky,” both made with Dhōs Gin Free, as well as the “Snowdrift Spritz” and the “Golden Hour Sour.”
Square Cafe
At Square Cafe, this is no shortage of non-alcoholic drinks to enjoy all day long – coffees, teas, fresh juices, smoothies, sodas, and so much more! However, in addition to the standards, Square Cafe features special rotating beverages like house-made Italian sodas as well as two classic mocktails: the Citrus Spritz with “fresh grapefruit juice, lime juice, lemon juice and simple syrup over ice and topped with soda water” and the Lemonberry Tea Cooler with “fresh brewed unsweetened iced tea, lemon juice, blueberry syrup, and simple syrup.”
Hidden Harbor
Hidden Harbor is known for having some of the best cocktails in Pittsburgh hands down, but did you know that they’ve also got some mocktails for a buzz-free beverage experience? It’s not a huge list, but it is a thoughtful one. There’s the “Surf Wax,” a “cool and creamy” frozen drink with honeydew, cilantro, pineapple, and coconut as well as the “Riptide” with fresh-squeezed citrus juices, passionfruit, cinnamon, and ginger. (You can add spirits if you’d like, of course.)
The Open Road
Looking for an at-home mocktail experience or to try experimenting with NA mixology? Check out The Open Road, Pittsburgh’s first non-alcoholic bottle shop! You can sample and take home full bottles of NA and alcohol-free spirit alternatives for just about any spirit you can think of, or you can grab a pack of canned beers, wines, and cocktails with all the flavor and fun (without the buzz.) This has got to be your go-to spot for well-known brands like Spiritless, Ritual, Ghia, functional beverages like Free Rain and De Soi and so much more!
This content was provided by a local, independent contributor to Made in PGH, a lifestyle blog.