The best non-alcoholic cocktails, drinks and brands

David Linton/Sexy Fish

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Miami has a reputation for being a booze-filled city — the more the merrier — where booze is freely consumed and parties drag on into the late hours. But one of the city’s most popular restaurants is spearheading a “sober summer” by introducing a new non-alcoholic menu item that’s just as delicious (if not more) than its heavy-duty offerings.

Sexy Fish, the world-famous Japanese restaurant and celebrity favorite, is one of the first in the world to offer a unified cocktail menu for both drinkers and non-drinkers. Dubbed “UNITY,” the new menu offers 12 drinks based on 12 basic flavor profiles, each available in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions.

Featured cocktails include “Pineapple,” with pineapple rind-infused mezcal, basil, lime and coriander in an alcoholic version, and “Pineapple,” with roasted pineapple soda, bell peppers, banana and chipotle in a 0% ABV version.

Meanwhile, the Sugar Snap Pea uses dry gin, snap peas, Manzanilla sherry, absinthe, apple and lemonade in the cocktail, while the mocktail version uses sugar snap peas, pear, jasmine, verjuice as well as Seedlip Garden 108.

Guests will want to try Sexy Fish’s “Cacao” cocktail, a spin on the espresso martini made with vodka infused with cocoa butter, dark chocolate, Sauternes, Lillet and lemon. A lower ABV version is made with Haku vodka, Everleaf Marine, cocoa, dark chocolate, vanilla, Merlot and bitters. It’s a way for responsible guests to get drunk without completely letting their inhibitions go.

With a total of 24 drinks to choose from, there’s no shortage of options for those who don’t drink alcohol or those looking to chill out for the night. According to the restaurant, the UNITY menu also aims to erase the stigma of not drinking, especially in a debauched city like Miami. As Sexy Fish states in a release, “UNITY offers a personalized, inclusive and thoughtful drinking experience for everyone.”

Of course, Sexy Fish isn’t the only restaurant to jump on the sober-curious trend. At two-star Michelin restaurant Providence in LA, diners can now order a chef-curated tasting menu paired with a selection of “free spirit” non-alcoholic cocktails. Drinks include a “Fine Herb Soda,” which is carbonated water infused with herbs from the restaurant’s rooftop garden and acts as a sort of sparkling wine alternative; meanwhile, Providence’s “Clarified Coconut Milk Punch” is made with clarified coconut milk infused with passion fruit, vanilla syrup and mace; and “Rhubarb Consommé” (pictured below), a fresh, full-bodied drink made with house-made rhubarb juice infused with cracked black pepper and tarragon.

According to Providence, its non-alcoholic drinks aren’t just ordered by sober diners, but also by seasoned foodies who want to see what magic the bartenders can work alongside the skills of the restaurant’s renowned chefs. “Meticulously crafted non-alcoholic drinks are thoughtfully prepared, not an afterthought for non-alcohol drinkers,” the restaurant says.

The Pony Room, an equestrian-themed bar and restaurant in Rancho Valencia, Rancho Santa Fe, California, has a décor inspired by classic American symbols, such as horse hoofs on the ends of bar stools and high ceilings with exposed wooden beams, but the bar menu reflects current drinking trends, with a wide selection of 0% ABV beers (including Walker Hayes-approved Athletic Brewing), 0% ABV wines, and non-alcoholic cocktails. While sipping whiskey or tequila and taking in the views of the surrounding valleys and mountains, you can also casually enjoy non-alcoholic cocktails such as the Number One, made with Seedlip agave, rhubarb, and lime. The Pony Room’s bar menu also begins with a page on non-alcoholic drinks, reflecting the trend of not wanting to drink.

In Sedona, the famed Mii Amo Resort has long been a detox and relaxation destination, with a drinks program that reflects the Relais & Châteaux property’s focus on health and wellness. On a recent visit, guests had access to an all-day juice bar that offered wellness tonics daily, and diners were accompanied by an extensive menu of zero-ABV cocktails (we loved the “On the Wagon,” a non-alcoholic version of the classic mule made with Seedlip Grove, pineapple, ginger beer, and lime). Wine and beer are readily available at the resort, but most people we saw opted for alcohol. “Honestly, it tastes better than a regular cocktail,” my companion said. “Plus, it makes you feel good.”

In addition to the aforementioned Walker Hayes, other celebrities have also jumped on the sober curious trend, including Bella Hadid with Kin Euphorix and Katy Perry with De Soy. Katy has her own non-alcoholic aperitif brand called De Soy, which recently launched a bittersweet orange Spritz Italiano for the summer. Launched a little over two years ago, the brand is now available online and at retailers including Whole Foods, Amazon, Target, Walmart and Hollywood favorite Erewhon.

According to Perry’s business partner and Desoy co-founder Morgan McLachlan, the idea to launch a non-alcoholic drink came from a desire to reach people looking for an alternative to alcohol without giving it up completely. Like Perry and McLachlan herself, 89% of Desoy’s customer base is “people looking to cut down on their alcohol intake by drinking alternatives,” McLachlan says. (Indeed, McLachlan, one of the world’s few female master distillers, is also co-founder and chief product officer of AMASS, a spirits brand that offers a range of strong gins and vodkas.)

McLachlan says the way the duo approached the brand is similar to how they approach offering new flavors: “Everyone has different tastes,” she says, “but that doesn’t mean everyone else will taste the same, so there’s some compensation possible.”

As for the “sober curious” trend, McLachlan said that neither she nor Perry viewed the term as “cute.” [and] “It’s a succinct way of describing someone who is seeking to reduce their alcohol intake, without the rationalizations and dogma that often accompanies conversations about alcohol consumption.”

For one thing, De Soy has kept McLachlan pretty busy recently, as she’s back in product development mode with her own alcohol brand, Amas Spirits, and is “working on a wild new gin expression.”

Brad Whiting and Seth O’Malley, co-founders of botanical spirits brand Wilderton, don’t even use the word “mocktail” when describing what their drinks can do; they prefer the term “zero proof.” The Hood River, Oregon-based company just opened the country’s first non-alcoholic distillery and tasting room in 2023, and they want to show the public that there’s nothing “mock” about these spirits. “Non-alcoholic for the sake of being non-alcoholic,” Whiting said. Rolling StoneDuring a tour of the distillery, he said, “It’s something unique to this whiskey that gives it that great flavor.”

Inspired by Seedlip’s impact on the non-alcoholic drinks industry and O’Malley’s own lifelong interest in tea blending, Wilderton now produces three spirits inspired by herbs, flowers, and plants, all of which utilize the spirit company’s traditional distilling techniques. Their goal isn’t to create a 1:1 replica of a popular spirit, but to embody the idea that the art of mixing cocktails (and enjoying them with friends) should be accessible to everyone, whatever their reason for not drinking alcohol. To get past that initial “sober curiosity” hurdle, they cleverly highlight on the bottles easy mixer recipes that can be made with their spirits, like the citrus- and coriander-forward Luster & Tonic or the smoky Lapsang Souchong and spicy Argente & Ginger Ale.

Now, they’re working with Nora Furst, an award-winning bartender and co-founder of West Bev Consulting. Furst has created complementary NA pairing menus for special events, as well as advising other industry professionals on how to leverage Wilderton on bar and restaurant menus (such as using a Campari-inspired bittersweet aperitif for a “NEW-groni”). While some may still be surprised to see similarly priced non-alcoholic drinks on a menu next to their higher ABV counterparts, this is a big step toward not only normalizing ordering non-alcoholic options at social gatherings, but also legitimizing zero-proof spirits as part of the art of cocktail making.

Perhaps the best way to tackle this trend is to consider how you feelIt’s not about what you’re drinking (or not drinking), it’s about what you drink. Hiyo’s founders call their canned drinks “a better alternative to alcohol,” replacing the intoxication you get from alcohol with a “high-flying sensation” created by the addition of adaptogens, natural nootropics, and functional botanicals.

Hiyo co-founder Evan Quinn says about 90% of the brand’s customers drink alcohol but choose Hiyo as a “healthier way to unwind.” While his business partner George Youmans has abstained, Quinn still drinks, though he admits he has cut back on his drinking in recent months in search of a “healthy balance.”

For Quinn and Youmans, “sober curious” is a catchy buzzword, but it can perpetuate the stigma that health and sobriety are fads, not something to be committed to.

“The word ‘curiosity’ implies an uncertain perspective,” Quinn explains. “So much of the brand voice and positioning we use is about reaching people. Resolutely Make the decision to prioritize your health and spend more time relaxing in the evenings with alternatives like Hiyo.”

“We think that while ‘sober curious’ is one of those words that’s well-known, it’s not necessarily the one with the strongest connotations for our category,” he continues. “We don’t want people to feel curious or unsure about whether they should pursue the best version of themselves. We want them to feel empowered, motivated and supported to dive headfirst toward a happier, healthier lifestyle.”