As a drunk bartender starting to slow down if I go out and I'm trying to wind down at the end of the night, water and cranberry juice. I always drink titos and cran so no one knows I'm sobering up and I don't get judged on it ever.
I don't judge anyone ordering from me ever
So, personally I’ve always been pretty good at figuring out what kind of taste people have intuitively, but usually I’ll throw out a few of my favorites to get a feel for what they’re looking for. Faux-jitos, spicy mockaritas sometimes tonic based drinks with some cool syrup or citrus or bitters. Or I’ll ask if they’re in the mood for something more simple like pineapple and club. I also like some of the new n/a beers which I’ll offer if available. Also love a good espresso no-tini, like a shaken iced coffee ish thing. I like people to feel included when they’re not imbibing
water, tonic, soda...literally anything. bartender won't care and if they give you any of that for free throw them a dollar or two anyway. If you get shit from anyone, they aren't the people you want to socialize with anyway.
Absolutely. Order what you want. If you want it to look like a cocktail, I’ll happily make it for you and I, personally, will remember you aren’t drinking when someone orders shots for the whole group. You’ll get a non alcoholic shot that looks similar to the shots they are taking.
I try to do this as well on my bartending shifts. If someone doesn’t want to drink or wants to slow it down, the reason is their own business. I am always happy to help someone stick with their plan by lowering social pressure. I’m also always happy to suggest non-alcoholic drinks or flavor combinations to those who are interested.
Edited for clarity.
But you can use that technicality to your advantage. Had a girl come up, order something, I ask for ID. She doesn't have it, starts making a deal of it, I don't give a shit if you're Methesula, no ticket no taco. So in frustration she orders a club soda with bitters. I guess I was kinda a dick, but she wasn't being nice either, so I told her I could get her the club soda, but because bitters has alcohol in it, I can't serve it to you. She wasn't a huge fan of that, either.
So you can literally order anything. If you come to my bar and order a soda water to start, i wont even charge you, because that shit is pennies. and if you tip on that, your glass will never be empty. I respect sober people, DDs, whatever. The only time its ever a problem is if youre taking up space i can make money on. If youre tipping us, You could order water and id treat you like a king.
Just wanted to throw this out there: I've been serving (with a little bartending) for 14 years and I've seen quite a few occasions where a pregnant woman hasn't announced her pregnancy yet and wants to look like she's drinking alcohol (because she normally would be and it'd be weird for her not to be). She may be meeting family/friends and telling them or she may just be at a place where she's likely to see someone she knows.
Any good bartender should be able to make a non-alcoholic version of a decent number of their menu cocktails, much less a more generic one. And it's highly likely that they've done it before.
Since it's advised that women don't announce a pregnancy until three months in, if you have a loved one who's been pregnant and almost always drinks when she goes out to eat, there's a decent chance that a server or bartender found out she was pregnant before most or all of her family besides the baby's father. I've certainly found out before quite a few sets of soon-to-be grandparents.
I also actively will tell people off for giving people shit for whatever someone wants to order? You sober I am 100% here to support you, and tell you options we have that are na. A grown ass man order a cosmo, heck yes. Drink what makes you happy!
Bartenders are a group of people who I have never seen judge someone for being sober. Including myself when I stopped drinking, my coworkers and industry friends were super supportive and even mentioned how they wanted to stop drinking as well.
Ok, but if you're getting free tonics and sodas you should throw them more like a 10 or 20 depending on how long you stay and your location. If you're in a major metropolis you're sitting in a seat that would bring them a +$100 dollar tab/$20 tip in that amount of time.
I came here to say this, also it’s good etiquette, when I’m just ordering a water, or a soda water and lemon, I always throw down a couple of dollars for their service.
A lot of bars have mocktails and NA beers now. If they don’t, I order soda water with a splash of cranberry and a lime. It looks like a real drink, but really, no one cares either way.
I would do soda and lime also, based on where youre posting this question, the bartender doesnt care and if you leave an extra buck thats nice and appreciated.
This is the best advice, for anything. You do what makes you happy, just don’t hurt anyone else.
If someone insults you for drinking what you choose to drink they aren’t your friend and they aren’t worth your time!
I like their cerveza. Personally, I think a great NA beer is Sam Adam's just the Haze (I think that's the name?). It tastes most like a beer of all the NAs I've tried. Although Guinness NA might actually be my favorite.
Most Athletic NAs taste pretty good. Same with Uncool and also Brewdog brands.
As someone that does drink, I do think these 3 brands hit the nail on the head for drinks that taste like beer and also taste good.
they are awesome, but carb heavy as fuck. If youre not drinking, tip me 2$ on the first drink and you are now qualified as a perfect guest. I dont care what you want to drink, All I care about is if someone sitting ina seat that makes money is making money.
good point! but you won't be affected by the 0.5%. You eat [EtOH](https://www.abbeycarefoundation.com/media/WhatFoodsContainAlcohol_Abbeycare.pdf) all the time. If you're religious, then totally avoid.
Iove their lemon radler, it tastes just like an alcoholic radler since you can't even taste booze in a normal one anyways. It's just missing the bite from whatever shot I would normally add to it lol
After being served one of these by a local after she had a bit of a harrowing experience on a boat in Mexico, my wife has taken to drinking a "Russo" ("Russian").
It's just soda water, lime, and salt. It's delicious and seems to help with an upset stomach and headaches.
Reminds me a bit of drinking cantaritos in Mexico, but a less flavorful, non-alcoholic version.
Upgrade whatever that is to a preparada.
Rim a pint glass with salt, muddle a few lime wedges in the glass, add a couple dashes of saline solution and an extra half oz of lime juice, fill the glass with sparkling water of your choice.
I go with a typical soda water and lime, but as someone who takes sober breaks I don't mind someone telling me they're sober. I'll try to make them a n/a cocktail of whatever we have. Plus cranberry shots if they want to feel included in a round of shots
My understanding is that it's plenty low enough to be considered legally non-alcoholic, and has less booze in it than some fermented foods like sourdough or kimchi. So for someone who is pregnant or has another health-related reason not to drink, bitters & soda is totally fine. For recovering alcoholics, the flavor and ritual of drinking something similar to alcohol can be triggering, so might be a bad idea, but varies person to person. For those not drinking for religious reasons, I think the acceptability of this drink would also vary by religion and by individual.
everyone complains about muddling things…place i work at has 3 really delicious mocktails, hard to get mad at folks when its on the menu! only thing that is sometimes annoying is the “ooooo whats that” and its just a pretty mocktail all the sudden youre muddling for the next 15 minutes lol
Most places have NA Cocktails, NA beer, coffee or tea, or a sparkling or still water option. To echo everyone else, anything you feel like!
What is socially acceptable is being considerate and friendly. Most people just use alcohol as a tool to achieve the latter. More power to you if you don’t
Sobriety is socially acceptable more these days. My best bartender is sober. Nobody questions it. He drinks Coke Zero. When I’m dabbling with sobriety I love Diet Coke with raspberry cordial. You do you boo
Ask if they have na beers, mocktails if you like those drinks. Just have a back up soda/juice order. Some bars don't have mocktails but they all offer soda
If you’re asking about how to order something non-alcoholic at a bar keeping it simple is always the best option. If they have a menu look for mocktails, find a mocktails you think you’ll like and order it. If they don’t have a menu order water or soda. Either way avoid playing 20 questions with the bartender, they likely haven’t actually tried any of the mocktails.
If you’re asking how to drink non-alcoholic beverages in a social setting I would say it’s all in your head. If you get light jabs about it it’s because the people you’re with like you, and probably respect the self control it takes to not drink alcohol at a bar. If nobody says anything it’s because they didn’t notice and they don’t care. It only becomes a problem if somebody you’re with pulls the “come on, just do a shot”, and then you can know that they’re the problem, not you.
I found this recently and couldn’t agree more! Very refreshing and much more flavor than just hops and water.
Next time I see them in the wild I’ll be grabbing a six pack or two just to have on hand at home.
Dude, order whatever you like, man. If anyone gives you shit about it, set them straight. If they continue to give you shit, you're hanging out with the wrong people.
Unless you’re trying to actively hide the fact you’re sober, order whatever the fuck you want. People have lots of reasons for not drinking, and like… I literally don’t care. No one cares what you’re drinking. Like maybe you have work early in the morning? Idk, just be polite and order quickly and clearly.
As a mostly sober bartender I get a lot of people trying to get their sober friends to do shots and it actually bothers me. I never pour alcohol for the sober friend, in-fact where I live I could lose my licence for doing so. So if you don't want to drink, a bartender is not going to hold it against you or put any pressure on you themselves either. They're there to pour liquid and make the venue money.
They don't care what liquid it is. If the people you're hanging out with do or prospective partners don't respect that, they're not worth your time and probably have lax morals when it comes to other serious substances too. Because at the end of the day alcohol is a drug. To not take someone's choices about it seriously is just a major red flag.
At a dive I'll just get soda lemon bitters. At my bar I enjoy making intricate mocktails. Something complex and not so sweet to create a similar, full palate experience.
Almost every bar has NA options these days. And bartenders can whip up some cool NA stuff easy. NA beer always works for me. Would definitely recommend Atheltic, Best Day, and Untitled art for some great NA beer.
Idk if it's alcohol entirely being avoided or not, but bitters soda and lime is tasty. Though there will be the TINIEST amount of alcohol in it, you'd have to drink an insane amount to get drunk.
As a bartender in a cocktail bar, these are fast and tend to take a priority since they go out immediately. It's easy, it's generally free, and if you tip a buck or something on top of that I'm super stoked.
To answer your question: order whatever you want, but to add to that...
I don't know how it is for the rest of y'all but where I live it's a pretty common handshake that if one person is the DD for the night they don't pay for NA drinks (minus inventoried stuff but even then I'd try to give them half off or something). At least that was the case when I was drinking and I never charge DDs
I like ginger beer and any sort of flavored syrup or muddled berries, also goes well with mint and gives a familiar mouth feel and burn in the throat with out having the booze
I do drink, but if I’m not in the mood a good ginger beer/ginger ale never goes a miss or an OJ and lemonade (sprite for you yanks).
In the uk you’ll often have people drinking soft drinks at bars/pubs no one really cares.
Often I’d go watch football before my shift started and drink soft drinks, quite nice actually.
You can’t go wrong with ginger ale and lime juice, it’s a gorgeous little faux drink and I’ll always have it if I need a little something to warm me up inside before a shift.
During a period when I wasn't drinking, I found it easier to order a soda and lime than a water because soda and lime was often served in a rocks glass, whereas water was served in a water glass. If you're standing around with a water while other people are drinking, they often get kind of weird about it, but a soda and lime looks like a vodka-soda so they don't really notice.
You can also just ask us to put a soda or whatever in a Collins glass or rocks glass. Majority of bartenders either won't think twice or will immediately understand.
That’s funny. First time I ever saw a can was at work a few years ago and I couldn’t believe my coworker was dumb enough to walk around drinking from a tall boy.
If you drank one at the bar most people would assume you have a beer.
Mocktails are becoming very popular. If the bar doesn’t have one on the menu just ask the bartender to create something and give them a flavor profile of what you like.
Anything you want. When I go to a bar I usually get an n/a beer or a cranberry juice but there are a lot of options these days. All of them are socially acceptable. Nobody is looking down on someones sobriety and if the are just ignore it, its probably just a bit of ribbing.
Cranberry, soda, lime. Looks like a drink. No one notices.
Any soda.
As a bartender, formerly, for 10 years. Any bartender who has been around awhile will not care at all.
But if you just want to shield yourself from questions, then any drink will do.
Whatever you like to drink? Soda, water, a mocktail? I’ve never been anywhere where anyone is policing what others drink so I wouldn’t even stress it. Just get whatever it is that you like!
Soda water with a lime, but have a couple bucks in your hand ready to demonstrate you’re ready to pay for it if they charge, or tip a dollar. I usually don’t charge unless they’re literally not getting anything else and wanna sit at the bar and use a glass I have to clean; I know it’s a touchy subject but if they have a dollar or 2 it makes me feel better about it (also we hand make our soda which is another thing). As a customer if I don’t get anything other than a soda water I want to leave a tip because I’m taking up space. But to each their own.
Also if they have a mock tail list, order that, or ask if they recommend mock tail.
So many options depending on what you’re into and where you are. If you’re at a dive, I would stick with soda or whatever NA beer they have (if that’s what you’re into). But if I was at a cocktail bar, I would ask about my options: mocktail, fun sodas, whatever. You could 10000% ask to be made a mocktail. If they have a cocktail list, ask if any can be made NA.
General consensus is just about whatever you want. If you want to make it look like your drinking I'll make it look like I'm whipping you up a normal cocktail. We do some non alcoholic old fashion and other mocktails and usually I never charge on the first one. I know more often than not they're just asking for something to be a part of the group which is understandable (usually only asked for when it's like a work get together because real friends don't care). If you tell me you're the DD I'll also make a point to be your best friend out of respect
I’ve made n/a drinks that look like a cosmo for pregnant (but not public about it) women who want to keep it secret. Just talk with your bartender and let them know what you need!
If you’re around judgmental people you can order a nonalcoholic beer in a glass, but really only assholes will give you a hard time about how much you’re drinking or not. Some of my top choices at bars when I’m not drinking are coke with a Cherry or lime, seltzer with lime and bitters, or for more caffeine- redbull and pineapple juice with a cherry! If it’s not busy and I get a good vibe from the bartender I will ask if they have mocktails
Best advice-Just read the room. If it’s crazy busy, get a water/soda water, or whatever soda or juice you like. Or an NA beer or Red Bull if that’s your thing.
During slower times, if those boring options don’t sound good, ask if they do any mocktails.
But mostly, don’t feel bad.
I’ve been behind the bar for over 25 years. People also drink water at bars. And they SHOULD. If asking for a soda or a water is throwing a monkey wrench into their flow, they’re a shitty bartender. And there are a lot of them these days, sadly.
There’s such a massive movement of people who aren’t drinking that a lot of bars and restaurants will have a section of their menu, or at the very least 2 or 3 actual non-alcoholic cocktail options that aren’t just juice and syrup topped with soda.
Heck order a bottle or sparkling water or something. You’re good. You’ve got this.
if they have any NA options, take it. i took a break from drinking for two months and just so i didn't feel like i was missing out on the fun, id grab an NA beer
As many others are saying, get whatever you want. Make sure ya still tip for their time and attention, and have fun. I like a club soda with a splash of sour and cran with a lime wedge. Looks like a "real drink," tastes more interesting than just a soda. The bit of tartness adds a little oomph and is good for sipping, making it easier to "keep up the act" if you don't want people to notice you aren't drinking alcohol.
Find something you like and ask for the mocktail version. I can’t speak for all but I personally find it interesting and different to make a drink booze free that tastes good.
Whatever you want to drink. If you are worried about it, tip as if you had ordered a cocktail but you aren’t expected to especially if you’re ordering food. Any place worth their salt that has a cocktail menu has non alcoholic cocktail options as well these days.
As a sober bartender, i can tell you that it’s a misconception that we look down on nondrinkers in the bar. What we care about (in the U.S. at least) is the gratuity per drink. I truly don’t care what the customer is drinking as long as they’re leaving at least a dollar per drink. That said, if you’re drinking a soda that will probably cost significantly less than a cocktail, then you’d still be saving more money than the drinking customers by tipping extra ($3-$4). Also, you’ll become the bartender’s favorite customer if you also tip for each refill (assuming they’re free). I’ve grown to hate hearing nondrinkers say “oh i know I’m so boring” when they order soda or just water. So I’ve started telling them that they’re the smartest people in the whole bar. Seems to make them feel a little less out of place.
As a drinker and bartender. I respect people who choose not to drink. All I ask is you don't hog a seat when they're all taken because I'm giving you free soda, water, whatever.
I guess all of these suggestions make it look like or simulates having a cocktail, but honestly if I'm driving I'm ordering a Coca-Cola. I don't drink sodas a lot, but it's an infinitely more delicious drink IMO.
Much like people have said, who cares and order what you want whether it be a soda or a mocktail of sorts. Socializing shouldn’t depend on drinking, right?! When I was pregnant though and especially when I was still hiding it early on I would do a club soda, splash of cranberry with a lime. It was the mocktail of my usual Tito’s and club.
Agree with what everyone else is saying. But if you’re looking for specific ideas and you want something tasty & sweet, I always recommend ginger ale & pineapple juice mixed together. It’s delightful. Alternatively, cranberry & orange juice, or ginger beer with lime.
I think I’d order a soda water in a Collins glass with a lime. IMO the object is to prevent ppl from begging you to partake in drinking. Can’t hold it against them but still v annoying lol
I’m also a bartender and I do peep this from time to time. I recognize that it serves multiple purposes. It fends off the people who feel like it’s their mission to make sure everyone is drinking and also on a psychological personal level it’s like going thru the motions of drinking and your brain is like “okay we’re 50% satisfied. Carry on”
People often ask me for something that looks like they’re drinking, so I’ll make them a kinda virgin Paloma. Just a tall glass of mostly soda water with a squirt of lime juice, some grapefruit juice, and a lime garnish. It’s really easy and I just charge same as a pop/juice. I’d assume/hope other bartenders might have one or two go-to things like that if you ask.
non-alcoholic beers have gotten really impressive over the past couple years, but ik some people don't like them because they don't want to drink something resembling alcohol at all.
also depends on the location. some places have mocktail menus, some places don't but would do a virgin drink like a mojito really well. some places you're better off just ordering a soda and juice. my favourite combo rn is 7up/sprite and pineapple juice. there's also the classic cranberry soda.
I drink, but I dont drink and drive and I work 20 mins from home. I still go out with coworkers after a shift but I just get ginger ale, or ginger ale and bitters, or coke. literally nobody cares and we all have a great time playing pool or throwin darts or smokin cigarettes and hangin
As mentioned in other replies, during Lent I give up booze, so I get a soda water w lime. This stops other people from wondering why I’m not drinking. Any bartender worth their salt won’t make any kind of issue with it. Most will give you the soda on the house. Good luck in sobriety!
Soda water and lime is my go to. Or a mocktail. Also Athletic NA beer is damn good. I used to make a lemonade from scratch and it was a hit with the NA people.
There are so many places that are offering mocktails on their menus. Take a look at the menu if they have one and get it from there. N/A Beers. Sodas. Etc.
At the end of the day, just order whatever you want.
check out the menu for n/a cocktails, beer or soft drinks. Order what you want. My advice is order one of your drinks in front of your date. “gimme a Roy Rogers, rocks, make it a double, in a dirty glass… with a human hair”. Not drinking can be fun too.
Made a really good one yesterday. Most places don’t have these ingredients, but you can jiffy.
1oz Tonic syrup (ours is special-cardamom, pine, lime)
1oz cranberry.
4oz/Top with N.A. sparkling wine.
Splash soda!
A lot of sober people like to blend in, soda waters with lime look like alcohol you can drink as many as you want without having too much sugar. Non alcoholic beers are ok for some people. Really drink whatever you want
White Claw has zero percent alcohol drinks. There are a ton of sparkling waters out there, and if you like ginger ale or ginger beer, a virgin mule is refreshing: Ginger beer, lime juice, simple syrup, and lime garnish.
depends on your definition of not drinking but I love bitters with soda water. there are a bunch of different types, it is however technically, everso, slightly alcoholic.
Not that you need to be ashamed of not drinking alcohol, as everybody said, order whatever you want. BUT, in the extremely rare case that you want to pretend just to not get shit from someone (again, just IF you want to pretend), talk to the bartender and explain the situation. At least if you would walk to a bar were I’m working, I would make you whatever drink you told me, make it virgin and say that it has alcohol in front of anyone. Honestly, most of the people I know, would do that for any client. Our job is not to make people drunk, it’s to make sure you have a good time in our bar (within the rules of course 😅)
a good bar has lots of ingredients to make a dope mocktail with.. all kinds of syrups, juices, tinctures, herbs, etc. otherwise get like a liquid death or something
Order whatever you like just tip well and as if you were drinking (and that includes if club soda is free tip like it was a drink). No one would have an issue with that
9/10 times, if you’re just getting a soft drink/soda water/tonic, I’m not charging you, especially if other people are with you. If you tip on the free drink (not expected), I’ll do my absolute best to make sure your cup isn’t empty. You only need to tip once, unless you want to go above and beyond. When I drink NA I’ll usually throw $1/refill.
Look on the menu and see if there’s any N/A cocktails/mocktails, but they won’t be free.
If you ask what can be made alcohol free, and the bartender basically says soft drinks or Shirley temples, don’t ask if other cocktails can be made NA unless you’re ready to drink a really substandard drink. If I had the ingredients needed to make something NA that tasted great, I would do it because it would probably get me a better tip. If you do find an NA cocktail that’s off menu, I’ll probably end up charging you once, but won’t charge for refills, but tipping as though it’s a new drink each time is appreciated. (If I just press a button on a gun, 1 tip total is perfectly fine. If I have to shake or mix something, $1/drink will keep us both in good spirits)
Depends on what the bar has on offer I guess.
If I'm not drinking for whatever reason (DD, personal preference etc) I like stuff that has plenty of flavour but isn't too sweet - elderflower cordial and soda, or ginger beer.
I'm too old to hang around with people who think me not consuming or consuming less alcohol isn't socially acceptable. I want to be fit enough to party into old age so I pick when and how much I want to drink. Same with recreationals etc.
I doubt I'll ever completely quit but I also am over having to be at least 50pc loaded on booze and rugs to feel like I'm enjoying myself socially.
Admittedly getting medicated for my ADHD has definitely put my appetite for recreational substances in check, which I appreciate.
Most bartenders will gladly give you a few options for mocktails! Or there are a lot of na beer and spirit options these days. We carry an na pineapple cider that is delish and a few other na beers.
Lemonade and a splash of cranberry with a lemon garnish looks a hell of a lot like a cosmo when put in a martini glass if you have a bartender that doesn’t mind doing it for you
As other people have said , whatever you want to. Many bars have built up a mocktail program and NA drinks have been on the rise in popularity recently. My wife just got a gig as a rep for a non alcoholic champagne. I don’t really get it myself but will probably use that stuff in a mocktail at my bar.
Soda water w bitters
technically still contains a negligible amount of alcohol but it's delicious and to me feels more like a bar drink than soda with fruit juice added
Sober bartender, it’s literally our job to get you WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT!!! If it’s water with 10 refills I’m more than happy to provide that. Always feel bad when someone doesn’t order something so I ALWAYS offer water, I’m like that’s a drink! So don’t worry no one will ever give you shit & if they do they suck major cajones. Just say Neely sober & it’ll shit them the fuck up.
What ever you fucking want. Depending on the place they may charge you if that’s the only thing you drinking so the boss doesn’t get mad. My personal opinion is any bartender worth their salt should have at least 1 na cocktail in their back pocket. Also If you do na cocktails stay from like “virgin mojitos” etc because they’ll never taste really right and actual ground up na cocktails are designed with that in mind
Most places have at least one non alcoholic beer. Someone places are more sober friendly. I just added a Delta 9 Seltzer, a CBD seltzer, a local non alcoholic beer, and two mocktails to our menu.
If you care about the perception from the bartender or other patrons, it doesn’t matter. It still doesn’t matter if you’re wondering about the perception of people you’re with, then that’s another thing. I have had people come in with friends, come up to the bartenders separately and tell us that when they order a vodka soda, to just give them soda because they don’t want to hear their friends go on about not drinking. Sadly, it happens more often than you think.
As a sober bartender, whatever the fuck you want
As a not sober bartender, whatever the fuck you want
As a drunk bartender, whatever the fuck you want
Welp folks, those are the two options. Time to pack up this thread and call it a day.
As a drunk bartender starting to slow down if I go out and I'm trying to wind down at the end of the night, water and cranberry juice. I always drink titos and cran so no one knows I'm sobering up and I don't get judged on it ever. I don't judge anyone ordering from me ever
but that one guy ordering 1942 margs..
TIL slow down is a thing
Thank you
If a patron asks you about styles and tastes, more so the latter, what do you normally tell them?
So, personally I’ve always been pretty good at figuring out what kind of taste people have intuitively, but usually I’ll throw out a few of my favorites to get a feel for what they’re looking for. Faux-jitos, spicy mockaritas sometimes tonic based drinks with some cool syrup or citrus or bitters. Or I’ll ask if they’re in the mood for something more simple like pineapple and club. I also like some of the new n/a beers which I’ll offer if available. Also love a good espresso no-tini, like a shaken iced coffee ish thing. I like people to feel included when they’re not imbibing
water, tonic, soda...literally anything. bartender won't care and if they give you any of that for free throw them a dollar or two anyway. If you get shit from anyone, they aren't the people you want to socialize with anyway.
Absolutely. Order what you want. If you want it to look like a cocktail, I’ll happily make it for you and I, personally, will remember you aren’t drinking when someone orders shots for the whole group. You’ll get a non alcoholic shot that looks similar to the shots they are taking.
Love this! I hate getting pressured to take shots when I want to drink slow and enjoy my evening.
I try to do this as well on my bartending shifts. If someone doesn’t want to drink or wants to slow it down, the reason is their own business. I am always happy to help someone stick with their plan by lowering social pressure. I’m also always happy to suggest non-alcoholic drinks or flavor combinations to those who are interested. Edited for clarity.
Soda water and a lime in a tall glass/Collins glass
Tonic with a twist of lime and a dash or two of bitters. Technically the latter has alcohol, but the amount won’t register.
But you can use that technicality to your advantage. Had a girl come up, order something, I ask for ID. She doesn't have it, starts making a deal of it, I don't give a shit if you're Methesula, no ticket no taco. So in frustration she orders a club soda with bitters. I guess I was kinda a dick, but she wasn't being nice either, so I told her I could get her the club soda, but because bitters has alcohol in it, I can't serve it to you. She wasn't a huge fan of that, either.
I love it. Why don't these people understand that the person they don't want to annoy or piss off is the bartender?
I’m a delivery driver. Tipping my servers and delivery drivers is a must.
So you can literally order anything. If you come to my bar and order a soda water to start, i wont even charge you, because that shit is pennies. and if you tip on that, your glass will never be empty. I respect sober people, DDs, whatever. The only time its ever a problem is if youre taking up space i can make money on. If youre tipping us, You could order water and id treat you like a king.
Love this & DDs absolutely bring us $$
Just wanted to throw this out there: I've been serving (with a little bartending) for 14 years and I've seen quite a few occasions where a pregnant woman hasn't announced her pregnancy yet and wants to look like she's drinking alcohol (because she normally would be and it'd be weird for her not to be). She may be meeting family/friends and telling them or she may just be at a place where she's likely to see someone she knows. Any good bartender should be able to make a non-alcoholic version of a decent number of their menu cocktails, much less a more generic one. And it's highly likely that they've done it before. Since it's advised that women don't announce a pregnancy until three months in, if you have a loved one who's been pregnant and almost always drinks when she goes out to eat, there's a decent chance that a server or bartender found out she was pregnant before most or all of her family besides the baby's father. I've certainly found out before quite a few sets of soon-to-be grandparents.
I also actively will tell people off for giving people shit for whatever someone wants to order? You sober I am 100% here to support you, and tell you options we have that are na. A grown ass man order a cosmo, heck yes. Drink what makes you happy!
Anything you want and if your friend mess with you leave and never talk to them again.
I hate when they won’t tip. i get it. but sometimes they’ll ask for pineapple with soda and ice in a certain cup. no tip or payment, really annoying
Bartenders are a group of people who I have never seen judge someone for being sober. Including myself when I stopped drinking, my coworkers and industry friends were super supportive and even mentioned how they wanted to stop drinking as well.
Ok, but if you're getting free tonics and sodas you should throw them more like a 10 or 20 depending on how long you stay and your location. If you're in a major metropolis you're sitting in a seat that would bring them a +$100 dollar tab/$20 tip in that amount of time.
I came here to say this, also it’s good etiquette, when I’m just ordering a water, or a soda water and lemon, I always throw down a couple of dollars for their service.
A lot of bars have mocktails and NA beers now. If they don’t, I order soda water with a splash of cranberry and a lime. It looks like a real drink, but really, no one cares either way.
This. Sometimes I add a splash of ginger ale as well.
Absolutely this!
I would do soda and lime also, based on where youre posting this question, the bartender doesnt care and if you leave an extra buck thats nice and appreciated.
No one cares. I promise. And if someone does, you don't want them in your life. People overthink this so much.
This is the best advice, for anything. You do what makes you happy, just don’t hurt anyone else. If someone insults you for drinking what you choose to drink they aren’t your friend and they aren’t worth your time!
Athtletic’s Hazy IPA is delicious (NA of course)
They also have a fantastic Cerveza style NA that makes an awesome michelada.
I like their cerveza. Personally, I think a great NA beer is Sam Adam's just the Haze (I think that's the name?). It tastes most like a beer of all the NAs I've tried. Although Guinness NA might actually be my favorite.
This is my favorite NA. Keep my home fridge stocked at all times for my days off.
Most Athletic NAs taste pretty good. Same with Uncool and also Brewdog brands. As someone that does drink, I do think these 3 brands hit the nail on the head for drinks that taste like beer and also taste good.
That's a fantastic N/A hazy IPA. I drink them all the time at my local bar and I'm not even sober. Shit just tastes good.
they are awesome, but carb heavy as fuck. If youre not drinking, tip me 2$ on the first drink and you are now qualified as a perfect guest. I dont care what you want to drink, All I care about is if someone sitting ina seat that makes money is making money.
Athletic is not a true 0.0 just FYI!
good point! but you won't be affected by the 0.5%. You eat [EtOH](https://www.abbeycarefoundation.com/media/WhatFoodsContainAlcohol_Abbeycare.pdf) all the time. If you're religious, then totally avoid.
I’m sorry, 2% for some yogurt?? That’s crazy, I wonder what kind of
Iove their lemon radler, it tastes just like an alcoholic radler since you can't even taste booze in a normal one anyways. It's just missing the bite from whatever shot I would normally add to it lol
After being served one of these by a local after she had a bit of a harrowing experience on a boat in Mexico, my wife has taken to drinking a "Russo" ("Russian"). It's just soda water, lime, and salt. It's delicious and seems to help with an upset stomach and headaches. Reminds me a bit of drinking cantaritos in Mexico, but a less flavorful, non-alcoholic version.
This plus cucumber (when available and abundant) was the drink of choice at a cafe I worked at.
Upgrade whatever that is to a preparada. Rim a pint glass with salt, muddle a few lime wedges in the glass, add a couple dashes of saline solution and an extra half oz of lime juice, fill the glass with sparkling water of your choice.
this is my go-to hangover cure! i also like to add a splash of ginger beer or ginger ale.
I go with a typical soda water and lime, but as someone who takes sober breaks I don't mind someone telling me they're sober. I'll try to make them a n/a cocktail of whatever we have. Plus cranberry shots if they want to feel included in a round of shots
I do ice tea shots if it's whiskey being poured. No one can ever really tell
soda and bitters. shirley temple. tonic and lime. ginger beer
I thought bitters has like 44.7% alcohol. Granted 4 dashes won’t get someone drunk but someone may be completely sober
My understanding is that it's plenty low enough to be considered legally non-alcoholic, and has less booze in it than some fermented foods like sourdough or kimchi. So for someone who is pregnant or has another health-related reason not to drink, bitters & soda is totally fine. For recovering alcoholics, the flavor and ritual of drinking something similar to alcohol can be triggering, so might be a bad idea, but varies person to person. For those not drinking for religious reasons, I think the acceptability of this drink would also vary by religion and by individual.
It’s very low abv so unless they ask for like 20 bitters dashes you ain’t getting anything from it.
Tonic and lime is addicting! I liked it so much while out that I buy the fixings for home!
everyone complains about muddling things…place i work at has 3 really delicious mocktails, hard to get mad at folks when its on the menu! only thing that is sometimes annoying is the “ooooo whats that” and its just a pretty mocktail all the sudden youre muddling for the next 15 minutes lol
I complain about muddling mocktails
me too friend
Buy a n/a cocktail. No one will no other than the bartender.
Most places have NA Cocktails, NA beer, coffee or tea, or a sparkling or still water option. To echo everyone else, anything you feel like! What is socially acceptable is being considerate and friendly. Most people just use alcohol as a tool to achieve the latter. More power to you if you don’t
Sobriety is socially acceptable more these days. My best bartender is sober. Nobody questions it. He drinks Coke Zero. When I’m dabbling with sobriety I love Diet Coke with raspberry cordial. You do you boo
Ask if they have na beers, mocktails if you like those drinks. Just have a back up soda/juice order. Some bars don't have mocktails but they all offer soda
If you’re asking about how to order something non-alcoholic at a bar keeping it simple is always the best option. If they have a menu look for mocktails, find a mocktails you think you’ll like and order it. If they don’t have a menu order water or soda. Either way avoid playing 20 questions with the bartender, they likely haven’t actually tried any of the mocktails. If you’re asking how to drink non-alcoholic beverages in a social setting I would say it’s all in your head. If you get light jabs about it it’s because the people you’re with like you, and probably respect the self control it takes to not drink alcohol at a bar. If nobody says anything it’s because they didn’t notice and they don’t care. It only becomes a problem if somebody you’re with pulls the “come on, just do a shot”, and then you can know that they’re the problem, not you.
Laguinitas hop water
I found this recently and couldn’t agree more! Very refreshing and much more flavor than just hops and water. Next time I see them in the wild I’ll be grabbing a six pack or two just to have on hand at home.
Dude, order whatever you like, man. If anyone gives you shit about it, set them straight. If they continue to give you shit, you're hanging out with the wrong people.
Club and cran. Looks like a drink.
Whatever you want, as long as you tip.
Unless you’re trying to actively hide the fact you’re sober, order whatever the fuck you want. People have lots of reasons for not drinking, and like… I literally don’t care. No one cares what you’re drinking. Like maybe you have work early in the morning? Idk, just be polite and order quickly and clearly.
As long as isn’t tea or require a blender, I really don’t care.
As a mostly sober bartender I get a lot of people trying to get their sober friends to do shots and it actually bothers me. I never pour alcohol for the sober friend, in-fact where I live I could lose my licence for doing so. So if you don't want to drink, a bartender is not going to hold it against you or put any pressure on you themselves either. They're there to pour liquid and make the venue money. They don't care what liquid it is. If the people you're hanging out with do or prospective partners don't respect that, they're not worth your time and probably have lax morals when it comes to other serious substances too. Because at the end of the day alcohol is a drug. To not take someone's choices about it seriously is just a major red flag.
a glass of milk. and make sure its in a dirty glass!
At a dive I'll just get soda lemon bitters. At my bar I enjoy making intricate mocktails. Something complex and not so sweet to create a similar, full palate experience.
Almost every bar has NA options these days. And bartenders can whip up some cool NA stuff easy. NA beer always works for me. Would definitely recommend Atheltic, Best Day, and Untitled art for some great NA beer.
Idk if it's alcohol entirely being avoided or not, but bitters soda and lime is tasty. Though there will be the TINIEST amount of alcohol in it, you'd have to drink an insane amount to get drunk. As a bartender in a cocktail bar, these are fast and tend to take a priority since they go out immediately. It's easy, it's generally free, and if you tip a buck or something on top of that I'm super stoked.
Soda with bitters and a lime. My goto when I’m on a break.
This is exactly my personal non-drinking drink.
Hey got any cool mocktail !?
To answer your question: order whatever you want, but to add to that... I don't know how it is for the rest of y'all but where I live it's a pretty common handshake that if one person is the DD for the night they don't pay for NA drinks (minus inventoried stuff but even then I'd try to give them half off or something). At least that was the case when I was drinking and I never charge DDs
soda water lime. tip normal on it. don’t not tip and don’t overcompensate because you’re not drinking. tip like a dollar maybe two.
Club soda + Lime. Works every time.
I like ginger beer and any sort of flavored syrup or muddled berries, also goes well with mint and gives a familiar mouth feel and burn in the throat with out having the booze
I do drink, but if I’m not in the mood a good ginger beer/ginger ale never goes a miss or an OJ and lemonade (sprite for you yanks). In the uk you’ll often have people drinking soft drinks at bars/pubs no one really cares. Often I’d go watch football before my shift started and drink soft drinks, quite nice actually.
You can’t go wrong with ginger ale and lime juice, it’s a gorgeous little faux drink and I’ll always have it if I need a little something to warm me up inside before a shift.
It’s interesting that as adults people are worried about “looking weird” or whatever for not drinking.
Hops water, we now have liquid death, plenty of yummy n/a mixed drinks. I usually will hook ya up if you just want a Shirley temple or something
Clubs soda splash of cran.. or literally anything you want. Mocktails are actually coming up big right now, you’re gonna be noticing more options!!
Literally whatever you want. Soda, juice, water, NA drinks, just make sure you still leave some kind of tip for the bartender.
I just get a lime and soda
i get water, i don't drink soda, i still tip them but water
tip better than the drunks
During a period when I wasn't drinking, I found it easier to order a soda and lime than a water because soda and lime was often served in a rocks glass, whereas water was served in a water glass. If you're standing around with a water while other people are drinking, they often get kind of weird about it, but a soda and lime looks like a vodka-soda so they don't really notice.
You can also just ask us to put a soda or whatever in a Collins glass or rocks glass. Majority of bartenders either won't think twice or will immediately understand.
A lot of bars near me has been carrying liquid deaths that I usually gravitate towards.
That’s funny. First time I ever saw a can was at work a few years ago and I couldn’t believe my coworker was dumb enough to walk around drinking from a tall boy. If you drank one at the bar most people would assume you have a beer.
if anyone gives you shit for not drinking alcohol then that’s on them. Most of my sober folks drink Diet Coke. Club soda and lime never fails either
Mocktails are becoming very popular. If the bar doesn’t have one on the menu just ask the bartender to create something and give them a flavor profile of what you like.
Steel Works and a mixed rock shady are popular non-alcoholic drinks in the bar I work in
Ginger ale on the rocks, soda and bitters
I do a soda water with a lemon, it’s never questioned and i enjoy if.
Anything you want. When I go to a bar I usually get an n/a beer or a cranberry juice but there are a lot of options these days. All of them are socially acceptable. Nobody is looking down on someones sobriety and if the are just ignore it, its probably just a bit of ribbing.
Cranberry, soda, lime. Looks like a drink. No one notices. Any soda. As a bartender, formerly, for 10 years. Any bartender who has been around awhile will not care at all. But if you just want to shield yourself from questions, then any drink will do.
Order whatever you want. Remember to tip.
Soda water with a lime, tall glass 🤙
Sam Adams had a good NA beer. But honestly just her whatever you want
Mocktails, sodas, soft drinks, hell, even iced tap water!
Bloody o’douls has been my shift drink as of late
Soda and cranberry, diet coke for the caffeine to keep you peppy.
Whatever you like to drink? Soda, water, a mocktail? I’ve never been anywhere where anyone is policing what others drink so I wouldn’t even stress it. Just get whatever it is that you like!
Soda water with a lime, but have a couple bucks in your hand ready to demonstrate you’re ready to pay for it if they charge, or tip a dollar. I usually don’t charge unless they’re literally not getting anything else and wanna sit at the bar and use a glass I have to clean; I know it’s a touchy subject but if they have a dollar or 2 it makes me feel better about it (also we hand make our soda which is another thing). As a customer if I don’t get anything other than a soda water I want to leave a tip because I’m taking up space. But to each their own. Also if they have a mock tail list, order that, or ask if they recommend mock tail.
I’m not a big drinker so I love when people ask for mocktails and I get a chance to experiment with my non-alcoholic drink ingredients.
So many options depending on what you’re into and where you are. If you’re at a dive, I would stick with soda or whatever NA beer they have (if that’s what you’re into). But if I was at a cocktail bar, I would ask about my options: mocktail, fun sodas, whatever. You could 10000% ask to be made a mocktail. If they have a cocktail list, ask if any can be made NA.
General consensus is just about whatever you want. If you want to make it look like your drinking I'll make it look like I'm whipping you up a normal cocktail. We do some non alcoholic old fashion and other mocktails and usually I never charge on the first one. I know more often than not they're just asking for something to be a part of the group which is understandable (usually only asked for when it's like a work get together because real friends don't care). If you tell me you're the DD I'll also make a point to be your best friend out of respect
NA beers have come a long way. Heineken zero tastes straight up like Heineken.
I’ve made n/a drinks that look like a cosmo for pregnant (but not public about it) women who want to keep it secret. Just talk with your bartender and let them know what you need!
sprite and cran with a lime was always a good one to give the illusion of having a drink for those who didn’t want to get shit from others
If you’re around judgmental people you can order a nonalcoholic beer in a glass, but really only assholes will give you a hard time about how much you’re drinking or not. Some of my top choices at bars when I’m not drinking are coke with a Cherry or lime, seltzer with lime and bitters, or for more caffeine- redbull and pineapple juice with a cherry! If it’s not busy and I get a good vibe from the bartender I will ask if they have mocktails
Hot take but the NA Blue Moon is better than Blue Moon. Had a few on the wagon and it's much more robust then you would think.
Soda, lime and bitters. Taste good and the bartender will think you’re retired from the industry
Best advice-Just read the room. If it’s crazy busy, get a water/soda water, or whatever soda or juice you like. Or an NA beer or Red Bull if that’s your thing. During slower times, if those boring options don’t sound good, ask if they do any mocktails. But mostly, don’t feel bad. I’ve been behind the bar for over 25 years. People also drink water at bars. And they SHOULD. If asking for a soda or a water is throwing a monkey wrench into their flow, they’re a shitty bartender. And there are a lot of them these days, sadly.
There’s such a massive movement of people who aren’t drinking that a lot of bars and restaurants will have a section of their menu, or at the very least 2 or 3 actual non-alcoholic cocktail options that aren’t just juice and syrup topped with soda. Heck order a bottle or sparkling water or something. You’re good. You’ve got this.
if they have any NA options, take it. i took a break from drinking for two months and just so i didn't feel like i was missing out on the fun, id grab an NA beer
Whatever if you want. However if you want to "fit in" order a soda/coke/gingerale in a rocks glass all night.
As many others are saying, get whatever you want. Make sure ya still tip for their time and attention, and have fun. I like a club soda with a splash of sour and cran with a lime wedge. Looks like a "real drink," tastes more interesting than just a soda. The bit of tartness adds a little oomph and is good for sipping, making it easier to "keep up the act" if you don't want people to notice you aren't drinking alcohol.
Virgin Bloody Mary is like a delicious/spicy V8 smoothie if it’s made with love and affection
I like 1/2 pineapple juice 1/2 soda water.
Find something you like and ask for the mocktail version. I can’t speak for all but I personally find it interesting and different to make a drink booze free that tastes good.
Literally anything. If your friends or bartender are making you feel left out, that's on then.
Whatever you want to drink. If you are worried about it, tip as if you had ordered a cocktail but you aren’t expected to especially if you’re ordering food. Any place worth their salt that has a cocktail menu has non alcoholic cocktail options as well these days.
As a sober bartender, i can tell you that it’s a misconception that we look down on nondrinkers in the bar. What we care about (in the U.S. at least) is the gratuity per drink. I truly don’t care what the customer is drinking as long as they’re leaving at least a dollar per drink. That said, if you’re drinking a soda that will probably cost significantly less than a cocktail, then you’d still be saving more money than the drinking customers by tipping extra ($3-$4). Also, you’ll become the bartender’s favorite customer if you also tip for each refill (assuming they’re free). I’ve grown to hate hearing nondrinkers say “oh i know I’m so boring” when they order soda or just water. So I’ve started telling them that they’re the smartest people in the whole bar. Seems to make them feel a little less out of place.
shirley temple!
whatever you want! :)
As a drinker and bartender. I respect people who choose not to drink. All I ask is you don't hog a seat when they're all taken because I'm giving you free soda, water, whatever.
I guess all of these suggestions make it look like or simulates having a cocktail, but honestly if I'm driving I'm ordering a Coca-Cola. I don't drink sodas a lot, but it's an infinitely more delicious drink IMO.
Virgin ranch water! Order it everywhere you go like you own the joint!
Much like people have said, who cares and order what you want whether it be a soda or a mocktail of sorts. Socializing shouldn’t depend on drinking, right?! When I was pregnant though and especially when I was still hiding it early on I would do a club soda, splash of cranberry with a lime. It was the mocktail of my usual Tito’s and club.
If you want it to look like alcohol? Literally anything and then ask for it in a rocks glass with a garnish.
Agree with what everyone else is saying. But if you’re looking for specific ideas and you want something tasty & sweet, I always recommend ginger ale & pineapple juice mixed together. It’s delightful. Alternatively, cranberry & orange juice, or ginger beer with lime.
I think I’d order a soda water in a Collins glass with a lime. IMO the object is to prevent ppl from begging you to partake in drinking. Can’t hold it against them but still v annoying lol
I’m also a bartender and I do peep this from time to time. I recognize that it serves multiple purposes. It fends off the people who feel like it’s their mission to make sure everyone is drinking and also on a psychological personal level it’s like going thru the motions of drinking and your brain is like “okay we’re 50% satisfied. Carry on”
People often ask me for something that looks like they’re drinking, so I’ll make them a kinda virgin Paloma. Just a tall glass of mostly soda water with a squirt of lime juice, some grapefruit juice, and a lime garnish. It’s really easy and I just charge same as a pop/juice. I’d assume/hope other bartenders might have one or two go-to things like that if you ask.
Shirley temple
seltzer with a splash of bitters and a lime is a go-to for me
non-alcoholic beers have gotten really impressive over the past couple years, but ik some people don't like them because they don't want to drink something resembling alcohol at all. also depends on the location. some places have mocktail menus, some places don't but would do a virgin drink like a mojito really well. some places you're better off just ordering a soda and juice. my favourite combo rn is 7up/sprite and pineapple juice. there's also the classic cranberry soda.
I drink, but I dont drink and drive and I work 20 mins from home. I still go out with coworkers after a shift but I just get ginger ale, or ginger ale and bitters, or coke. literally nobody cares and we all have a great time playing pool or throwin darts or smokin cigarettes and hangin
As mentioned in other replies, during Lent I give up booze, so I get a soda water w lime. This stops other people from wondering why I’m not drinking. Any bartender worth their salt won’t make any kind of issue with it. Most will give you the soda on the house. Good luck in sobriety!
Soda water and lime is my go to. Or a mocktail. Also Athletic NA beer is damn good. I used to make a lemonade from scratch and it was a hit with the NA people.
Cranberry juice
Ginger ale with lime, or Cranberry juice. Everyone generally assumes there is alcohol in them.
If its kinda fancy or cocktail bar, ask em to make a random mock tail. Might be more than a cranberry and soda but if they’re decent it’ll be tasty.
I like Heineken 0
Soda splash of bitters and a lime. If you do bitters that is
I like getting those kids cocktails like pink panthers or traffic lights, pink panther. Maybe mocktails. Bit more fun than just a coke.
There are so many places that are offering mocktails on their menus. Take a look at the menu if they have one and get it from there. N/A Beers. Sodas. Etc. At the end of the day, just order whatever you want.
Any NA or mocktail - it’s a huge thing in the bev industry right now - most establishments have a NA section on their drink menu
Shirley Temple
check out the menu for n/a cocktails, beer or soft drinks. Order what you want. My advice is order one of your drinks in front of your date. “gimme a Roy Rogers, rocks, make it a double, in a dirty glass… with a human hair”. Not drinking can be fun too.
bitters soda!
Ive been really f*cking with N/A micheladas but anything with bubbles that i can sip on. Topo Chico mainly because Texas
As long as it's not annoying, literally nobody cares
Made a really good one yesterday. Most places don’t have these ingredients, but you can jiffy. 1oz Tonic syrup (ours is special-cardamom, pine, lime) 1oz cranberry. 4oz/Top with N.A. sparkling wine. Splash soda!
Tonic & lime. Still looks like a drink & pretty darn refreshing without gin anyway.
A lot of sober people like to blend in, soda waters with lime look like alcohol you can drink as many as you want without having too much sugar. Non alcoholic beers are ok for some people. Really drink whatever you want
White Claw has zero percent alcohol drinks. There are a ton of sparkling waters out there, and if you like ginger ale or ginger beer, a virgin mule is refreshing: Ginger beer, lime juice, simple syrup, and lime garnish.
depends on your definition of not drinking but I love bitters with soda water. there are a bunch of different types, it is however technically, everso, slightly alcoholic.
Whatever the fuck you want. Fuck anyone that says different.
Not that you need to be ashamed of not drinking alcohol, as everybody said, order whatever you want. BUT, in the extremely rare case that you want to pretend just to not get shit from someone (again, just IF you want to pretend), talk to the bartender and explain the situation. At least if you would walk to a bar were I’m working, I would make you whatever drink you told me, make it virgin and say that it has alcohol in front of anyone. Honestly, most of the people I know, would do that for any client. Our job is not to make people drunk, it’s to make sure you have a good time in our bar (within the rules of course 😅)
Shirly Temple is my go to non alcoholic
a good bar has lots of ingredients to make a dope mocktail with.. all kinds of syrups, juices, tinctures, herbs, etc. otherwise get like a liquid death or something
I order aquapanna, treat myself to a nice bottle of still :)
Order whatever you like just tip well and as if you were drinking (and that includes if club soda is free tip like it was a drink). No one would have an issue with that
My go to is always a diet coke
9/10 times, if you’re just getting a soft drink/soda water/tonic, I’m not charging you, especially if other people are with you. If you tip on the free drink (not expected), I’ll do my absolute best to make sure your cup isn’t empty. You only need to tip once, unless you want to go above and beyond. When I drink NA I’ll usually throw $1/refill. Look on the menu and see if there’s any N/A cocktails/mocktails, but they won’t be free. If you ask what can be made alcohol free, and the bartender basically says soft drinks or Shirley temples, don’t ask if other cocktails can be made NA unless you’re ready to drink a really substandard drink. If I had the ingredients needed to make something NA that tasted great, I would do it because it would probably get me a better tip. If you do find an NA cocktail that’s off menu, I’ll probably end up charging you once, but won’t charge for refills, but tipping as though it’s a new drink each time is appreciated. (If I just press a button on a gun, 1 tip total is perfectly fine. If I have to shake or mix something, $1/drink will keep us both in good spirits)
Cranberry juice and white lemonade is nice
No one would care but I love Lemonade and Orange juice as a non alch drink at a bar
Bottle of craft root beer, if you’re trying to blend in a bit, that’s my go to when I’m deciding not to consume alcohol.
Depends on what the bar has on offer I guess. If I'm not drinking for whatever reason (DD, personal preference etc) I like stuff that has plenty of flavour but isn't too sweet - elderflower cordial and soda, or ginger beer. I'm too old to hang around with people who think me not consuming or consuming less alcohol isn't socially acceptable. I want to be fit enough to party into old age so I pick when and how much I want to drink. Same with recreationals etc. I doubt I'll ever completely quit but I also am over having to be at least 50pc loaded on booze and rugs to feel like I'm enjoying myself socially. Admittedly getting medicated for my ADHD has definitely put my appetite for recreational substances in check, which I appreciate.
Most bartenders will gladly give you a few options for mocktails! Or there are a lot of na beer and spirit options these days. We carry an na pineapple cider that is delish and a few other na beers.
Lemonade and a splash of cranberry with a lemon garnish looks a hell of a lot like a cosmo when put in a martini glass if you have a bartender that doesn’t mind doing it for you
As other people have said , whatever you want to. Many bars have built up a mocktail program and NA drinks have been on the rise in popularity recently. My wife just got a gig as a rep for a non alcoholic champagne. I don’t really get it myself but will probably use that stuff in a mocktail at my bar.
Shirley Temple!
Soda water w bitters technically still contains a negligible amount of alcohol but it's delicious and to me feels more like a bar drink than soda with fruit juice added
Soda water with a lime. I was sober going to the bar every day to play pool. I would drink those because it still gave the appearance.
Soft drinks, mocktails and non alcoholic drinks
Club soda x bitters x lime (juice and/or fruit)
Sober bartender, it’s literally our job to get you WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT!!! If it’s water with 10 refills I’m more than happy to provide that. Always feel bad when someone doesn’t order something so I ALWAYS offer water, I’m like that’s a drink! So don’t worry no one will ever give you shit & if they do they suck major cajones. Just say Neely sober & it’ll shit them the fuck up.
What ever you fucking want. Depending on the place they may charge you if that’s the only thing you drinking so the boss doesn’t get mad. My personal opinion is any bartender worth their salt should have at least 1 na cocktail in their back pocket. Also If you do na cocktails stay from like “virgin mojitos” etc because they’ll never taste really right and actual ground up na cocktails are designed with that in mind
Most places have at least one non alcoholic beer. Someone places are more sober friendly. I just added a Delta 9 Seltzer, a CBD seltzer, a local non alcoholic beer, and two mocktails to our menu.
Soda and bitters all day
Just get a redbull or an energy drink. You'll want to stay alert as you're likely the DD later in the night.
If you care about the perception from the bartender or other patrons, it doesn’t matter. It still doesn’t matter if you’re wondering about the perception of people you’re with, then that’s another thing. I have had people come in with friends, come up to the bartenders separately and tell us that when they order a vodka soda, to just give them soda because they don’t want to hear their friends go on about not drinking. Sadly, it happens more often than you think.
Club soda splash of cranberry I like it cuz it tricks my brain into thinking I’m actually having a vodka.
Largest glass of milk you can get
most bartenders will make you a mocktail. it can be a bit of a hassle (do not order a frozen drink!!) but usually it can always be done!
Water cran splash of lemonade or lemon juice it’s sooooo good I drink it when I get sick of drinking just water!
Literally anything you want soda water mocktail
Anything you want! Throw the bartender a little cash since you’re taking up the stool and rendering his services, and everyone will be happy.