Once upon a time, nonalcoholic options at bars and restaurants revolved around three main categories: water, juice and cola. Those times seem very, very distant.
Today, nondrinkers are spoiled for choice when it comes to no- and low-alcohol options, from thirst-quenching nonalcoholic beers and wines to imaginative booze-free cocktails that demonstrate as much thought and complexity as their full-strength counterparts do.
These are some of the places proving you can have your (thoughtful, considered) nonalcoholic beverage and should definitely drink it, too.
As always, check for travel guidelines and closures before planning your trip.
Songbird
Native Australian birds and native Australian flavors are the two main motifs at the cocktail lounge at The Ritz-Carlton, Perth.
The menu here features a serious selection of nonalcoholic options, ranging from the Albert’s Lyrebird — a pick-me-up featuring lime jalapeño soda and the native fruit, Davidson plum — to the Sacred Kingfisher, which is a bold, spiced-rum-inspired concoction made with Angostura bitters and finger lime.
Curious
The menu at the underground cocktail haven at the W Melbourne is founded on three of Melbourne’s biggest influences: art, fashion and coffee.
As it turns out, the menu’s fourth category — zero-percent drinks — is giving these pillars a run for their money with drinkers snapping up libations such as the Top Banana, with banana oleo and Lyre’s American Malt, and the Hop Skip and Jump, a winning combination of nonalcoholic beer, watermelon and basil.
Summer Pavilion
For generations, drinkers turned to tea as a nonalcoholic companion at the dining table.
Michelin-starred Summer Pavilion at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore continues this tradition by carrying a range of artisan tea blends from Tea Bone Zen Mind. Ranging from lychee oolong to French rosebuds, these teas cover a broad spectrum of tastes and textures.
Aasmana
Attention to detail is par for course at this futuristic rooftop bar at The Ritz-Carlton, Pune, in India, whether it’s the preparation of the modern Indian small plates on the menu or the calibration of the Watermelon Agua Fresca — perked up with honey, black-pepper syrup, ginger, basil and fresh watermelon juice — for maximum refreshment.
Astor Bar
The signature bar at The St. Regis Kuala Lumpur doesn’t do anything by halves, whether it’s the attention paid to the design — brass accents, rich paneling — or the depths of its wine and whiskey collection.
Nondrinkers aren’t forgotten about either. A thoughtful edit of nonalcoholic drinks runs from high-end tonic waters to the Thai Collins, a Siamese riff on the classic gin cocktail starring makrut lime and rosemary syrup.
MOBO Bar
Every page of the menu at this modern garden bar at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul includes a “for drivers and minders” option: proof that MOBO takes nonalcoholic drinking seriously.
And like the rest of the botanically focused drinks on the menu, the choices here score big on both imagination and flavor, whether it’s the Red Cool, lengthened with a blueberry hibiscus tea soda, or the FFBCD9: a fantasy of rose tea, fresh citrus and dried rose petal.
The Bar
How do you define a sophisticated hotel bar? The Bar at The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo would be a fine place to start.
The aesthetic — deeply stained timber, floor-to-ceiling windows, glossy marble — is designed to shift your attention to those 45th-floor views of Tokyo while impeccably dressed staff apply similar focus when making cocktails. Get a load of the Spiced Yellow, made with yellow tomato juice, a yuzu puree and sansho syrup.
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