Toast to Dry January at 8 hip L.A. spots
STARTING THE NEW YEAR BY CUTTING OUT ALCOHOL? THERE ARE MORE OPTIONS THAN EVER FOR TASTY LIQUOR-FREE DRINKS
LEAVE IT TO Los Angeles, a city that loves a good rebrand and fresh wellness approaches, to surface all shades of sobriety and ignite healthy discussions around people’s relationship with booze.
If a no-alcohol lifestyle is something you’re thinking about for 2023, you’re in luck. There are plenty of affordable options and interesting ingredients available thanks to new retailers as well as restaurants and bars, including California Pizza Kitchen, A.O.C., Big Bar and All Day Baby, that have offered creative NA cocktails in recent years.
A life without alcohol is something Jennifer Dalton, a 41-year-old Beachwood Canyon lifestyle publicist, knows about. She eschewed alcohol earlier in 2022 after originally toying with the idea in 2020 following a Dry January (in which people skip or cut down on booze as a way of starting off the year). “At the end of the month, I felt so good. I just kept going,” Dalton says. “But then the pandemic happened, and I returned to wine.”
Today her rule is: “Weed and psychedelics are fine but no alcohol,” she says. But it turns out Dalton, who considers herself to be “California sober,” didn’t just eliminate alcohol. She has replaced the ritual surrounding drinking with tea ceremonies, adaptogeninfused drinks that use herbal and plantbased ingredients and local gatherings that de-center alcohol by focusing on art, music and healing modalities, including sound baths and meditation.
“We’re looking for a deep connection rather than coming into a bar and numbing ourselves,” says Dalton, who now prefers seasonal teas from Moon Canyon Healing, Cann cannabis-infused Social Tonics or a Ghia alcohol-free aperitif if she’s choosing to imbibe without an alcohol-induced buzz.
A 2021 NielsenIQ survey showed that 22% of consumers reported they planned to cut back on consuming alcohol, with health and wellness cited as the top reason for the shift. For some, the Dry January movement has evolved into a yearlong way of living with more intention around whether, when and how to consume alcohol.
As Patti Kim, a West Hollywood-based naturopathic doctor and acupuncturist, sees it: “Someone who is sobercurious may not have a physiological addiction but is looking to actively and consciously make changes in their relationship to alcohol.”
Cait Madry, host of the Clear Headed podcast and co-founder of Clearheaded.co, is keen on helping her audience build their “sober-care” routines. “You hear people ask about a skin-care or self-care routine. There should be a sober-care routine,” says Madry. “L.A. is full of creatives and people looking to be better in terms of health. ... It’s creating more space for people to feel they can entertain a fun, exciting life without alcohol and without feeling judged or labeled.”
Valerie Gordon, chef and founder of Valerie Confections in Echo Park, often is faced with workrelated opportunities to imbibe, and like many adults, she found the COVID-19 pandemic to be a time when her wine intake increased. But she has made some major changes. After regular wine drinking disrupted her sleep, Gordon began moderating her alcohol intake and imbibing with more intention.
“I am drinking 50% less than at the top of the pandemic,” says Gordon, 52. “Wine and cocktails are such an important part of the food community, and I have as much
love and respect for mixologists and wine makers as I do for the food.”
She turns to cocktails of her own creation using Seedlip nonalcoholic mixers or Pellegrino’s Essenza flavored mineral water with an extra squeeze of Meyer lemon or blood orange. “If I’m doing alcohol-free, then this provides that transition, and it still feels like a treat and that I’m taking care of myself,” she says.
Megan Klein, founder of CBD- and adaptogeninfused drink brand Little Saints, agrees that intention and having interesting NA options are important. “Drinking is in our culture,” Klein says. “This is about options and being able to choose what you want to do with your health . ... We eat organic food, use infrared saunas and are by far the capital of health and wellness, and then alcohol cuts all of that out.”
(Keep in mind that some nonalcoholic beverages, including those containing adaptogens or nootropics, may interact with some prescribed medications and shouldn’t be consumed by people who are pregnant.)
Here are eight mostly new or newish local spots offering zero-proof cocktails or the ingredients for making NA drinks that won’t have you missing the spirits. Pro tip: Many bars and restaurants can make nonalcoholic alternatives to popular alcoholic cocktails. Just ask your server.
BOISSON
A popular Brooklyn, N.Y.-based nonalcohol store, Boisson recently opened three locations in L.A., targeting high foottraffic areas including Brentwood, Beverly Hills and Studio City and offering a vast variety of nonalcoholic items. Enter the sleek spaces, designed to create a consistent experience and offerings, including a central wine island, shelves housing mixers and aperitifs, and an illuminated counter for tastings and education. They also are stocked with a variety of drinks that are ready to be consumed, plus mixers and accoutrements for building your at-home nonalcoholic bar cart. The staff is well versed in helping you find the exact bottle of bitters or best-tasting NA pinot noir. Bonus: The stores also deliver in case you can’t get away.
9414 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, (424) 4500480; 11762 San Vicente Blvd. in Brentwood, (310) 221-8850; 12330 Ventura Blvd. in Studio City, (424) 210-9130; boisson.co
BATHTUB GIN
The Los Angeles outpost of this New York staple riffs on a 1920s-speakeasy concept, complete with a hidden entrance nestled just off Melrose Avenue. The nostalgia doesn’t stop at the door; think upholstered velvet couches and armchairs, dark wood accents and even live music and a popular burlesque show. The cocktail offerings also feel a bit like a throwback, considering all of the herbal and botanical ingredients used in the drinks. Popular options include the Giuseppe, which usually is made with St. Agrestis Amaro, fluffy pineapple and compressed ginger pineapple but can be crafted as a low-ABV (alcohol by volume) version. Or get your hands on the low-ABV version of the Divine Farmer’s Punch, which contains seasonal fruits, winter jasmine, lemon, vanilla and orange blossom. Bathtub Gin is great for groups who want that speakeasy experience, but reservations are strongly encouraged. Pro tip: Don’t come wearing your designer sweatsuit. The dress code is “smart casual.”
7174 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 433-7960, bathtubginnyc.com /location/bathtub-gin-la
ARDOR AT THE WEST HOLLYWOOD EDITION
Ardor, on the ground floor of the West Hollywood Edition hotel, is filled with rambling flora that punctuates the neutral tones of the seating and wood walls, creating a lush and elegant environment. The drinks here are as fresh as the restaurant’s decor. A concoction simply called Yellow is a favorite nonalcoholic option, made with Lyre’s nonalcoholic White Cane Spirit, passion fruit and mint. (According to the restaurant’s online menu, other nonalcoholic options include the Rose and the Citrine cocktails.) Ardor is an ideal tucked-away spot for a power lunch or intimate dinner, with a gorgeous garden area that’s flooded with natural light.
9040 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (424) 310-1572, ardorweho.com
OLIVETTA
Located on West Hollywood’s restaurant row, Olivetta offers a chic coastal European vibe drenched in bold colors and eclectic wallpaper. Dishes include reimagined classics that draw inspiration from Italy, France, Spain and Greece. The zero-proof-drink offering was designed by beverage manager Melina Meza to be inclusive and as enticing as those containing alcohol. Try the Passionfruit + Salted Plum, which contains Ghia nonalcohol aperitif, Meyer lemon and a splash of Fever Tree Club Soda. The Peach + Cranberry cocktail has Three Spirits Social Elixir, citrus and blood orange. And the crowd favorite, Hibiscus + Grapefruit, is made with nonalcoholic Lyre’s American Malt, lemon and sparkling grapefruit soda.
9010 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, (310) 307-3932, olivetta.la
NORAH
“Cozy industrial” best describes the vibe at this West Hollywood bar and restaurant housed in a large, airy space with generous seating options; it’s great for groups. Norah boasts eclectic American bites that are prime for sharing and a robust cocktail list, many of which translate well as nonalcoholic versions. A festive red concoction aptly named Garden rates as a customer favorite and is made from the nonalcoholic Seedlip Garden spirit, raspberry, mint, fresno chile and soda. Like the rest of Norah’s fare, it can be enjoyed in the restaurant’s charming back garden area. Pro tip: If you’d like cannabis for your day or night, visit the Woods, the Woody Harrelson-backed cannabis store, which is next door to Norah.
8279 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, (310) 643-5853, norah.la
GENEVER
There’s no dearth of buzzy Eastside bars that attract the local community and tourists alike, but the Filipina-owned cocktail bar Genever, located in Historic Filipinotown, has cemented itself as a go-to spot for some of the city’s most innovative drinks, served in a relaxed and inviting Art Decoinspired space. More than half of Genever’s creative cocktails can be made sans alcohol. The current Cocteau menu is a nod to ’80s British band Cocteau Twins, and includes a popular zero-proof drink called Cherry Coloured Funk, which is crafted from house-made cherrypomegranate cordial, lemon, soda and eggfree fizz.
3123 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 908-5693, geneverla.com
SOFT SPIRITS
The neighborhood store, which opened in 2021 before the height of the current nonalcoholic beverage trend, claims to be Los Angeles’ “first nonalcoholic bottle shop.” Soft Spirits sits on a bustling stretch of Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake near the much-buzzedabout eatery All Day Baby; it serves an array of nonalcoholic options including L.A. brand Amass, Ghia, Three Spirit, Roots Divino and the L.A.-based line Optimist Botanicals. Don’t miss Soft Spirits’ robust adaptogen offerings, which includes Los Angelesbased, women-owned brands Droplet and Bonbuz.
3208 1⁄2 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 4269033, softspirits.club
THE NEW BAR
The New Bar is a Latinaowned Venice outfit on Lincoln Boulevard stocked with nonalcoholic spirits, wine, mixers and gift items. The retailer simplifies the search for nonalcoholic offerings with its in-person and online marketplace, which provides products, tools and information to help consumers find what works best for their lifestyle. It also offers mocktails and weekly brand tastings, and the staff is able to help shoppers discover what their nonalcoholic drinking style is based on their likes and dislikes.