Nonalcoholic cocktails just keep getting better
FOR DRY JANUARY OR ANYTIME, L.A. LEADS THE WAY WITH CREATIVE OPTIONS.
AF T E R T H E H O L I D AY S , like many, we get burned out on the rich comfort foods and sugary drinks that define the season: Come January, a break feels not just necessary but like a welcome refresh. For anyone who is abstaining from wine, beer or spirits, for any reason, the reset is all the better amid a new era of nonalcoholic cocktails. We might gravitate to alcohol as a social lubricant and for its ability to play off the f lavors on our plates, telling the stories of multigenerational winemakers, expert distillers or maestros of agave. But as the demand for no- and low-alcohol options grows — the industry surpassed $11 billion in market value in 2022, up from $9 billion in 2018 — brands are determined to deliver an equitable experience with dealcoholized wine and boozefree beer, nonalcoholic spirit replacements and ready-to-drink beverages that tout nootropics, or cognitive enhancers, to help you feel good without risking a hangover. It’s a new frontier for mixologists and chefs who are taking a chemist’s approach to building out their nonalcoholic beverage programs, replacing the unique mouthfeel of alcohol with ingredients like aloe juice or sparkling hops. Geared toward New Year resolutions, challenges like Dry January, which involves quitting alcohol for the month, and Veganuary, when participants cut out meat, arose as ways for people to rethink their eating and drinking habits following seasonal indulgence and, in some cases, make significant lifestyle shifts. Whatever your motivation may be for tempering your alcohol intake, you’ll find a handful of local bars and restaurants that are creating their zero-proof beverage menus with intention and care, sourcing alcohol-free wines for dialed-in pairings and crafting mocktails with layered flavor profiles. Some of the city’s most exciting NA programs involve a 10-course pairing with an omakase-style dinner; a modern Chinese tea house that gets creative after dark; and L.A.’s first alcohol-free lounge, which debuted on New Year’s Eve. Here are seven of the best spots to sample the NA trend right now. — Danielle Dorsey
At Madre in Torrance, Bryant Orozco once pulled bottles of mezcal from among 400 options, pouring tastes in clay copitas and describing their province and f lavors. It was among my best drinking experiences in Los Angeles. Now he’s embarked on a different kind of excellence: He’s partnered with Pablo Murillo and Morris Ellis, owners of bottled agua fresca company Aguas Locas, on a roving, Mexican-inspired popup called Bar Nuda. Orozco infuses his roster of entirely NA cocktails with native herbs such as chuchupaxtle, also known as osha root and purported to boost the immune system, in a not-too-sweet mix of pineapple, jackfruit, orange blossom and soda water, garnished with marigolds. The project’s motto is “Drink to remember,” and its mission delivers. Bar Nuda has crisscrossed town in the past year, fronting events at De Buena Planta’s locations in Silver Lake and Venice, at Asterid downtown and at Delicious Pizza in West Adams. Check Instagram for its next appearance. — Bill Addison
instagram.com/barnuda.la
lrestaurants. It operated out of a sparse Hollywood strip mall and essentially doubled as a fermentation lab for Kwang Uh’s experimental cooking. In September Uh and Mina Park, who are married, resurrected and reconceived Baroo as a small, elegant tasting-menu restaurant in the Arts District. Beverage director Jason Lee taps into the restaurant’s founding spirit with a $40 NA pairing framed around fermented beverages, to match with five of Uh’s seven courses. Kombuchas fashioned with seasonal ingredients feature prominently. Skate wing fried in seaweed batter, for example, arrives with gently f loral persimmonleaf kombucha mixed with sparkling cider and quince tea carbonated to boost the drink’s sparkling dimensions. — B.A.
905 E. 2nd St., #109,
Los Angeles, (213) 221-7967, baroolosangeles.com
lKato’s ambitious, sophisticated beverage program is a key reason why the restaurant ranked No. 1 on the current 101 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles guide. Co-owner and wine director Ryan Baily curates a list of biblical proportions. His $85 NA pairing with Jon Yao’s
ever-changing Taiwaneseinspired tasting menu is a masterclass in the compelling possibilities. He syncs some courses with Riesling or Pinot Noir from Germany; the country has been a decades-long leader in technology around dealcoholizing wines while preserving flavor. Grape juices may also be steeped in ingredients like fig leaf and kombu to enhance f lavor and body. Other dishes feature cocktails crafted by bar director Austin Hennelly and lead bartender Han Suk Cho, two of the nation’s keenest brains for layering texture, seasonality and delicious complexity into spirit-free libations. Their separate list of NA cocktails is easily the most rigorously conceived and f lat-out impressive example of such efforts in Southern California. Some incorporate the best alcohol-free mixers on the market, including botanicalforward Riverine by Amass and citrusy Vibrante by Martini & Rossi. Others show the bartenders’ devotion to rigor, such as Hennelly’s tonic water made with bitter melon to extract its naturally occurring quinine. Two seats at the restaurant’s tiny bar remained unreserved each night. If you’re curious to experience the delicious frontlines in NA cocktails, vie for them. — B.A.
777 S Alameda St., Building 1, Los Angeles, (213) 797-5770, katorestaurant.com
lBesides anti-inflammatory properties and electrolytes, the juice made from the aloe vera plant has a viscosity that creates the mouthfeel of liquor. It stands up to house-made shrubs, syrups and freshly squeezed fruit juices, making it the base of Solstice’s thoughtful zero-proof beverage menu. Bar manager Hunter Patterson said creating NA counterparts to the craft cocktail menu is about inclusion.
The menu changes every three months, or every equinox or solstice. On the winter menu, the Un-Gin is a spirit-free take on a gimlet with fresh lime juice and aloe juice, but the addition of a house-made pine syrup nails the complex botanical taste of gin. Other new additions include Un-Vodka 2.2, which uses tart kumquat syrup, mint, lime and saffron for a pleasingly acidic drink, and the Un-Tiki, which leans more warm spice than tropical, with a house-made horchata mix topped with a cinnamon espresso foam.
The Un-Tequila 1 is the only unchanging drink on the NA cocktail list. It starts with a