Many bars and restaurants, some with gusto and others with reluctancy, will whip up a cocktail sans booze upon request. No problem. Accommodating a pregnant diner or someone foregoing alcohol altogether is great and fairly common in the hospitality industry—it’s in the name, after all. But sometimes you don’t want to bother asking. More than sometimes, I’d argue, it would be nice to see the forethought of low- or no-alcohol options right on the menu, printed in ink.
Here are a few Dallas restaurants and bars that have done just that.
Bar Main; Good View Bar; Tonic Bar & Lounge
In Plano, perch on a barstool at one of Legacy Hall’s watering holes and explore the Sober Curious section of the menu. You’ll find the Orange Blossom Spritz made with Seedlip Grove 42, a botanical-forward and non-alcoholic distilled spirit, plus orange blossom water, lime, simple syrup, and ginger beer. In Mint Cooler, watermelon and mint pair with Seedlip Garden 108, an herbaceous blend. Garden 108 also makes an appearance in The Blacker The Berry, a drink of blackberry, pineapple, vanilla, and lemon.
Shoals Sound & Service
This is a perennial favorite bar. Vinyl spinning, a cocktail for every season and mood, drinks as good as the atmosphere—you can’t ask for much more. When you’re steering clear from boozy things, however, go for a glass of chicha morada. The deep-red Peruvian beverage, which is made in house at Shoals, entails dried purple corn boiled with pineapple, pieces of apple, quince, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. And you can’t go wrong with whatever rotating agua fresca is on offer.
Paradiso
Under the mocktails on this menu, find two zero-proof tipples: Silent Dove and The Flight of the Bees. The former is a simple concoction of grapefruit juice, soda, and lime (think paloma minus the tequila). Flight of the Bees contains zippy ginger beer with honey and lemon.
Bar & Garden
The bottle shop on Ross Avenue has a more than decent selection of booze-free beverages—and not just ginger beer either! For some fizz, I grab a few bottles of Casamara Club sparkling amaro sodas. These booze-free sodas have strong bubbles, scant sugar and carbs, and plenty botanical flavors (honey orange blossom, anise, lemon peel, grapefruit). These skew more amaro spritz than orange creamsicle.
There’s Ghia, too. It’s a zero-proof aperitif—so, perfect as a pre- or post-dinner sip—that’s great with fresh lime and Topo Chico. I do, however, favor the Ghia Spritz in a can. Both, I’d say, are for bitter-lovers only. I’ve yet to try but am intrigued by Amass, a non-alcoholic spirit from the Pacific Northwest that proffers notes of juniper, sumac, sorrel, lemon peel, and more for a rich, earthy finish.
Jalisco Norte
When you’re taking a break from the margs and booze but still want something that can stand up to octopus tacos, Jalisco Norte has a couple options. A ginger lemonade sweetened with agave nectar or a blackberry mint soda (house blackberry syrup, lemon, Topo Chico) will certainly quench your thirst.
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