Co-owners David Nichols and Kate Willman Nichols are both sober, both founders of the local chapter of Ben’s Friends. Their restaurant’s bar program is legit on all fronts, but particularly the NA cocktails, built from ingredients that mirror what's on the hyper-seasonal dinner menu. Temperance drinks here are exceptionally food friendly (the tasting menu even has an NA cocktail pairing). The bar staff uses elements like NA bitters, spice, and heavier syrups to build a list of a half-dozen zero-proof drinks that mimic the heft and kick of actual spirits. A "sinner's punch" changes daily at the bar staff's discretion, but always involves a bit of bubbles and a $2 donation to Ben's Friends.

This vinyl-loving vegan bar was the first place to serve Pathfinder, a mainstay for many bars’ NA spirit programs; bar co-owner Kraig Rovensky has been known to lead sober bar crawls in his role as a Pathfinder ambassador. So it’s no surprise NA cocktails occupy equal footing with the boozy stuff here. They’re woven into the regular drinks menu, which is organized by genre of flavor and by ABV—a reminder that even so-called "zero-proof" drinks do register a trace amount of alcohol.

The neighborhood-but-also-destination restaurant atop Queen Anne technically doesn’t have a NA cocktail list. But during a recent dinner, the bar created alcohol-free versions of multiple drinks on the main cocktail menu. The staff can also ask diners about flavor preferences, then concoct a seasonal drink to your specifications, says manager Tram Bui. Lesson learned: It’s always good to ask. Especially at restaurants or bars of a certain caliber.

A menu of a half-dozen “sinless” libations channels some of owner Preeti Agarwal’s favorite summer drinks from childhood, like a jaljeera (essentially a spiced lemonade) with lilikoi or the mango-driven aam float. Other NA cocktails on this list complement Kricket Club’s pan-Indian flavor profiles, with combos like blueberry, basil, lemon, and star anise.

The lively neighborhood bar has underscored nonalcoholic libations since it opened in 2022. A menu of “unboozy” drinks leans on a deep bench of NA spirits for drinks like a French 75 made with a gin alternative or an espresso martina (the perfect name for an alcohol-free espresso martini at a lesbian-owned bar). Low-proof “partly boozy” cocktails are also staples on the menu.

Paul Shanrock’s bars are serious works of imagination, and the same goes for their NA creations. The menu includes maybe a half dozen, a mix of legacy drinks and rotating creations heavy on themes and awesome names lifted from nerd culture. The bar stocks great NA spirits, then cross-pollinates them with familiar craft-y cocktail components like citrus, shrubs, savory syrups…maybe some housemade pistachio orgeat. Nearby sibling bar Dreamland also embraces tropically inclined temperance drinks, like its delightful (and alcohol-free) tigers blood margarita.

Renee Erickson’s Sea Creatures restaurant group runs this stunning cocktail bar, secreted beneath the Amazon Spheres. The interior exudes maximalist drama thanks to layers of art objects curated by Curtis Steiner. Destination cocktails are ornate, from glassware to garnish. The hefty list dedicates an entire page to alcohol-free drinks. Here, flavor profiles that run the gamut from botanical to bitter to floral or fruity—just as you’d want in a traditional cocktail list.

All neighborhood bars should be like this one on California Ave: comfy old furniture, a cool mezzanine for more private conversations, and a ferociously good cocktail program. Which includes a reliable quartet of NA options, each with a different profile (coffee, herbaceous, bright, etc.). The staff is also happy to riff if you tell them what sort of drinks you like.