As the name implies, sober bars don’t serve alcohol. Instead, the mixologists come up with all sorts of nonalcoholic cocktails. In some cases, they’ll also serve nonalcoholic beers, but because most flavorful “nonalcoholic” beers actually have up to 0.5% alcohol, some sober bars don’t serve them. Sober bars aren’t a new thing. In fact, some of them are more than 100 years old. Back then, they were called “temperance bars.” Some establishments still use the term today.
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The Appeal of Sober Bars
In the past, temperance bars came about because of the various Temperance Leagues around the country. The people in these Temperance Leagues focused on total abstinence, largely because of their affiliation with the Protestant churches in America’s South. It was their influence that led to the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, Prohibition. From 1920 until 1933, alcohol itself was illegal in the United States. Of course, the American public never stopped drinking alcohol. It just “went underground.”
Modern sober bars, by contrast, are designed to offer people with alcohol use disorder the chance to enjoy a night out in a bar or nightclub setting without the temptation of alcohol. Also, they’re there for people who simply don’t want to drink alcohol for reasons other than having AUD. Sober bars also provide an option to people who are underage to enjoy nightlife. However, some sober bars have age requirements.
The Benefits of Sober Bars
Sobriety and Recovery
Obviously, the chief benefit of these establishments is for people who are in the process of treatment for AUD and also for those who are in lifelong recovery. They allow these people to experience and enjoy the same kind of socializing that they did when they were still drinking alcohol. Many sober bars have live music, comedy acts, and even drag shows, diversifying their appeal across a broad spectrum of the population. Sober bar impresario Chris Marshall runs Sans Bar in San Antonio, Texas. His idea is that the bar should be a community hub where people can meet, mingle, and get to know one another rather than simply to drink.
Diversity and Inclusion
Every societal demographic experiences AUD. Skin color, national origin, religious background, sexual orientation, gender, and all other demographics don’t matter one whit. People who drink will drink. Sober bars offer not only safe spaces for people of any demographic, but they also provide a place where everyone in society can go to get support from peers and not just from doctors or people who run rehab clinics. The modern sober-bar movement is toward total inclusion. For example, you might find a Muslim college student comforting and encouraging a Black entrepreneur or that same Black entrepreneur paying it forward by offering the same comfort and encouragement to a white lawyer fresh out of law school.
Health and Wellness
Sober bars don’t just offer mocktails that are loaded with sugar in various forms. Ingredients like fresh fruit, homemade bitters, sugar-free tropical syrups, and even savory items allow these alcohol-free mixologists to create healthy drinks for their discerning clientele. At traditional bars, there are also scads of unhealthy snacks and “bar food.” Deep-fried this and greasy that have been the staples for a long time. Many sober bars still serve those dishes, but they also serve healthier alternatives that are no less tasty, including items infused with various spices and sauces based on leaner recipes. And, the same encouragement that’s part of the sober-bar experience when it comes to ongoing recovery from AUD is there regarding eating healthier and taking care of oneself.
Popular Sober Bars in the Tri-State Area
Hekate Cafe & Elixir Lounge, which is in the East Village, is an upscale sober bar that serves creative nonalcoholic cocktails within first-rate ambience. It markets itself as the only sober bar in Manhattan. The prices are equivalent to cocktails in standard New York City bars, and one of the barmaids even does tarot readings!
Across the East River in Brooklyn, you’ll find The Getaway Bar. During the morning and early afternoon, it functions as a coffee shop with a full menu, but after the sun goes down, it morphs into a quiet place for an alcohol-free date night. You can still get the “coffee shop concoctions” in the evening, too, but there are also alcohol-free cocktails available. The bar also has the nickname of “The Blue Light Speekcheesy.”
Popup sober bars are common in the Five Boroughs. One of the most notable is Absence of Proof. Elizabeth Gascoigne, the founder of Absence of Proof, makes note of the societal stigma attached to not drinking. She says that once she decided not to drink alcohol any longer, she felt a distinct “otherness” because of it. Indeed, that stigma is common. She doesn’t have a permanent location within the City. Instead, she brings Absence of Proof along with her several times a year as she travels from coast to coast while hosting these events.
Third Place Bar is another such popup sober bar. In addition to serving exceptional alcohol-free cocktails, Third Place Bar is a hub for trivia nights, movie nights, live music, and even mid-morning brunches, emphasizing a sense of community to its customers. It’s only been around since 2022, but Third Place Bar has already hosted several dozen events throughout New York City.
Out in Patchogue, which is on Long Island, you’ll find The State Room. This is not a fully sober bar; however, it has nine combined low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks available.
The Sober Bar Experience
The first thing you’ll notice is the absence of drunken behavior. Alcohol releases people’s inhibitions, and they’ll fight, say things they don’t think about, and make inappropriate advances toward people of all genders. The emphasis is on both community and healthy interactions between customers. People who aren’t inebriated can focus on their conversations with their friends and friends-to-be. The vibe is often humorous, even wacky, and diversity is the order of the day.
Many sober bars are smaller than their alcohol-serving counterparts. The idea is that people should be able to talk quietly among themselves most of the time without having to shout over blaring music or struggle to understand the slurred speech of other patrons. A few sober bars also tout their locations as “perfect for a first date.”
Mocktail Options
The aforementioned Hekate Cafe & Elixir Lounge features drinks that include Kentucky 74 Whiskey, Abstinence Blood Orange, and Caleno Light & Zesty along with other nonalcoholic spirits. Nonalcoholic beers, such as Heineken 0.0%, are popular both there and in other sober bars. Other notable ingredients include ginger, lemongrass, and Mediterranean oranges.
Challenges
Economic Concerns
As of yet, sober bars are a niche market. That’s why, in the whole of Manhattan, there is only one permanent sober bar. The others are all popups. In Denver, Colorado, the sober bar called Awake only lasted 18 months. Many people on their sober journey wouldn’t go there because the proprietor couldn’t be sure that every drink was absolutely zero alcohol. Also, supply problems for the unusual ingredients that were popular caused enormous cash flow problems. Also, while many of the skills that work well in a standard bar setting, although they also work in a sober bar, must be “tweaked” for the kind of clientele who visit sober bars. Making mistakes in the hospitality business can signal the end for a promising establishment before it even gets truly started.
Public Perception
There is immense societal peer pressure to drink. In movies, someone walks into a room, and the owner of the house asks, “Would you like a drink?” before anything else happens. Nightlife itself is seen as a procession from one bar or nightclub to the next, coaxing a bouncer standing by a velvet rope to let people in to spend exorbitant amounts of money on alcohol. Anything other than that is considered abnormal or even “weird.” “That’s weird. It’ll never catch on,” is a common mantra. However, over the last four or five years, sober bars are chiseling their way to footholds in the night-time hospitality industry.
The Future of Sober Bars
Given the changing of social mores regarding AUD, it’s entirely possible that sober bars will continue to proliferate. It’ll be a struggle, for sure, but in the same way that AUD is now seen as a lifelong disease that can be treated instead of a moral failing, sober bars can be seen as a viable alternative to places that serve alcohol instead of just being weird.
Conclusion
Sober bars may have their challenges, but they’re an essential part of a society that is removing the stigma surrounding not drinking and building awareness of AUD as a disease and not a character flaw. If you’re experiencing AUD, not only can a sober bar be part of your recovery, but we at Long island Interventions can also be. The same holds true if you have any other substance use disorder. Contact us for more information.
Published on: 2024-08-14
Updated on: 2024-08-27
