Where to Find the Best Mocktails During Dry January in LA
Give your liver a break this month with these non-alcoholic cocktails.
It’s no secret that alcohol consumption has risen during the pandemic. During stay-at-home orders, our social lives basically consisted of refilling our at-home bars, improving our bartending skills, and toasting with friends via Zoom. But now that a new year is upon us and we can actually go outside (sort of), you might be feeling the need to rebalance your relationship with alcohol by observing Dry January, an ideal time to take a break from drinking at our favorite bars following the excess of the holidays.
Lucky for us, craft mocktails are taking the city by storm. We’re not just talking about virgin versions of your favorite cocktails, but artisanal mocktails that have made their mark on menus across town. Who knows, with cocktails this appealing, maybe you’ll extend your no drinking resolution past January 31? Whether you're sober or just observing Dry January, sip on these non-alcoholic drinks around LA:
The Wayfarer
Lilly Rose, the basement parlor at the new DTLA hotel, The Wayfarer, is gearing up to become a cocktail destination — they even have a high tea, highball menu. Until the end of the month (and perhaps longer), the hotel bar will be offering four mocktails in honor of Dry January. Must-tries include the Game, Set, Matcha with Lyres London dry, orgeat, lemon, egg whites and matcha or the Welcome to Jamrock which will mellow you out with Lemonade Marley CBD and peach raspberry CBD tea.
How to book: online.
Ardor
The WeHo EDITION’s signature restaurant, Ardor, is helmed by Michelin-starred chef John Fraser, who’s created a vegetable-centric menu featuring California fare—try the fluffy milk bread, cauliflower cacio e pepe, onion rings with umami powder, and of course, the gooseberry phyllo pizza dessert. Inventive and playful cocktails dot the menu, including non-alcoholic choices like the Canary, which features the distilled non-alcoholic spirit, Seedlip, yuzu, and matcha cordial.
How to book: online.
Fellow
Chef Chris Flint (Eleven Madison Park, Maude, NoMad), sommelier Scott Lester, and bar director Adam Fournier take the reins at this inviting restaurant in the heart of Westwood that shares space with an art gallery. Tempura-fried maitake mushrooms, seared duck, and roasted short rib accompany an equally strong beverage menu. Six low- and non-alcoholic house-made cocktails shine brightly at Fellow, including Falooda (a play on the Persian faloodeh drink) with watermelon, holy basil seed, rose, and mint; and You Had Me at Fellow, with monk fruit, vanilla, and orange cream soda.
How to book: via Tock.
Issima
The La Peer Hotel’s breezy Issima is known for fun nights with a poolside setting that transports you to European beaches. Order the Mocktail Med, with Ghia non-alcoholic aperitif, lychee, watermelon juice, citrus, and Fever Tree club soda to pair with your Mediterranean branzino. Sister restaurant Olivetta up the street also serves an equally-impressive Ghia spritz with cranberry lemon and Fever Tree sparkling grapefruit.
How to book: online.
Bar Magnolia
Non-alcoholic botanical, Three Spirit, teamed up with DTLA's Hotel Figueroa for a week-long holiday cocktail menu. Due to its popularity, the hotel lobby bar has extended their mocktail offerings, including the Love Actual-tea made with Three Spirit “Social Elixir,” chai, lemon, demerara sugar, apple cider, cinnamon, clove, and star anise—perfect for warming up on a cool LA evening, either before or after devouring housemade pastas and pizzas at the hotel’s coastal Italian restaurant, Sparrow.
How to book: Walk-ins welcome.
Girl & The Goat
Chef Stephanie Izard made her West Coast mark with the opening of her beloved Chicago restaurant in LA last summer. The airy industrial space helmed by the James Beard award-winning Izard serves inventive globally-inspired dishes such as goat curry and chickpea fritters. Wash it all down with craft mocktails from mixologist Mike Zell, including the Sunrise Spiritz with lychee, galangal, and hibiscus soda and the tropical Sunset Shrub with pickled mango, passionfruit, and ginger.
How to book: Make reservations online.
Belles Beach House
Perfect for your Instagram feed, Belles Beach House feels like a getaway. The tiki-inspired space calls for a drink in hand and the extensive beverage menu has something for everyone. Choose from six different non-alcoholic spritzes—the tropical guava lemon honey spritz pairs well with the Hawaiian izakaya-inspired menu.
How to book: via SevenRooms.
Hank’s
Find elevated American classics at this go-to spot in the Palisades Village. Snag a seat in the romantic dining room and sip on Sage Against the Machine, with Amass Riverine, sage, lemon, lime, orange, cucumber water, and honey, before dipping into hearty dishes like lobster truffle mac and a classic chili bowl.
How to book: online.
Bathtub Gin
New York’s famous bar has landed in WeHo. The speakeasy offers live burlesque on Tuesdays, jazz on Wednesdays, a saxophonist on Thursdays, and a DJ on Friday and Saturdays. Pull up a seat and order the Divine Farmer's Punch, with seasonal fruits, winter jasmine, Italicus, Lillet, lemon, vanilla, and orange blossom. Food is served until 10 pm and includes a roast your own s’mores kit for two, fried calamari, and other bar bites.
How to book: online.
Caldo Verde
Downtown LA's Proper Hotel has opened with a James Beard award-winning team that includes chef Suzanne Goin and restaurateur Caroline Styne of local fine dining institutions Lucques and AOC. Pair Portuguese-inspired dishes like piri piri chicken and patatas bravas with free-spirited drinks like the cucumber tarragon spritz or the verjus fizz with vergus, pomegranate, black tea, and orange.
How to book: online.
La Boucherie
Towering at the top of Downtown’s Intercontinental Hotel is this stunning steakhouse with floor-to-ceiling windows and sweeping views of the LA skyline. Newly revamped and reopened, the menu features a cucumber gimlet mocktail, as well as a Berry Bee’s Knees with raspberry, honey, lemon juice, and soda.
How to book: online.
Nueva
Sit in a colorful mid-century modern chair in one of Nueva's expansive outdoor patios, while sipping on a passionfruit picante spritz with passionfruit, tamarind, lime, black lava saline, and mineral water. It pairs perfectly with a menu of casual Mexican fare like tacos, salads, ceviche, and more.
How to book: online.
Brooklyn Ave Pizza Co
Pizzas, wings, and papas rule supreme here, with all the traditional flavors plus a few inventive options inspired by Chicano culture—mole pizza and Cheeto-dusted wings, anyone? Wash it all down with aguas frescas that come in refreshing flavors like guava-jamaica habanero and pineapple cucumber mint.
How to book: Walk-ins only.
LOAM
ACE Hotel DTLA’s all-day restaurant LOAM serves up a veggie-forward Italian-American menu with highlights that include blue prawns, burrata toast, and crispy Brussels drizzled with pomegranate molasses. The non-alcoholic drinks—from the earthy Beet You to It with Seedlip Citrus, beet shrub, and cinnamon, to the tangy Strawberry Fields with lemon, demerara, and ginger beer —are worth coming back for more.
How to book: Walk in or book reservations online.
Tatel
Splashy new Beverly Hills hangout, Tatel, offers guests dinner and a show with live music every night. Open for lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch, order Spanish and Mediterranean-inspired fare like paella, a Spanish tortilla, and tuna carpaccio. For a non-ABV option, try the Once Upon a Thyme in Tatel, with raspberries, citrus, thyme, and grapefruit tonic.
How to book: online.
AKASHA
Chef Akasha Richmond’s Culver City restaurant is a neighborhood mainstay. The seasonal menu is inspired by chef Akasha’s global travels and features fan-favorites like short rib barbacoa taquitos; Roman-style pizza with squash, kale, and goat cheese; and Scottish salmon over a cauliflower-carrot puree. The mocktail of choice here is Rosemary Fields, with Coleman Farms rosemary syrup, Garcia Farms lemon and lime juice, mint, and club soda.
How to book: online.