The Best Non-Alcoholic Cocktails on Philly Menus Right Now
These aren’t “mocktails.” They’re classy, well-thought-out, crafted cocktails that just so happen to be alcohol-free.
The Różowe Jabłko N/A cocktail from Little Walter’s. / Photograph by Gab Bonghi
The non-alcoholic beverage industry has come a long way. Seriously, there are now entire bottle shops and bars dedicated to serving booze-less booze and specialty drinks.
Gone are the days of mixing club soda with juice just to give it a little fizz. Bartenders are stocking their shelves with zero-proof brands and concocting N/A cocktails with such a high level of precision, it’s like they’re auditioning for the alcohol-free equivalent of Netflix’s Drink Masters. They’re tinkering with recipes that build interesting flavor profiles and add texture, infusing excitement into every glass.
To simply call them “mocktails” would be an insult. Drinks as eloquent as these aren’t mocking anything — they’re so clever, so tasty, and just so darn gorgeous to look at that they’re carving out their own sections on restaurant menus.
Regardless of your reasons for ordering an alcohol-free drink, you deserve something that’s still fun and interesting. Here are the best zero-proof cocktails in Philadelphia right now.
The Mleczarz and the Różowe Jabłko at Little Walter’s, Kensington
Little Walter’s just dropped a whole menu of zero-proof cocktails dubbed “bezalkoholowe” (which translates to “non-alcoholic” in Polish), so picking just one drink this Dry January is tricky. If you want the dill-forward taste of the pickletini without the luksusowa vodka, try the Mleczarz, a N/A beverage made of whey, apple shrub, and dill. For a refreshing sip of spring, go for the Różowe Jabłko featuring apple hibiscus kombucha from Baba’s Bucha. 2049 E Hagert Street.
N/A Karbo-Not at Kampar, Queen Village
Kampar’s general manager and beverage director, Sam Pritchard, works hard to offer a beverage program with plenty of zero-proof options. The N/A Karbo-Not combines two house-made syrups — a raspberry and Meyer lemon leaf cordial and a beet shrub – with club soda for a refreshing beverage with all the complexity and flavor of a regular cocktail. 611 South 7th Street.
Korean Spice Margarita at Ember & Ash / Photograph by Mike Prince
Korean Spice Margarita at Ember & Ash, East Passyunk
Since opening, Ember & Ash has put a lot of thought into their N/A program, and as a result, their entire zero-proof lineup is banger after banger. But if you’re like me, a sucker for spicy margaritas, go for the Korean spice margarita, a citrusy cocktail made with mandarin purée and lime and spiced with gochujang and ginger. 1520 East Passyunk Avenue
Bartender’s choice at Friday Saturday Sunday, Rittenhouse Square
FSS bartender Paul MacDonald is among the very best in the city, and he doesn’t leave non-drinkers out. Belly up to the bar and ask him what he’s excited about in the zero-proof world – he always has a whole arsenal of options. 261 South 21st Street.
Cuddles on the beach at Bloomsday, Queen Village
A play on the classic Sex on the Beach cocktail, Bloomsday’s Cuddles on the Beach combines grenadine, citrus juice, and seltzer water for a bubbly, refreshing drink. They also offer a ginger-spiked house lemonade and a house-fermented ginger beer. 414 South 2nd Street.
75-Year-Old Virgin at Forsythia / Photograph by Max Mester
75-Year-Old Virgin at Forsythia, Old City
A play on the French 75, Forsythia’s 75-Year-Old Virgin achieves the same citrusy, spicy, botanical essence of gin with juniper, cara cara, and lemon. It’s a light, refreshing, and refined cocktail that’s delightful to sip with deviled eggs at happy hour or at dinner over the 10-day dry-aged whole duck. 233 Chestnut Street.
Anything at Bar Palmina, Fishtown
Fishtown’s only zero-proof bar is a veritable playground of non-alcoholic options. There’s something for everything – beer, wine, and a whole section of classic cocktails reimagined without the hard stuff. 1306 North Front Street.
Sans Spritz at Bar Lesieur, Center City
There’s something about how effervescent drinks cut through the salty fattiness of foie gras. So the pro move here is to order the foie gras with the Sans Spritz made with grapefruit soda and a bittersweet N/A aperitif. The foie gras comes with fig, which tastes lovely with the grapefruit soda, plus those subtle bubbles in the Sans Spritz cleanse your palate so every bite is just as exciting as your first. 1523 Sansom Street.
Doctor’s Orders N/A Cocktail at Wilder / Photograph courtesy of Bondfire Media
Doctor’s Orders at Wilder, Rittenhouse
It’s not often that tea makes its way into a cocktail, but when it is used as the base, it brings a considerable amount of depth to the drink. In the case of Doctor’s Orders, the smokiness of the lapsang souchong tea is reminiscent of peated whisky. The spiciness of the ginger really punches it up while the sweet honey balances it out, resulting in a drink with mellow warm notes. 2009 Sansom Street.
Barrel-Aged “Old Fashioned” at Char & Stave, Ardmore
Between the espresso martini and the espresso tonic, coffee cocktails have been enjoying an extended period of time in the limelight. So if you’re going to get a coffee-based cocktail, get one directly from a coffee roaster. The barrel-aged “Old Fashioned” employs an interesting technique that you don’t come by often in the coffee world. They use a barrel-aged espresso as the base, which gives it a bourbon-like, oaky smoothness, but of course, it’s alcohol-free. 21 Rittenhouse Place.
Ginger Soda at Darling Jack’s, Midtown Village
This is not your average ginger soda. If the ginger-lime cordial and bubbles don’t give this N/A cocktail enough zing, the Sichuan peppercorns will! 104 South 13th Street.
