The welcome drink handed to you on arrival at the hotel, the heavily garnished cocktail by the beach, the sundowners, the at-least-starts-civilised wine tour or beer festival… Travel and drinking make friendly — if fuzzy-headed — bedfellows. But what if you’re cutting back on the empties to ensure you wake up in a new place headache-free, or you’ve gone full teetotal?
We’ve sought out the best sober bars, mocktail-makers and alcohol-free experiences in top destinations around the world for a clean break, plus luxury hotels with bars that go ‘low and no’ for resting your clear head. Here’s to dry spells in London, New York, Paris and beyond with a touch of zero-proof sparkle.
London
On Saturdays, start with a House of Happiness sober day-rave in Lambeth, then head east to swing by Albie in Southwark for a herbaceous ‘soft cocktail’ apéritif. Ditch the day-glo for a blow-the-budget meal at Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London, close to Whitehall, where a chef decorated with Michelin stars concocts elegant Med menus alongside a considered ‘temperance pairing’.
Or, start at Tendril, Oxford Circus, to wash down vegan eats with clean Margs and drinking vinegars; skip over to Club Soda on Drury Lane for non-alc tastings and cocktail classes; loop round to Marylebone’s Lucky Saint for pious pints; then dine at fine West African eatery Akoko, whose soft pairing includes Scotch bonnet and lemon cordial, and other spicy sips.
Stay sober at… Vintry & Mercer, whose name might say ‘ancient guild for London wine merchants’, but among a varied range for non-drinkers, there are CBD cocktails served in bong-shaped glassware; or go for more elegant ‘erbs at The Bloomsbury’s bar, for botanical-laced grown-up sodas and sparkling teas.
Paris
First build up your in-room bar at Xavier, where pétillants, spumantes, whiskies and even limoncellos come proof-free. Chase up with tastings that won’t make you tipsy at Le Paon Qui Boit in the 19th and Déjà bu? in the 11th; then take mocktails in the Marais on ‘cultural café-bar’ Griffon’s profusely planted terrace, before diving into the styled-to-share menu. Then get trippy south of the Seine at Solera, where even the mocktails are served in zany vessels with theatrical sleight-of-hand.
Stay sober at… Grand Powers, where the restaurant pioneers plant-based dining and the bar serves up smoothies and kombuchas. Or Nolinski, where the burnished bar has virgin sippers and detox drinks.
Berlin
Berlin’s purer offerings are spritzed across the city, so be ready to use the U-Bahn. Fuel up at vegan joint Mana Food, where brunches of scrambled ‘veggs’, balsamic mushrooms and fruity boosters will propel you to the Mindful Drinking Club in the east, where drinks flights flaunt the surprising variance of today’s non-alcoholic offerings.
Head south to learn how wines are dealcoholised with like-minded folk at Nüchtern bottle shop. Get a sugar high off the many low-and-no cocktails at Monkey Bar or Basalt, and check Insta to see if Sober Sensation is running its alcohol- and drug-free ‘natural high’ night; come August, it holds a sober festival with DJs, comedy and more.
Stay sober at… SO Das Stue hotel, which has a bar with many imaginative juice-led mixed drinks; so when you spy the animals next door in the Berlin Zoological Garden from the terrace, you won’t think you’ve overdone it.
New York
Book an alc-free Absence of Proof event if they’re running; past pop-ups have included flower-arranging, ice baths and rooftop yoga. Otherwise try niche brands (Ghia and Bonbuz ‘spirits’, Nope ‘wines’…) at Sèchey bottle shop’s tastings, or see a speaker with booze-free pours at Spirited Away. Grab dinner at Greywind for bistro fare with seasonal mocktails, then hit Hekate, NYC’s most beloved sober bar, where only the drinks (‘sangria’, kava, custom ‘elixirs’) are dry, and witchy happenings are held.
In Williamsburg, Talea compiles beer flights of less than 0.5% ABV, and has sparkling teas, kombuchas and luxury sodas; while High & Dry coffee bar embraces a European attitude, staying open till midnight and serving live jazz alongside.
Stay sober at… The Ned NoMad, where phoney Negronis and Nada Coladas keep the drinking responsible.
Los Angeles
LA’s sprawl and car-reliant culture make abstaining the saner choice here, letting you zip between venues worry-free. Consult in-the-know ‘non-alcoholic sommeliers’ at Soft Spirits to discover new varietals of virgin ‘wines’, fruity ferments and canned mocktails. Then find out how fun karaoke and techno nights can be on alcohol-free drinks built on aloe vera and spiced-molasses ‘liqueurs’ at Free Spirited in Alhambra.
By Venice Beach, the New Bar holds healthier happy hours and disco nights; and nearby kava-nectar bar Kavahana serves tongue-tingling drinks muddled with tropical fixings, with pitchers for nights of comedy, kava ceremonies and yet more karaoke. And check out Bar Nuda’s pop-ups (club and dance nights with tea and mocktails) for hangover-free fun.
Stay sober at… Petit Ermitage’s lantern-lit roof terrace is one for nights to remember — easily done with a list of virgin ‘love potions’. We like Wide Awake, a chai-spiced remix of the espresso martini.
Lisbon
Portugal’s social scene makes lots of space for the sober — try dry drinking games in bohemian bairros on a non-alcoholic pub crawl or stock up on virtuous spirits at the Other Bottle shop to present to the mixologist at Rumours, who’ll then magic up custom mocktails as you like them. At dinner, pair Allora’s truffle menu and Italian eats with refreshing juicy blends; or the alc-free drinks at Boa-Bao’s are just as adventurous as its globetrotting eats. Cap off the night at Uptown Bar.
Stay sober at… The Vintage Lisbon, where you can survey the city with a ginger spritz or virgin mojito from the roof terrace; or soak up the sun as Fado music plays at Valverde Hotel, with a homemade lemonade or iced tea in hand.
Tokyo
There are thirst-quenchers all over Tokyo, with vending machines shooting out melon sodas and Pokémon-themed fruit drinks on every corner. The city adds kawaii to cafés (we love the Peanuts Café and Shiro-Hige’s Cream Puff Factory, in Setagaya), lets diners play with pets (from Shiba Inus to snakes), and makes teatime an art (Tokyo Saryo and Socha are masterfully minimalist houses).
As for bars, the 0% Non-Alcohol Experience’s dullsville name does disservice to its molecular mocktails; all dry-ice and bubbling and foaming things, served in increasingly mad ways. With a similar mundane name but amazing experience, Low-Non Bar is a sexy jazz-playing joint where drinks mix in vinegars, wasabi and zero-proof sake.
Stay sober at… The polished and pared-back Aman Tokyo shows you need little embellishment to make an impact; its mocktails (smoked virgin Mary, yuzu ‘mojito’) follow suit.
Marrakech
Marrakech is more libertine than traditional corners of Morocco; but wind through the Medina and gather as the setting sun cools the day, and you’ll find mint tea faster than a martini. Decidedly cool Cafe Clock, south of the Medina, is a goldmine for non-drinkers, with mint and lemon-verbena teas, spiced coffees, milkshakes, smoothies and lassis — use to wash down tutti-frutti and orange-blossom and argan oil ice-creams.
In Djemaa-el-Fna, Argana lets you watch the action (storytellers, snake-charmers, acrobats…) from tiered terraces as you nurse a quenching mocktail. M Rooftop is also view-blessed and its barkeeps have poured all their passion into non-alc drinks, from ‘sangria’ to ‘slings’. Dine on mod-Moroccan fare and herbal iced-teas at Nomad, then hit Barometre, where alchemical mocktails will keep you going till 1am.
Stay sober at… Legendary stay La Mamounia has four bars, all with delicious non-alcoholic offerings; and aside from being the city’s colourful fashion-plate, El Fenn has a juice bar and various flavours of virgin mojitos.
Sydney
Start at the Sydney Opera House — hot tip, right? Before calling us basic, you may not know that the bar on the lower concourse has a good range of low-and-no sips. Stop for an omakase lunch at Sokyo, sampling Eastern-inflected mocktails with lychee, yuzu and sakura blossom. Then amble over to Gin Lane, where all regular cocktails can be made zero-proof.
Or first swing by Spon bottle shop to pick up cans of strawberry gose and finger-lime cervezas; you’ll need them for viewpoint stops along the Coogee to Manly trail. Once you reach Manly, toast your efforts at Stowaway Bar with a dulce de leche-sweetened ‘Irish’ coffee or orange and cinnamon ‘G&T’. Then while away the afternoon up north at Seadrift, Australia’s first non-alcoholic distillery.
Stay sober at… Ace Hotel Sydney, where mocktails, kombuchas and more are reassuringly considered and cool.
If you’d like something with more of a kick, check out our pick of the best hotel bars in London, Paris and New York