We all know many millennials and Generation Z gave up on booze not just for Dry January, but permanently. At what point, however, did sobriety turn into strawberry lemonades, Shirley Temples, or a myriad other tall glasses filled with sugar and nothing that resembled alcohol?
Elixir Saloon in Mission hoped to change that in its recent event, “Death to the Mocktail.” The tiny bar crammed around 50 bartenders, waiters, and bar owners recently to make a simple pitch: sober sisters have money, too, and their palate is more refined than sugar soda. Instead, let’s ply them with nonalcoholic (NA) spirits that sometimes resemble alcohol, and also offer a plethora of other diverse flavors, bitters and herbs that stretch far beyond Sprite and grenadine.
It’s worth noting that San Francisco does sell many NA brands in dedicated shops. Ocean Beach Cafe boasts the biggest selection of nonalcoholic spirits in San Francisco if not in many places. Boisson is a new Hayes Valley shop dedicated exclusively to the sale of nonalcoholic booze and related beverages. I happen to know Swirl on Castro keeps a nonalcoholic wine or two on the shelf when needed, and I hope this story encourages them to grow their selection.
Okay, so at Elixir Saloon: I spotted Prima Pavé in the far corner with several bottles of sparkling wines chilled in a tub of ice, and I made a beeline for them since the last good NA sparkling wine I had with my boyfriend at Castro Street Fair. The BF doesn’t drink at all, and that’s why I went to this event in the first place.
I tried Prima Pavé’s Blanc De Blancs, Rosé Brut, Grand Cuvée, and Rosé Dolce, and I was pleasantly astonished at the unique depth of flavor in each; so many non-alcoholic wines and sparkling wines I’ve sampled disappoint in their underwhelming sameness, but these stood out as bottles I could easily see myself enjoying the same way I would a regular alcoholic sparkling wine.
Their Rosé Dolce is apparently one of their top sellers and has a pleasantly sweet (but not overly so) taste of strawberry and blood orange, but I preferred the crisp and dryer Blanc De Blancs for its hints of peach and apple.
I then moved to Three Spirit and Bare Zero Proof.
Three Spirit featured interesting bottle designs for their three elixirs, which the brand ambassador described as being almost part-of-the-day specific: Livener (morning), Social (afternoon), and Nightcap (evening). The Livener was the most interesting, reminding me texturally of unpasteurized apple juice but with a few other flavor profiles thrown in and a spicy, peppery finish I rather enjoyed. This is what professionals apparently call “mouthfeel”, a term I find unfortunately grotesque and inelegant as a descriptor.
I didn’t care for the Social at all — unsurprising, since I tend to be an introvert, har har. But the Nightcap was decent and I could imagine sipping it while sitting by the fire and reading a book before bed.
The Bare Zero Proof category featured non-alcoholic Modern Classic Gin, Reposado-Style Tequila, and Bourbon Whiskey, but I don’t usually enjoy any of those so I opted against tasting. I did overhear and make note, however, someone marveling at how the gin tasted like “the real thing”, at which point the brand ambassador engaged with her and began to discuss the creation. As soon as I heard “juniper” I politely excused myself to grab a cocktail at the bar as the presentation by West Bev Consulting was beginning — gin, to me, almost always tastes like I’m drinking a bitter evergreen tree and I find it to be quite unpleasant.
Listen I didn’t sample everything because these concoctions still cost money. But there are local NA-focused shops with tastings that I plan to check out:
Ocean Beach Cafe
734 La Playa St, San Francisco
- $55 “Temperance Tasting” provides an hourlong tour of a bunch of spirits.
- $75 NA mixology class
Boisson
333 Hayes St., San Francisco
- Lots of brand-specific tasting events ongoing. Perhaps free? Check their event page — there are a number of tastings for Dry January. Just make sure the entry says “SF”; they have locations in New York and Los Angeles, as well.
And check back at Elixir Saloon, too, of course. Their event perked up when they talked about how to make NA cocktails from scratch and which ingredients and techniques one could employ to achieve similar attributes and flavor profiles inherent in many alcoholic cocktails. Based on what they said, it’s time to move past the “mocktail” and embrace the NA cocktail.
S. J. Mags is a San Francisco-based writer.
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