By Tamara Palmer
Being a food journalist in San Francisco means that vats of alcohol are thrown at me on a weekly basis. And while I do enjoy an expertly balanced cocktail, I am a true teetotaler at heart and tend to get much more excited about a creative non-alcoholic drink (or mocktail, if you prefer). An increasing number of local restaurants and bars are paying attention to the significant portion of our population that can’t or won’t drink alcoholic beverages. Gone are the days when a Shirley Temple was your only “fancy” option!
If you don’t see an interesting mocktail at a place that has a decent cocktail menu, don’t be afraid to challenge them to create something for you that leaves out the booze. I’ve been doing this steadily for about a year, and only one bartender at a major watering hole in town stared at me blankly for a minute before saying he couldn’t do it — which is bullshit, frankly, so keep trying!
In the meantime, here are some sure shots that will make you feel like a fancy drinker but won’t give you a hangover:
Cranberry and Douglas Fir Shrub at Gather
Gather in Berkeley features a range of eight shrub (or fruit, sugar and vinegar-syrup-based) sodas made with syrups from another Berkeley company, Shrub & Co. The flavors are all intriguing, including blood orange with cardamom and spicy ginger, but the combination of cranberry and Douglas fir is particularly unique and refreshing, the tartness of the fruit shot through with woodsy warmth.
Virgin Piña Colada at El Techo De Lolinda
Boozehounds shouldn’t be the only ones who get to enjoy the transportive pleasures of having a tiny umbrella in their drinks. El Techo, the rooftop bar and restaurant above Lolinda in the Mission, makes a seriously amazing virgin piña colada that’s piled high with little bitty ice cubes and sweet coconut cream. Miss it at your peril, especially when paired with crunchy chicharrones and a platter of pork.
Eden at Hakkasan
Hakkasan in the Financial District treats their teetotalers with as much dignity as their hard-drinking customers. Each of their non-alcoholic selections is as visually beautiful as it is tasty, but the one to try is the Eden, a combo of black grapes, rose sugar, lychee juice and soda water (see top photo). It’s served with what looks like rose petals, but they’re actually made of grapes. Just gorgeous.
Ginger Lemon Apple Cider at Outerlands
Popular Outer Sunset destination Outerlands serves their buzzy ginger lemon apple cider hot or iced. You might assume you’d always need it hot, given the location, but global warming has been hooking up the neighborhood lately and making the iced version perfectly appropriate. Go ahead and tell your boozy friends they can throw a shot of bourbon in there if they need to as well.
Virgin Minted Memory at the Fly Trap
When all else fails, you can always try asking for a cocktail you see on a menu to be made without alcohol. It doesn’t always translate, but when it does, it’s beautiful. One of my greatest successes with this approach is the Minted Memory at SOMA’s Fly Trap. The original has Bombay gin, Pimm’s No.1, minted vinegar syrup and lemon, but if you ask for it virgin and swap the alcohol for soda water, you’ll still end up with a provocative drink that hits lovely sweet, sour and tart notes.
