With trying to get away from work, getting stuck in wintertime traffic and dealing with the in-laws, holidays and the hard stuff go hand in hand for many. But it doesn’t have to be the case.
Pittsburgh bars and restaurants have a smattering of mocktails and other nonalcoholic beverages and brews crafted to support recovery or celebrate the holidays a little healthier.
Whether you’re preparing to head out a-wassailing or staying home, here are 10 mocktail and nonalcoholic options for the holiday season.
To celebrate sobriety and support recovery, Pennsylvania-based addiction treatment facility DreamLife Recovery has partnered with the Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group to create the DreamLife mocktail.
Made with orange blossom water, lemon and orange juices, vanilla syrup and seltzer, the mocktail harkens back to the orange creamsicle days of childhood — a time before alcohol drove social events.
“The DreamLife mocktail is more than just an alcohol-free choice; it’s a symbol of unity celebrating the courageous decision to embrace sobriety,” says Lidice Morales, DreamLife’s vice president of operations, in a press release. “Together, we’re providing a way for everyone to enjoy the social events of the holiday season.”
The mocktail is available at all Richard DeShantz restaurants — from Penn Avenue’s Meat and Potatoes to East Liberty’s Fish Nor Fowl to Bakery Square’s täkō tôrtä — until Jan. 1.
Space Bar
22 Market Square, Downtown
Having officially opened on Nov. 18, Space Bar serves up mocktails in an out-of-this-world environment that will make some dizzy without the booze.
While Space Bar does not have a dedicated mocktail menu, its signature celestial-body-themed cocktails can be ordered sans liquor. The menu recommends the Rocket Fuel: acid-adjusted orange juice, red bell pepper, aquafaba, ginger shrub, chipotle and paprika.
Harold’s Haunt
142 Grant Ave., Millvale
Still searching for a treat with no tricks attached? This ghost-themed “They-Bar” is “owned by Millvale’s own queer witches.” Don’t worry — it’s only scary if you’re conservative.
About a third of Harold’s menu is dedicated to “Fauxtions” nonalcoholic spirits. While the Halloween theme doesn’t leave much room for holiday cheer, familiar fall and wintry flavors like cinnamon, cranberry and cider are common in the concoctions.
Join the witches on Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m. for a $5 Fauxtions happy hour special.
Square Cafe
134 S. Highland Ave., East Liberty
Looking for a midday escape from the holiday crazies? Cafe Square’s mocktail offerings provide brief glimpses of summer on chilly afternoons. They also have some seasonal items from a recently completed mocktail contest, so be sure to pop by for them before Dec. 31.
Alternatively, ditch the mocktails altogether for another (arguably better) option: an espresso, coffee or hot tea.
I’d rather walk out into a Pittsburgh winter with a French Toast latte than with grapefruit juice freezing to my lips, but that choice is on you.
Bar Botanico
4325 Butler St., Lawrenceville
Get a great mocktail and actually eat some greens this year at Bar Botanico.
Botanico serves mocktails with zero-proof spirits, maintaining the dry, bitter flavors inherent to many cocktails. The bar offers a Cut Above Mezcal Sour, Seedlip Highball and Seedlip Espresso Martini in addition to Red Ribbon seltzer and house-made pops.
If you’re feeling peckish, try one of Fat Butcher’s dips, served with crostini and vegetable crudités.
Burgatory
342 North Shore Drive, North Shore
Everyone raves about a Burgatory spiked milkshake, but let me raise you something equally as indulgent: a milkshake. That’s right, this “mocktail” is already an American classic, and it’s calling your name.
If you have to be cold, you might as well commit to it. Plus, unlike most other establishments on this list, you don’t need to be over 21 to enter a Burgatory, so the kids can tag along. What kid wouldn’t love a milkshake in the winter?
Butterjoint
208 N. Craig St., Oakland
Looking for dinner and drinks? Dip your dough into this Butterjoint.
Although the eatery has a fresh owner — former executive chef George Austin — its nosh and nonalcoholic beverages are the same.
Butterjoint offers a Paper Plane Mocktail — Abstinence Epilogue oaked spirit, blood orange aperitif, lemon and cinnamon syrup — and nonalcoholic wine and beers.
My order? Pierogies with veggies and a Guinness Zero. Thank me later.
Arriviste Coffee
5730 Ellsworth Ave., Shadyside
Arriviste’s autumn lineup is perfect for a mocktail (with added caffeine) break.
Rickey Don’t Lose That Number fuses sparkling water, espresso, lime juice and house-made root beer syrup.
Speaking of house-made syrups, Arriviste just added vanilla brown sugar syrup to its permanent lineup. Nothing simple about that!
Arriviste also has its own unique drinks and takes on other classics, from the spiced honey Café con Miel to an orange-garnished Mocha Valencia to a chai latte crafted with everyspacething’s blend.
Shorty’s Pins x Pints
353 North Shore Drive, North Shore
Take on some bowling boozeless with Shorty’s “Free Spirits” nonalcoholic offerings.
From Mock-aritas to Fauxijitos to Don’t Call Me Shirleys, Shorty’s has a strong mocktail lineup. Alternatively, skip the Seedlip liquor for a pop or a coffee — it doesn’t matter what you’re sipping as long as you’re demolishing loved ones at duckpin bowling.
The Open Road
600 E. Warrington Ave., Allentown
Picky with your drinks, or looking for something less traditional? Since opening in 2020, The Open Road has stocked hundreds of nonalcoholic beers, wines and spirits from “zero to 0.5 percent alcohol by volume, which is roughly the alcohol content of a very ripe banana,” NEXTpittsburgh reported at the time.
Owner Mel Babitz stocks all types of nonalcoholic brews — from domestics to craft IPAs.
The store is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays and Mondays.
Looking for more nonalcoholic drinks around town? Check out Open Road’s working list of locations around the county. You might even see a few familiar names.
