WASHINGTON — So, you're sober curious, and want to participate in Dry January this year.
Well, you don't have to stay at home all month to join the challenge. Several D.C.-area bars and restaurants will be offering non-alcoholic drink options on their menus.
If you didn't know, Dry January began as a campaign created and led by Alcohol Change UK over a decade ago. To participate, you must decide not to drink for the entire month.
"Being alcohol-free for 31 days shows us that we don’t need alcohol to have fun, to relax, or to socialize," says Alcohol Change UK, which coined the term Dry January in 2013. "It helps us learn the skills we need to manage our drinking."
While some participants sign up to fundraise with the challenge, many more are hoping to improve their health — physical, mental, and financial.
So, skip the headache this January and try one of the many bars and restaurants offering mocktails on our list:
Lapis at 1847 Columbia Road, NW
- The modern Afghan restaurant offers a mocktail menu featuring ingredients found in the traditional dishes on the menu.
- Mocktails ($8) include:
- Lapis ginger lemonade- Fresh lemon, ginger, and soda.
- Anar- Did you know Afghanistan is one of the largest producers of pomegranate globally? Well, featured in this liquor-free drink are pomegranate, rose water, and soda.
- Rumi- Yogurt, mint, cucumber, salt, and soda.
- Lime-Ade- Lime, basil, sea salt, and soda.
Lupo Verde Osteria Palisades at 4814 MacArthur Boulevard, NW
- The intimate 100-seat Italian restaurant serves a mocktail called Under the Tuscan Sun. The drink features orgeat syrup, cherry reduction, lime juice, club soda, and blueberries ($8).
Bresca at 1906 14th Street, NW
- Bresca will celebrate its grand reopening on January 11.
- The contemporary French bistro offers the following non-alcoholic drink menu for $12 a drink:
- Citronnade à la Menthe- Cardamom and lemon cordial, mint, and lees.
- Mango Collins- BareZero Proof Gin, mango, lemon, and ginger beer.
- Cherry Old Fashioned- Lyre’s American Malt, orgeat, and bitters.
Doyle at 1550 New Hampshire, NW
- The bar inside the Dupont Circle Hotel features three non-alcoholic drinks to choose from.
- The drinks on the mocktail menu include:
- Free Kick ($15)- Seedlip spice, honey ginger syrup, lemon, apple, mint, and soda.
- Free Fall Fizz ($15)- Seedlip garden, chamomile syrup, lemon, and zero-proof sparkling wine.
- Dupont Temple ($12)- Lemonade, cherry syrup, and cranberry.
Estuary at 950 New York Avenue, NW
- The restaurant in Penn Quarter is where modern American food meets the diverse flavors of the Philippines.
- Estuary offers a variety of mocktails to choose from their menu including:
- Amaretti Sour ($13)- Lyre's Amaretti simple syrup and lemon juice.
- Montreal 75 ($14)- Seedlip garden, lemon juice, maple syrup, Freixenet non-alcoholic cava.
- Passion Fruit Fizz ($10)- Passion fruit purée, Grenadine, lemon juice, and ginger ale.
Irregardless Bar and Restaurant at 502 H Street, NE
- The wine bistro on H Street not only celebrates great Virginia wine but it also has a secret weapon.
- Currently offered on the menu is a non-alcoholic Riesling (Leitz Eins Zwei Zero) by the glass.
- Bar manager Christine Cabatuan also makes mocktails based on the diner’s preferences.
Serenata at 1280 4th Street, NE
- The cocktail bar at La Cosech Food Hall in Union Market has several non-alcoholic drink options on its menu.
- These mocktails include:
- Margarita 2.0 ($15)- Dealcoholized tequila spirit, spicy pineapple-mango reduction, nopal, lime, orange, and togarashi (contains sesame.)
- Fresca ($15) - Seedlip dealcoholized spirit, strawberry simple, Martini & Rossi Vibrante, and orange.
- Romera ($15)- Seedlip dealcoholized spirit, lemon rosemary simple, Martini & Rossi Floreale, and grapefruit.
- Toronja ($13)- Grapfruit-serrano simple, lime, and grapefruit soda.
- Me-Oh Mai Tai ($15)- Dealcoholized rum spirit, orange, lime, orgeat, and cherry (contains nuts).
- Platano ($10)- Dealcoholized rum spirit, orange, lime, orgeat, and cherry (contains nuts).
- Strawberry Aqua Fresca ($10)- Strawberry, lime, and club soda.
Nama Ko at 1926 14th Street, NW
- The Japanese restaurant and craft cocktail bar on 14th Street offers a zero-proof cocktail menu.
- The mocktails ($11) featured on the menu include:
- Sumo Spirit- Sparking grapefruit soda, orgeat, cinnamon, and orange.
- Matcha Colada- Coconut cream, lime, pineapple, matcha, and smoked salt.
- Shiso Lovely- Cucumber, pineapple, Thai basil, lime, shiso, and soda.
Imperfecto at 1124 23rd Street, NW
- The restaurant inspired by Mediterranean and Latin American cultures has one Michelin star under its belt.
- On the menu, there are two mocktails to choose from:
- Pesce Palla ($15)- Squash purée, apple juice, lemon, Allspice dulce, banana & cinnamon cloud.
- Light N' Stormy ($13)- Pineapple shrub, elderflower syrup, pomegranate, lime juice, and ginger beer.
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