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When Alex Jump started bartending 12 years ago, a customer asking for a nonalcoholic (NA) option usually sent her scrambling to dust off an expired bottle of O’Doul’s. In fact, she didn’t work for an establishment with NA drinks on the menu until she was hired to open the Denver location of illustrious NYC cocktail bar Death & Co in 2018. Today, she says, “a lot of people are exploring sobriety or just mindful drinking”—and local bars, restaurants, and beverage makers are responding by offering more alcohol by volume (ABV) diversity in the form of session and NA beers, mocktails, and dealcoholized wines. In fact, Colorado is one of the top five states for NA sales, which have increased 25 to 30 percent in the United States each of the past few years.
The massive growth is being driven by wellness-minded millennials and Gen Zers, who tend to alternate between boozy beverages and zero-proof drinks year-round, not just during popular abstinence challenges such as Dry January and Sober October. Now an independent food and beverage consultant, Jump says she often tells clients, “If you don’t have nonalcoholic cocktails on your menu, you just hate money.” (She’s also clear on her message to consumers: Thoughtfully developed mocktails with high-quality ingredients cost just as much to make as their boozy counterparts, and the technology required to remove alcohol from wine and beer is expensive, so don’t expect NA options to be cheap.)
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For Jump, promoting mindful drinking is about more than profits, though: After seeing the effects of excessive alcohol and illicit drug use on hospitality workers, in early 2020 she co-founded Focus on Health, which advocates for well-being in the industry and educates bar professionals on ABV variety. The ultimate goal? Making it easier for everyone to opt into elevated, tasty low- and zero-proof beverages—like the ones below.
Below, our favorite bars and restaurants in Denver and Colorado for ordering a mocktail or low-ABV bevvie.
Jump Ahead:
Read More: Awesome Local NA Bevvies and Low-ABV Drinks You Need To Try This Dry January
1. Rootstalk
Most of Colorado’s thrills take place at altitude, where a few full-strength nightcaps might mean missing first tracks the next day. “Even if you’re just coming from Denver to Breckenridge, the first night or two is an acclimation process, and alcohol affects you differently up here,” says Patrick Murphy, a longtime bar and restaurant pro who went sober three years ago. “You can feel the effects very quickly, and it can leave you feeling dehydrated and groggy in the morning.”
That’s why Murphy, who is a partner in both Rootstalk and its sister eatery Radicato, recently introduced a slate of zero-proof options at the upscale restaurants on Breck’s charming Main Street—going so far as to develop his own NA versions of gin, bourbon, and vermouth. At Rootstalk, diners can even opt for non-alcoholic pairings to go with 2024 James Beard Foundation Award–winning chef Matt Vawter’s tasting menu. To find out how these concoctions help imbibers shred their forthcoming black diamond runs, we asked Murphy to explain the healing properties inside the Free Bird, one of Rootstalk’s most popular mocktails. 207 N. Main St., Breckenridge
Inside Every Free Bird
- A nonalcoholic bitter aperitif that aids digestion
- Fresh pineapple juice, rich in vitamin B6 for energy, bromelain to reduce inflammation, and manganese to balance blood sugar
- Fresh lime juice, packed with immune-system-boosting vitamin C
- House-made grenadine, an antioxidant-rich pomegranate syrup that supports brain and liver health
- Demerara, a raw sugar mixture for just the right amount of natural sweetness
2. Death & Co
When NYC-born Death & Co opened its first outpost in RiNo in 2018, the cocktail den raised the bar for mixed drinks in the Mile High City—and raised eyebrows for its Big Apple prices. Denverites quickly came to appreciate the skill and high-quality ingredients behind the boozy sips. But will they pay $16 apiece for its zero-proof concoctions?
Bar manager Scott Ruggiero thinks so. “We take a really thoughtful approach to create the same texture you get from alcohol,” Ruggiero says. For example, the martini-esque New Territory uses two Seedlip NA spirits, which retail at about $32 for 700 milliliters. There’s a bit of verjus blanc and coconut extract. Lime juice goes through a centrifuge to spin out any trace of pulp before being combined with sugar to create a perfectly clear cordial. The staff juices pineapples to make a syrup with gum arabic powder. Once all those ingredients are stirred, the drink is garnished with a grapefruit expression and a twist of lime. By appearance, taste, or cost, no one would know it’s a mocktail—and that, Ruggiero says, is what makes it priceless for many guests. 1280 25th St.
3. Honey Elixir Bar
Jocasta Hanson was going about her life when a major spinal injury changed both her personal and professional trajectory. “I had to do a deep dive to understand my injury and how to treat myself naturally,” Hanson says. “One of the things that was helpful was cutting out alcohol.” Working as a bartender at the time, she began experimenting with mixing up tasty NA beverages for herself, and in December 2019, she opened Honey Elixir, a cozy cocktail joint tucked into the mural-filled alleyway behind Denver Central Market in RiNo.
On the menu, a variety of drinks get equal billing: Up top, the potions section is filled with alcohol-free, apothecary-inspired sips like the Scarlett Rizz, which blends Earl Grey tea, lavender, mugwort, calea (often called the “dream herb”), and clover honey with NA prosecco, pomegranate, and lemon. Next, there are two zero-proof, ceremonial-grade sipping chocolates, aka cacaos. Then comes the jun section—three fizzy, fermented green teas that are brewed in Boulder with honey, medicinal herbs, and superfoods. They’re served cold, and each rings in around three to four percent ABV. Finally, there’s a list of seasonal, booze-based cocktails—many sweetened with raw honey and infused with organic botanicals—followed by a selection of wines and canned beer.
But it’s not just the drink lineup that’s inclusive. “I’m neuro-divergent, so I’m very sensory considerate,” Hanson says. In Honey Elixir, that translates to rich, soothing jewel tones; velvety textures; and a high-quality sound system with dampening measures to ensure there’s no distracting reverberation. “It’s a space and a menu for everyone,” Hanson says, “no matter where they’re at in their imbibing journey.”
“I wanted to create a space that offered [a variety of ABV options] because I knew people were either wanting it or going to be. I just knew that if I’m on this journey, there are other people on this journey as well.” 2636 Walnut St. #104
4. Fellow Traveler
In 2023, the spritz—a refreshing blend of prosecco, soda water, and an aperitif such as Aperol or Campari—broke into the top 10 most-ordered cocktails at American bars. Locally, there’s no better place to taste the trendy, 10 to 12 percent ABV sipper (old fashioneds are around 35 percent) than Englewood’s Fellow Traveler, a vegan bar and eatery with one of the metro’s largest selections of Italian aperitifs. “It’s something you can take your time with,” says owner Joe Phillips, who crafts a lemon liqueur for Fellow Traveler’s sweet-tart limoncello spritz and uses dry vermouth in his favorite variation, the Oso de Oro.
You can also dive into 20-plus amari, a family of herbal Italian digestifs. With alcohol contents as low as 16 percent, they work well as swaps for heavier spirits. “If you’re with some real professionals shooting whiskey all night and you’re doing amaro, you’re going to be ahead of the curve,” Phillips says. To stay out from under Fellow Traveler’s tables, mix in shots of the house-made NA Malört—spiced with wormwood and ghost pepper to mimic the gut punch of the real thing—and the limone e sale, a blend of fresh lemon juice, soda, and salt that Phillips calls Sicilian Gatorade. 3487 S. Broadway, Englewood
10 More Spots to Find Mocktails in Denver
Adrift Tiki Bar
A tiki bar might be the last place you think of for boozeless drinking options, but at Adrift, the virgin piña colada is the stuff of NA dreams. The frozen treat features housemade coconut cream, grapefruit juice, and a hint of cinnamon, which cuts the drink’s cloying tendencies. Passing on the punch bowl has never tasted (or felt) better. 218 S. Broadway
Poka Lola Social Club
Despite its cocktail lounge status, Poka Lola’s soda shop vibes mean you’ll never feel out of place choosing from its dedicated alcohol-free menu. There are spirit-free spins on classics such as the Aperol spritz and the old fashioned, but adventurous gastronauts can push their palates with the Black Magic, flavored with blueberry, kiwi, champagne vinegar, and clove. 1850 Wazee St.
Lady Jane
This airy, plant-filled bar in LoHi rotates its menu frequently, but it consistently slings some of the most ambitious mocktails in the city (think: a piña colada with a Peruvian purple corn zero-proof liquor, pineapple, and pear). Spice lovers rejoice: Lady Jane also serves an alcohol-free persimmon soda embellished with maple, fenugreek, and mace. 2021 W. 32nd Ave.
Deviation Distilling
Also in the Dairy Block, a short walk from Poka Lola, Deviation Distilling’s drink menu always maintains at least three nonalcoholic options that change seasonally. Current selections range from the fruity Berry Blast to the herbaceous Garden Party, which respectively feature housemade grapefruit and lemon sherbets. Many of Deviation’s regular cocktails can also be tweaked to be spirit-free. 1821 Blake St., Suite 130
Wildflower
Nestled in LoHi’s Life House Hotel, Wildflower carries its plant-forward menu through to its bar program. Zero-proof options include the floral-bright Energía Positiva with notes of hibiscus and orange blossom, and the JR, which balances out its base of Ghia (a bitter nonalcoholic aperitif made with relaxation-promoting herbal extracts) with heady green cardamom and splashes of lemon and orange juice. 3638 Navajo St.
The Tatarian
Named after the Tatarian maples that shade the nearby sidewalks, this Berkeley cocktail lounge takes its tree theme seriously. Its mocktails are all inspired by trees of the world, such as the Luna, which was created in honor of activist Julia Butterfly Hill, who occupied a 1,000-year-old California redwood to prevent it from being logged. Appreciate environmentalism by sipping on skullcap tea, lemon, basil, green pepper, balsamic vinegar, and egg white. If you’re feeling adventurous, ask the bartender to create a mocktail of their choice—it’ll be just as delicious. 4024 Tennyson St.
Beckon
If you’re looking to luxuriate at an intimate chef’s counter without any wine-pairing FOMO, head to Beckon in RiNo. The hygge-centric two-and-a-half-hour experience offers zero-proof beverages—a concoction of passion fruit, almonds, and ginger beer, for example—intended to complement the prix fixe food menu ($195) that changes quarterly. 2843 Larimer St.
Halcyon Hotel Cherry Creek
An NA night out on the town is possible in just one building. Start with dinner at Local Jones, Halcyon’s anchor restaurant, with mocktails like the Rosey Cheeks made with grapefruit and lavender. Then, head to the rooftop bar, Rare Bird, for sips like the Cactus Wren made with zero-proof gin, prickly pear, and ginger syrup. 245 Columbine St.
Reynard Social
Cozy and classy with a strong alpine sense, Reynard Social’s two mocktails serve agave and sugarcane zero-proof distillates (akin to tequila and rum, respectively) in time-tested flavor combinations. The Ascend takes after the tequila-based Matador with its usage of pineapple and lime juice, while the Full Send adds onto a mojito mint-and-lime profile with a splash of coconut cream. 1616 Market St.
Oak at Fourteenth
Catch the boozy chai wave while staying sober at Boulder’s Oak at Fourteenth. The swanky New American restaurant sources from Three Spirit, a UK-based company that wields adaptogenic herbs in its line of elixirs. Those wanting a cozy drink should try the Nao De Chai, crafted with zero-proof mezcal, chai, and agave, while fruit fiends must order the Mood Maker, complete with peach tea and lemon. 1400 Pearl St., Boulder
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