Going for drinks is one of the great extracurricular activities of adulthood. You get to socialize with friends while sipping a drink featuring multiple ingredients that are carefully mixed and poured into a glass with a garnish or maybe a special ice cube. And if you don’t drink alcohol or are cutting back on drinking, you can still get in on the fun with a great non-alcoholic drink.
A good cocktail bar will be able to create a delicious drink without alcohol on request. If you notice a variety of ingredients used in its boozy cocktails, especially fresh or made in-house ingredients, chances are good that your zero-proof cocktail request will be well received and the bartender will come up with something tasty.
If you want to order from the menu, here are nine alcohol-free drinks on the menus of Calgary restaurants.
Tea Party at The Allium
This vegetarian restaurant offers three non-alcoholic cocktails. Try the Tea Party, which features Assam tea, lavender bitters, soda, peach and lemon. You can also order the non-alcoholic Motorcycle Diaries (with cardamom, soda and mint lime) or the Urban Forage (with soda, strawberry, vanilla and rhubarb).
211A 12 Ave. S.W., 403-264-5416, theallium.ca
Prickly Melon at Alumni
At Alumni, you can pair sandwiches like the rosemary beef dip or chicken parmesan with their well-priced Prickly Melon mocktail, which features jalapeno, watermelon, mint and simple syrup. Alumni also offers another alcohol-free drink called Tea Time, which is made with ginger beer, green tea, simple syrup, lemon and cinnamon.
725 17 Ave. S.W., 403-455-7255, alumnisandwiches.com
Craft Sodas at the Annex Adult Soda Shop
Annex Ale’s adult soda shop (located right beside the brewery taproom) is a great option if you’re with a group of friends where some of them drink and some don’t. All of the brewery’s tasty craft sodas (root beer, ginger beer and Saskatoon lemonade) are available on their own or in drinks mixed with spirits, so there’s truly something for everyone.
4323 1 St. S.E., annexsodas.com
Soul Revival at Cactus Club Cafe
This is one of two spirit-free drinks on the menu at Cactus Club. The sweet and spicy Soul Revival includes ginger beer, mango, lime, turmeric, jalapeno and Thai basil.
Three Calgary locations, cactusclubcafe.com
Crushable Mango Tonic at Calcutta Cricket Club
This mocktail is basically the non-alcoholic version of Calcutta Cricket Club’s crushable gin and tonic. The drink still features mango, chili and lemon, but subs the gin out for tonic water. The drink menu features two other mocktails and four cocktails with a lower ABV if you’re just looking to cut back a bit.
340 17 Ave. S.W., 403-719-1555, calcuttacricketclub.com
The Remedy at Earls
If you’re looking to bounce back after a night out, this electrolyte-infused mixed drink features ginger, pineapple, tumeric, bitters and soda. Earls also offers a sparkling yuzu lemonade, a green juice and more.
Eight locations in Calgary, earls.ca
The Aloha at Flores & Pine
Flores & Pines’ six zero-alcohol cocktails are seriously fun. There’s the raspberry mint spritz, the spiced eggnog float, the strawberry banana cereal milkshake and more. For something a bit more tropical, try The Aloha, which combines coconut milk, pineapple juice, basil, lemon and pepper syrup with dairy-free coconut gelato.
254028 Bearspaw Rd. N.W., 403-241-7611, floresandpine.com
Gorilla Juice at Gorilla Whale
Along with a refreshing green tea lemonade and ginger kombucha, Gorilla Whale offers a non-alcoholic cocktail called Gorilla Juice. Essentially an elevated take on a Shirley Temple, the drink is made with orange juice, ginger kombucha and cherry grenadine.
1214 9 Ave. S.E., 587-356-2686, gorillawhale.ca
Piña Colada at Pampa Brazilian Steakhouse
Pampa Brazilian Steakhouse has several non-alcoholic drink options, including a fresh juice bar with six flavours of juice, a spiced pineapple drink, Brazilian lemonade and a Brazilian soda, Guraná. There are also mocktails like the piña colada, which features blended fresh pineapple with condensed milk, coconut milk and ice.
521 10 Ave. S.W., 587-354-3441, pampasteakhouse.com