Drink up and stay sober with these mocktails and other non-alcoholic drinks in Charlotte
The holiday season is upon us once again, and with it comes the inevitable eating, drinking and being merry that often accompanies this time of year’s festivities.
While it can be a lot of fun to dress up and go out for the company Christmas party, holiday happy hour and midweek dinners with old friends or relatives in town for the occasion, navigating the hangovers that may result from more frequent alcohol-fueled celebrations is not.
The good news is that Charlotte’s social scene is continuously becoming more inclusive for those opting out of imbibing — whether it’s for the night, the month or longer — with more local restaurants, bars and event venues adding a wide variety of thoughtful, sophisticated non-alcoholic beverages to their cocktail menus.
So if you’re looking for the perfect place to go with friends, family or colleagues where everyone will have a great time and enjoy a delicious beverage, here are 16 local spots with sophisticated non-alcoholic adult drinks on the menu. (And if you don’t see a spirit-free beverage on the menu when you’re out, it never hurts to ask.)
Aura Rooftop
Location: 124 W Brooklyn Vlg Ave, Charlotte, NC 28202
Aura Rooftop, located atop the JW Marriott Charlotte in uptown, offers small plates paired with panoramic city views and an inclusive cocktail menu including beer, wine, signature drinks, social cocktails for groups and craft non-alcoholic “Free Spirited” beverages.
Current non-alcoholic cocktail options include:
Charlotte’s Crown (blueberry, mint, lime, sparkling water)
Solar Plexus (grapefruit, sage, pineapple, sparkling water).
Bar à Vins
Location: 3206 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205
If you think not drinking means your wine bar happy hours are a thing of the past, think again. Bar à Vins, an intimate NoDa wine bar and bottle shop offers a variety of non-alcoholic cocktails and wines to pair with your custom charcuterie board or fancy caviar service.
Look for:
The Duke Mansion
Location: 400 Hermitage Rd, Charlotte, NC 28207
After recognizing an increasing demand for more non-alcoholic beverage options at its public and private events, The Duke Mansion recently became one of the first venues in the region to offer an alcohol-free “dry bar.”
Curated in partnership with Be Refreshed, Charlotte’s first locally-owned, female–founded non-alcoholic beverage distribution company, The Mansion’s Dry Bar menu is expansive, featuring nearly a dozen non-alcoholic beverages across all drink categories including everything from zero-proof handcrafted cocktails such as a spearmint and peppermint-infused mojito, craft floral and fruity IPAs, sparkling wines and more.
Current non-alcoholic options include:
Amethyst Botanical Lemon Cucumber Serrano
Amethyst Botanical Blueberry Ginger Mint
Gin Botanical (juniper berries, coriander seeds, cardamom)
Mojito (spearmint, peppermint)
Sober Carpenter Non-alcoholic Beer
Vinada Brut Chardonnay & Prosecco
Vinada Prosecco
Vinada Sparkling Rose.
Elsewhere Cocktail Bar
Location: 101 W Worthington Ave STE 140, Charlotte, NC 28203
Tucked away underneath the historic water tower in South End, Elsewhere Cocktail Bar is an intimate spot to grab a drink before dinner at one of the many popular restaurants in the area. Elsewhere has made a point to include its non-drinking patrons for years with its “For the Pilot” non-alcoholic drinks section on its cocktail menu.
Current non-alcoholic beverage options include:
Agua du jour
Spiritless Kentucky 74, a non-alcoholic bourbon you can order on the rocks or substitute in one of the bar’s bourbon-focused craft cocktails.
Ever Andalo
Location: 3116 N. Davidson St. Charlotte, NC 28205
Ever Andalo, a cozy and colorful spot for Italian cuisine in the heart of NoDa, prominently features several “Spirit-Free Cocktails”on its drinks menu to pair with your meal, along with a variety of coffees, Italian sodas and more.
For a citrusy-take on the classic Moscow Mule, order a View from the Top. If you’re looking for something fruity that looks as pretty as it tastes, you’ll want to order the Ever Pink Collins.
Look for:
Apis Regina (house-made juniper-honey syrup, grapefruit, lemon, soda water)
Ever Pink Collins (strawberry, pineapple, Italian herb shrub, egg white, soda water).
View from the Top (lemon-anise syrup, grapefruit, lime, ginger beer).
Fine & Fettle
Location: 4905 Barclay Downs Drive, Charlotte, North Carolina 28210
Fine & Fettle at the Canopy SouthPark hotel features several mocktails to pair with its modern yet approachable cuisine and atmosphere.
Look for:
Mock Lobster (strawberry, basil, coconut, lemon, soda)
Mockarena (pineapple, jalapeno and lime).
Lincoln Street Kitchen & Cocktails
Location: 1320 S Church St #400, Charlotte, NC 28203
While Lincoln Street Kitchen & Cocktails in South End may be known for its barrel-aged cocktails, seasonal small plates and rooftop dining with a view, the intimate date spot is also popular among nondrinkers for its seasonal shrubs and natural sodas made from house-made syrups topped with seltzer.
Look for:
Blueberry Hibiscus Shrub
Natural Soda flavors including: Honeydew + Lemongrass, Pomegranate + Rosewater, Grapefruit + Ginger, Cucumber + Basil.
Merchant and Trade
Location: 303 S. Church St., Charlotte, NC 28202
Merchant and Trade, a chic uptown spot located atop the Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel, offers elevated bar bites, panoramic city views and a comprehensive drinks menu featuring non-alcoholic beer from Athletic Brewing and a dedicated “Zero Proof Cocktails” section.
Current non-alcoholic cocktail options include:
Spice Cadet (Seedlip Spice 94, fresh pineapple juice, jalapeño, aquafaba, agave)
Madame Blueberry (Ritual Zero Proof Rum, blueberries, fresh lemon, local honey, aquafaba, sparkling water)
Garden Gnome (Seedlip Garden 108, raspberry syrup, fresh lemon, earl grey, smoked rosemary)
To the Bus! (Ritual Zero Proof Tequila, jalapeno-cilantro reduction, fresh pineapple and orange, house made grenadine).
Restaurant Constance
Location: 2200 Thrift Road, Charlotte, NC 28208
Executive chef and owner of Restaurant Constance Sam Diminich is renowned throughout the Charlotte region and beyond for his many professional achievements — from winning on the Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay” to launching a successful farm-to-table meal delivery service at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and more. But the achievement Diminich is most proud of is personal. Diminich has been sober for more than eight years, and credits his sobriety for everything he has achieved professionally, including opening his first restaurant in 2023, Restaurant Constance.
In addition to wine and beer, the restaurant offers an expansive list of non-alcoholic cocktails created to be thoughtful, complex and perfectly paired with its seasonal menu. Current non-alcoholic options include:
Ain’t Life Grand (cucumber, agua fresca, mint, ginger)
Dear Rosemary (cherry, strawberry, beet, kombucha, rosemary ice)
Hello (pear, blueberry, verjus, fresh thyme)
Memory Motel (sparkling apricot cider)
Moonlight Mile (yuzu, spring berries, lemongrass)
Pulp Fiction (plum, rose, chamomile, mint)
Prima Pava Blanc de Blancs, an alcohol-free sparkling wine)
Typical Situation (ginger, mint, lime, orange).
Resident Culture Brewing
Location: 2101 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205
Resident Culture Brewing Co. is known for being at the forefront of the craft brewing industry, and in 2023, it also became a trailblazer in the Carolina’s non-alcoholic beer industry with the launch of Charlotte’s first locally-crafted non-alcoholic beer, the NARC-NA IPA.
In addition to launching the city’s first non-alcoholic beer, Resident Culture became the first North Carolina brewery to create a cannabis-infused sparkling water, Cümulo, which contains a combination of THC and CBD from natural hemp-derived Delta-9 and comes in a variety of flavors including mango lime and pink lemonade.
Look for:
Cümulo (cannabis-infused sparkling water available in mango lime or pink lemonade)
NARC-NA IPA
Non-alcoholic kombucha.
NoDa Brewing Company
Location: 2229 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205
Location: 150 W 32nd St., Charlotte, NC 28206
NoDa Brewing Company, a pioneer in Charlotte’s ever-growing craft brewery scene with multiple locations, launched its first craft non-alcoholic beverage tied to Dry January 2023, HOP₂O, a zero-sugar, zero-calorie, gluten-free, non-alcoholic sparkling water that combines the flavors of hops with fruit essence. Available in cans in NoDa Brewing taprooms, as well as select retailers across the Carolinas, HOP₂O comes in a variety of fresh, fruity flavors.
Look for:
HOP₂O (available flavors include: Lemon Lime Citra, Grapefruit Galaxy, Mango Mosaic and Citrus Centennial).
Rosemont Market & Wine Bar
Location: 1942 E. 7th Street, #101-H, Charlotte, NC, 28204
Rosemont Market & Wine Bar, located in the historic Elizabeth neighborhood, is an all-day cafe, neighborhood gourmet market and sit-down restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with a full-service bar. In addition to wines by the glass or bottle, draft beers and classic cocktails, Rosemont also serves a variety of non-alcoholic drinks on its expansive drinks menu.
Current non-alcoholic options include:
Fritz Müller sparkling white wine
Lemon Elderflower Spritz (lemon, elderflower syrup, sparkling non-alcoholic wine)
Lyre’s Italian Orange Spritz (sparkling wine, Lyre’s Italian Aperitif).
Skiptown
Location: 222 Rampart St, Charlotte, NC 28203
Skiptown, an indoor/outdoor dog bar in the heart of South End, not only accommodates its human patrons with its drink menu, but even offers beverages for its canine guests as well with its bone broth “dog beer.”
In addition to signature and seasonal cocktails, plus wine, beer and more, Skiptown also offers Hex cold brew coffee, Lenny Boy non-alcoholic kombucha, Coke products and seasonal alcohol-free cocktails.
Current non-alcoholic cocktail options include:
Berry Bliss (soda water, Sprite, berry tea, garnished with a mint leaf)
Fine-Apple Juice (apple cider, pineapple juice, ginger ale, garnished with a dried orange wheel).
Supperland
Location: 1212 The Plaza, Charlotte, NC 28205
At Supperland, an elegant Southern steakhouse serving elevated “church potluck”-inspired fare inside a beautifully-restored midcentury church, no detail is spared. Its signature non-alcoholic cocktail, the Spirit-Free G&T is no exception. Served ice cold in a gin balloon, the Spirit-Free G&T is crafted with Seedlip Garden, a non-alcoholic botanical spirit and gin alternative, super carbonated tonic, lemons and blueberries.
Look for:
Spirit-Free G&T (Seedlip Garden, super carbonated tonic, lemons, blueberries).
The Vintage
Location: 215 East Worthington Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28203
The Vintage Whiskey and Cigar Bar in Dilworth serves a wide variety of non-alcoholic beverage options to complement its hand rolled cigars and small plates, including all natural farm-to-can sodas from Asheville’s Devil’s Foot Beverage Company, bottled sparkling and still water, and several zero-proof cocktails.
Current non-alcoholic options include:
Devil’s Foot Beverage Company natural craft sodas
Daiquiri
Gimlet
“No” Fashioned.
Yunta
Location: 2201 South Blvd Ste 130, Charlotte, NC 28203
Yunta, a gastro barra in South End with a modern, industrial aesthetic, pairs a robust drinks menu with its Peruvian Nikkei cuisine. In addition to beer, wine, sake and Pisco-centric cocktails, the restaurant founded by the same restaurateurs behind the fast-casual Peruvian rotisserie Viva Chicken also offers a variety of non-alcoholic beverages.
Current non-alcoholic options include:
Amantani (Amass Riverine, pineapple cardamom, lemon, Arbol, ginger ale)
The Gardener (Seedlip Garden, Peruvian Black Mint, lime, watermelon)
Isle del Sol (Seedlip 94, mango, hibiscus, lemon)
Beck’s non-alcoholic beer.
