Local breweries look beyond Dry January, debut non-alcoholic beverages

Belinda M. Paschal, The Columbus Dispatch
·4 min read
Josh Gandee, left, bartender and host of the podcast "no proof," and Collin Castore, co-owner of Seventh Son Brewing, have teamed up to launch three new non-alcoholic beverages during "A Night to Remember" at Seventh Son’s sister brewery, Getaway, on Monday evening.
Josh Gandee, left, bartender and host of the podcast "no proof," and Collin Castore, co-owner of Seventh Son Brewing, have teamed up to launch three new non-alcoholic beverages during "A Night to Remember" at Seventh Son’s sister brewery, Getaway, on Monday evening.

Dry January might be a temporary break from alcohol for many, but a month without imbibing led Josh Gandee down a more permanent road.

"My journey without alcohol began five years ago. It started as a Sober October, and afterward, I took inventory of how I felt and just kept going," said Gandee, 35, a podcaster, bartender and former beverage director at Watershed Kitchen & Bar.

"If you view it as, 'I'm depriving myself of something,' you might view ("dry" months) as a trend. But there are little practices of discipline that people can use the rest of the year."

To that end, Gandee has partnered with Seventh Son Brewing Co. to host "A Night to Remember," from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday at the Seventh Son's sister bar, Getaway Brewing Co., 108 N. High St. in Dublin, where three new non-alcoholic beverages will be unveiled.

The timing of "A Night to Remember" is no mistake: Scheduling it at the end of the month prevents it from being dismissed as just another Dry January event. Its name, meant to inject levity into the weighty subject of sobriety, is a cheeky nod to the all-too-common experience of many a night forgotten due to alcohol.

More:Here are several local mocktails to try during Dry January

Each of the drinks premiering next week will be featured at Seventh Son, Getaway or their other sister bar, Antiques on High, according to Seventh Son co-owner Collin Castore.

Seventh Son, 1101 N. 4th St., will offer the Born Martini, which uses a non-alcoholic distillate called Seedlip Garden 108, a velvety and vibrant vanilla passion fruit syrup, refreshing lime, and a side serving of non-alcoholic champagne.

Getaway will add to its menu a non-alcoholic piña colada anchored by smoky lapsang souchong tea and rounded out with pineapple and coconut.

At Antiques on High, 714 S. High St., patrons can enjoy the non-alcoholic sipper Sbagliato, made with Lyre’s Aperitif Rosso, juniper syrup and a sparkling blanc de blanc.

Left to right: The N/A Colada, which will be added to the menu at Getaway Brewing; the Born Star martini, which will be introduced at Seventh Son Brewing; and the N/A Sbagliato, which will be offered at Antiques on High.
Left to right: The N/A Colada, which will be added to the menu at Getaway Brewing; the Born Star martini, which will be introduced at Seventh Son Brewing; and the N/A Sbagliato, which will be offered at Antiques on High.

The new beverages join the previously existing non-alcoholic options offered year-round at all three bars, which Gandee is quick to emphasize are not "mocktails."

"I'm allergic to the word 'mocktail.' It implies mimicry. It's just a glass filled with something that looks like something else," he explained. "Drinks are meant to be crafted with intention so there's a finished product in mind, not a diluted version."

Castore, 45, agreed, saying the amount of time and effort put into non-alcoholic drinks "is usually what our bartenders put into a regular cocktail."

The proliferation of non-alcoholic drinks has been beneficial not only to patrons but to employees pursuing a sober lifestyle. Gandee said he initially questioned whether or not he would have to leave the hospitality industry because he quit drinking.

"But it empowered me to be more present and be more fun in those environments I thought I would have to leave," he said. "You don't have to lose any aspect of your personality. If you give up alcohol, you don't have to give up who you are at the base."

Gandee and Castore said a growing number of hospitality industry workers are sober, which for some time was met with difficulty - one of many topics Gandee addresses on his podcast, "no proof," which can be heard on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and other streaming services.

More:Downtown sober bar Dry Mill closes down, citing declining sales

"We have a handful of sober employees who still work in the bar industry and it's a tough road," Castore said. "Whatever we can do to make them feel part of the team and less of an outlier, the better."

And that's what it's all about: making people feel at ease, regardless of their beverage choices.

"We try to emphasize at all of our places that we're not just a bar. We try to be a community gathering place," Castore said. "We want families and everyone to feel as comfortable as possible - whether they're drinking alcohol or not - and have a great experience.

"It's about the community and the hospitality, not about what's in the glass."

At a glance

"A Night to Remember," featuring the debut of three new non-alcoholic beverages, will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday at Getaway Brewing Co., 108 N. High St., Dublin. Admission is free.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Trio of breweries to unveil three new non-alcoholic drinks on Jan. 30