New year, new you, right? One increasingly popular way to start the New Year is to participate in Dry January — aka, drinking no alcohol for the month of January. Not only will this tradition help you feel energized and rested after the holidays, there are lots health and lifestyle benefits to taking a break from drinking alcohol, even for just a few weeks. For those of us for whom an entire 30 days is too much, there’s also ‘Damp’ January, where you limit your alcohol consumption to just weekends, just Saturday nights, just special occasions and parties, etc etc.
Going dry for a bit also means you can try out some delicious non-alcoholic drinks you otherwise wouldn’t have. If you need some inspiration for spirit-free beverages, check out this list of our mocktail favorites in the Queen City.
Non-Alcoholic Cocktails (Mocktails)
Pomegranate Sangria at Margaux’s Wine, Pizza & Market
316 Main St, Pineville
This mocktail is beautiful and tasty, too. Next time you stop by Margaux’s pair your pizza with an alcohol-less pomegranate sangria instead of a glass of wine in honor of dry January.
Apise Regina at Ever Andalo
3116 N Davidson St
Ever Andalo has an absolutely stellar lineup of mocktails that are perfect for dry January and beyond. Our favorite is the Apise Regina, made with house made juniper-honey syrup, grapefruit, lemon, and soda water, but the View From the Top, and Ever Pink Collins are also great choices.
Midnight Swim at The Waterman Fish Bar
Multiple Locations
Sip on a mocktail while enjoying seafood at The Waterman. Their Midnight Swim, made with lavender and butterfly pea flower simple syrup, lemon, club soda, and edible glitter looks just as good as it tastes.
Piña “No” Lada at Drift on Lake Wylie
315-M Lanyard Ln, Belmont
Transport yourself to a tropical destination with a view of the water and an alcohol-free piña colada at Drift on Lake Wylie. This mocktail is made with pineapple juice, coconut cream, and lime juice, giving it all the flavor of a classic piña colada without the hangover.
Pulp Fiction at Restaurant Constance
2200 Thrift Rd
Restaurant Constance is another restaurant in Charlotte with tons of mocktail options. We love the newest addition, the Pulp Fiction. This mocktail is made with plum, rose chamomile, and mint, and it’s the perfect blend of sweet and refreshing.
Carrot Turmeric Martini at The Garrison
314 Main St, Pineville
The Garrison has a wide array of delicious mocktails to choose from at their restaurant. We love the Carrot Turmeric Martini because of its unique flavor profile, but their Pomegranate Sangria, Cucumber Limeade, and Cactus Cooler are all great options, too.
Cherry-Yuzu Soda at O-Ku
2000 South Blvd
O-Ku has three spirit-free cocktails on their current menu, and all three are delicious. You can’t go wrong with the Cherry-Yuzu Soda, made with cherry, yuzu, and ginger. But, we also love the Matcha Limeade and the You Mint Lychee, too.
The Bright Side at Sixty Vines
1415 Vantage Pk Dr #100
Sixty vines might be known for their sixty wines on tap, but did you know you can also get delicious mocktails at this South End spot, too? We love the Bright Side, made with blood orange juice, Jack Rudy tonic syrup, lemon, and club soda.
Purple Sea Urchin at Sea Level NC
129 E 5th St
The Purple Sea Urchin, made with pineapple, hibiscus, lime, demerara, and passionfruit flakes is a mocktail you’ll want to sip on long after dry January is over. Sea Level NC also has other mocktails to try too, like the Buzz Kill, which is an Italian orange spritz, and the Seasonal Spritz.
Madame Blackberry at Merchant & Trade
303 S Church St
Merchant & Trade has quite a few mocktails to sip on while you look out at the Charlotte skyline, but our favorite is the Madame Blackberry. Made with ritual zero proof rum, fresh blackberry, local honey, fresh lemon, and house made aquafaba, this is one delicious drink.
Agua de Jour at Elsewhere
101 W Worthington Ave STE 140
For a tasty mocktail filled with secret ingredients, ask your bartender at Elsewhere for the Agua de Jour. We can’t tell you what’s in it, but we can tell you that you won’t be disappointed with this tasty drink.
Juice Box Hero at Pins Mechanical Co.
307 W Tremont Ave
This dry January, cozy up by the fire at Pins and try one of their mocktails. We love the juice box hero, made with pineapple, orange, and grenadine, but there other alcohol-less drinks are great, too. Plus, all mocktails at Pins cost just $6.
Lemonia Refresher at Hellenic
1436 South Blvd
The Lemonia mocktail at Hellenic is made with lemon, soda, agave, and mint. It’s deliciously refreshing and it can be customized to add in blackberry, raspberry, or strawberry. If you don’t love lemon, Hellenic has three additional mocktails on their menu, too!
Hot Road at Napa on Providence & Napa at Kingsley
110 Perrin Pl & 1310 Broadcloth St, Fort Mill
The Hot Rod at Napa Restaurant Group locations is made with zero proof mezcal, jalapeño simple syrup, and lime juice, making it refreshing with just a little bit of heat. If spicy drinks aren’t your thing, these restaurants also have sweeter mocktails, like the Shooting Star, made with passion fruit purée, orange juice, sprite, soda water, and mint, on the menu.
Berry Lemon Drop at Link & Pin
Multiple Locations
The Berry Lemon Drop, made with fresh blueberries, fresh strawberries, fresh lemon, and house made madagascar vanilla bean syrup is a mocktail so good, you won’t even miss the alcohol. Link & Pin also has other mocktail options, like the Salted Cucumber Highball and Pineapple Thyme Mule, plus the bartenders are willing to make speciality mocktails upon request.
New Year, New Marg at Church and Union
127 N Tryon St #8
Margarita lovers must try this non-alcoholic version of the classic marg. In this mocktail you’ll find spiritless tequila, triple sec, mango, agave, lime, and a tajin rim. Also at Church and Union this dry January are mocktails like the Minted 2024, with seedlip grove 42, elderflower, lemongrass, mint, lime, soda, and the Ready Orgeat and the Ghost, which are spiritless versions of two of Church and Union’s popular cocktails.
Non-Alcoholic Beer & Wine
NARC at Resident Culture
Multiple Locations
Resident Culture has recently launched its first non-alcoholic beer just in time for dry January. The line launches with two products available on draft and in cans: NARC IPA is a classic west coast IPA with a hop profile of dank resinous flavors, pine forest, and a nice back end of grapefruit and orange zest. It has a dry and crisp finish with light bitterness. The second is NARC Lager with Lime and Salt. This brew is super crushable, bright, and zippy, with a nice pop and a balanced mouthfeel.
Untitled Art NA Italian Pilsner at Red Clay Ciderworks
245 Clanton Rd
While Red Clay serves a wide selection of alcoholic ciders, they haven’t forgotten about non-alcoholic options on their year round menu. If you’re in the mood for a non-alcoholic beer, we recommend the Untitled Art Italian Pilsner, but Red Clay also offers Kombucha, ginger beer, soda, and non-alcoholic sparkling cider, too.
Prima Pavé Sparkling Rosé at The Bohemian: A Wine Bar
1319 Pecan Ave
This sparkling rosé at The Bohemian: A Wine Bar gives you all the perks of drinking a tasty rosé, without the hangover. This January, hang out in their cozy space with a glass of this in hand.
Gilde Free at Gilde Brewery
3530 Dewitt Ln
For a taste of beer without the alcohol, head over to Gilde Brewery to try their Gilde Free beer. This is a beer that’s alcohol-free yet still full of flavor with a fine note of hops to enjoy in the taproom.
Non-Alcoholic Kombucha, Sparkling Water & More
HOP20 at NoDa Brewing
2229 N Davidson St
This non-alcoholic beverage is made in house at NoDa Brewing. It contains fruit and hop essences with no alcohol. Sip on a glass of this at the brewery, or purchase a pack to bring home to drink all January long.
Cümulo at Resident Culture
Multiple Locations
Cümulo is a completely non-alcoholic social drink brewed locally at Resident Culture. This is a cannabis-infused sparkling water with zero alcohol and real fruit. Despite there being no alcohol, you still must be 21+ to purchase.
Kombucha at Lenny Boy Brewing
3000 S Tryon St
At Lenny Boy Brewing, there’s a large selection of kombucha flavors on draft, so you can still sip on something while hanging out at the brewery. From Prickly Pom, to Ginger, to Lavender and more, there’s a kombucha flavor for all taste buds.
Non-Alcoholic Drink Wall at OpenTap
5010 Carmel Ctr Dr
At OpenTap, there’s no shortage of non-alcoholic beverages to enjoy, as customers can choose from an entire wall dedicated to spirit-free beverages. From non-alcoholic beer from Lenny Boy and and Devil’s Foot, to cold brew from Oak and Bond, to all-you-can-drink local craft soda from A Very Good Beverage Company, OpenTap is a dry January paradise.
Author’s Note: This article was written by Alex Maloney. You can find more of her Charlotte related content on Instagram, @slicesandsushi.
