My Dad has cirrhosis and he can’t drink anymore so he mostly drinks tea now but sometimes when he go to a social event he’ll have a mocktail. I can see the utility of them. Great for pregnant women and people with health issues.

There’s one in my city I’ve been wanting to try, though it definitely has a reputation of being a really hipstery type of place.

Personally, my ideal bar would be a regular bar with a sizable non-alcoholic selection. (At least 3 different NA beers, a virgin margarita, a virgin strawberry daiquiri, a Shirley Temple, a virgin Screwdriver aka Orange juice + club soda, and some sparkling grape juices.)

Focusing exclusively on people that don’t drink might not bring in enough customers unless you decide to make it an all-ages music venue or something like that.

Seems like the problem besides being a possible fad is just how many mocktails will people drink at a single visit when the aim isn’t to get drunk. This will certainly impact sales & tipping for the servers.

I love the idea of going out and having tasty drinks with friends without the pressure of needing to be intoxicated. Think of it this way - if alcohol was the only reason people were going to bars, why even have cocktails to cover up the taste of it? To me it seems to fall very much in line with the other trends of society lately, like with bubbly fruity waters or healthier versions of soda. I’ve seen more and more people abstaining from alcohol for reasons beyond addiction. Wanting to be healthier and live life without a hangover, taking care of their bodies, challenging social norms of what’s considered fun, replacing alcohol intoxication with other kinds, trying to connect in more authentic ways.

Personally I find myself drawn to these new ways of living too, and even though I still drink on occasion, I feel a lot better when I don’t and I’m glad there are alternatives that are all-in (rather than just ordering a soda at the bar).

Covid isolation created a bunch of alcoholics and subsequently a bunch of recovering addicts. This gave rise to a desire for alcohol-free replacements.

My wife is 1 year sober, herself. She often struggles at restaurants because she wants something “refreshing” to drink. Most of the time, this leaves her with lemonade or soda. Neither of which is very exciting.

The demand is there and these bars are popping up to meet that demand. Long term, I think these business fail. We’ll see more and more mocktails sold at grocery stores and people will be able to find something they want without having to go to a bar and pay more for the same thing they can find at a grocery store. The ones that succeed will be in small pockets where the number of people who are sober AND want a place to congregate and meet people is very high.