Dry January and Beyond: The Best Mocktails in Metro Detroit

Story by Max White

With the coming of a new year, many people are once again giving up alcohol for the first month.

Dry January has continued to grow year by year, and others who don’t commit to going dry may be trying what’s now being called “damp January,” where they give up alcohol in moderation.

With the rise in popularity, many bars across metro Detroit have been adding non-alcoholic drinks to their menu, allowing people to try something unique and delicious without alcohol.

If you’re partaking in Dry January or trying to limit your alcohol this month or throughout the year, here are some of the best places in metro Detroit to grab a mocktail.

Wright and Co.

The bar and restaurant located on the second floor of a historic building in Downtown Detroit has a wide variety of cocktails, but also a dedicated area for mocktails.

On the menu are three non-alcoholic cocktails and a non-alcoholic beer. The “Never Been Kissed” has cucumber, strawberry, pineapple juice, lemon juice and Casamara club soda. You could also try the “Monroe Street” which has macerated apples, vanilla tea, lemon, white grape, cinnamon, black walnut and burnt rosemary.

@wrightdetroit

The Monarch Club

Located at the top of the Metropolitan Building in Downtown Detroit, The Monarch Club offers up scenic views and great, flavorful drinks. There are three different mocktails to try.

The St. Croix Crush has pineapple, soda, lime, vanilla, cola syrup and cream.

The Root Chakra has lemon, ginger, lavender and tonic water, and the Coco Lassi has mango, cream of coconut, turmeric, sugar water and lime juice.

The Monarch Club, @wellseasoned_traveler

Castalia at Sfumato

Castalia is an experimental cocktail bar in Midtown Detroit that focuses “on the harmony between flavor and fragrance.”

They have eight different mocktails on the menu with a variety of flavors. The “Internal Truth” has allspice, earl grey, barley, grains of paradise, orris and gentian.

The “No Turning Back” has lemongrass, lemon, chamomile, lavender, barley, grands of paradise, orris and gentian, or the “Sigh of Relief” has raspberry, cacao, barley, gentian, orris, grains of paradise, simple syrup and egg white.

Castalia Cocktails, Emily Berger @eeberger

Ivy Kitchen and Cocktails

Tucked in a building along Jefferson Ave., Ivy Kitchen and Cocktails has great drinks for both brunch and dinner.

Their mocktails include a “Shirley Ginger” which is ginger beer, club soda, lime juice and grenadine, or the “Rosemary Blueberry Smash” which has blueberries, lemonade, sparking mineral water and a rosemary sprig.

Eastern Market Brewing Company

The brewery in the heart of Eastern Market just expanded this year to add a non-alcoholic beer line for Dry January. The two beers are a Grapefruit Sour and a Tangerine Sour, and they are also available at their sister locations, Ferndale Project in Ferndale and Lincoln Tap in Royal Oak.

Eastern Market Brewing Co., @thefridaymind

Dragonfly

In Detroit’s Milwaukee-Junction Neighborhood, the cocktail bar Dragonfly has been serving up the non-alcoholic cocktails that have been served up at other areas in Detroit.

“If you’re sober, or if you just don’t feel like imbibing but still want to hang out with friends and drink tasty drinks, come and see us,” they wrote on Instagram. “From day one, we’ve dedicated a portion of our menu to non-alcoholic cocktails.”

Lost River

Transport yourself to the islands and warm weather inside Lost River. The tiki bar is known for its fun and delicious drinks, but they have a couple of drinks with no alcohol.

The “Coconut Proof” has coconut cream, black tea, lemon, hibiscus and vanilla. The “Saddle up, Sea Pony,” has guava, orange, passion fruit, lemon, orgeat and molasses syrup.

Evening Bar

Evening Bar is a speakeasy-style cocktail bar beneath the Shinola Hotel in Parker’s Alley, and the bar has a few mocktails to go along with its vast cocktail and spriits menu.

The “Honeycrisp” has verjus blanc – a type of grape juice – sedlip garden 108, honey, apple and club soda. The “Make No Mistake” has lyer’s aperitif rosso – a non-alcoholic vermouth – plus bitter orange and non-alcoholic Prosecco.

Grey Ghost

Grey Ghost is known for the delicious food and drinks, but the cocktail menu also has a few mocktails for people to try.

The “House Rock & Rye” has cherry, vanilla, cinnamon and soda, or the “Lift Off” has orange, cucumber, melon, ginger, cream and lemon.

Grey Ghost Detroit, @letsnomnom_

Public House

The bar and restaurant in Ferndale, about 15 minutes north of Detroit, has four different mocktails on the menu. If you like the combination, you can also make it alcoholic by adding a shot of the alcohol they suggest.

The “Florence” is a strawberry-lavender lemonade, while the “Ambrosia” comes with apple cider, cinnamon, maple cardamom syrup and lemon.

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