Best bars and restaurants for mocktails, alcohol-free drinks in Fayetteville

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Hi foodies,

Dry January, where participants choose not to drink alcohol for one month, began more than a decade ago as a public health initiative in the UK. Now, millions take part in the challenge each year, according to Harvard Medical School — including folks in the Fayetteville area.

Research suggests that cutting out alcohol for just a month can make a noticeable difference in your health. Regular drinkers who abstained for 30 days enjoyed better sleep, more energy, weight loss, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and fewer cancer-related proteins in their blood, the Harvard Medical School blog reported.

I haven’t been drinking lately myself — my mini fridge is stocked with Poppi soda, La Croix and diet Pepsi — but there are more options around town to indulge in a mocktail or other alcohol alternative than you may realize.

Here’s a sampling of ideas:

Wana Navu Kava Bar: This alcohol-free bar at 500 N. Reilly Road offers kava, a beverage made from the ground roots of a plant native to the South Pacific. It’s not alcohol, but it does give you a buzz.

District House of Taps: The self-pour taproom and restaurant at 1240 Fort Bragg Road offers carbonated CBD drinks. The Untitled Art brand drinks are available in grapefruit, lemon-lime, strawberry and blackberry flavors. The drinks do not contain caffeine, carbs nor sugar.

The Fresh Market: Looking for mocktails to drink at home? Check out the grocery store at 230 Glensford Drive for Rowdy Mermaid Good Mood Soda, which contains ashwagandha, a shrub native to Asia and Africa said to help calm the brain. If you’d rather mix up your own drink, check out their mocktail recipes for a cranberry ginger ale or a coconut strawberry lemonade fizz.

Circa 1800: This upscale southern restaurant at 108 Person St. carries the entire Ritual Zero-proof line of alcohol-free spirits, which are used in a seasonal mocktail menu and to make non-alcoholic versions of classic cocktails like old fashioneds or margaritas.

Winterbloom: A chic tea and cocktail bar at 238 Hay St. makes a few of their boozy tea drinks as mocktails. There’s also a whole menu of fresh-brewed hot and iced teas.

I’d love to hear from you, foodies: Are you doing Dry January, or have you in the past? How is it going? Have you noticed any benefits?

Happy eating,

Taylor

Taylor Shook writes about food, dining and culture for The Fayetteville Observer. She can be reached at tshook@gannett.com or on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Best Fayetteville bars and restaurants for mocktails, alcohol-free drinks