I recently learned about the term sober curious, and was not surprisingly, curious!
Ruby Warrington, who hosts a sober curious club in NYC coined this term as meaning “to choose to question or get curious about every impulse, invitation, and expectation to drink, versus mindlessly going along with the dominant drinking culture”. This has been an interesting invitation to ponder!
I find myself ordering alcoholic drinks while out socially, and am famous for leaving half the drink in the glass. I either don’t love the taste of the cocktail, or the beer gets warm, and I often find I’d rather spent the money on something I enjoy, like a green juice the next morning if I’m being honest! Nonetheless, I wasn’t sure what else I was able to order besides water or pop, so I did some searching.
Whether you’re sober curious, sober, being mindful of a medical condition, pregnant or simple wanting to cut back on alcohol, these tasty alternatives can fit into our social outings and excite those taste buds arguably better than water can.
To Order at the Bar
- Club Soda (carbonated water) with . . .
- a splash of cranberry juice
- a lime
- bitters
- Kombucha
- If they have it on tap, I give you full permission to be extra and ask for it in a wine glass with ice, like a rose spritzer!
- Non-Alcoholic / Virgin Versions of Your Favorites :
- Bloody Mary
- Moscow Mule : ginger beer over ice with fresh lime juice
- Mojito : for a sugar free version, ask for lemon, mint and club soda
- Tom Collins : lemon juice, simple syrup and club soda
- Any Specials drinks on the menu requested alcohol free or substitute club soda
- Soda Classics :
- Shirley Temple : grenadine and sprite
- Roy Rogers : grenadine and Coca-Cola
- Juice Classics :
- Arnold Palmer : 50/50 mix of tea and lemonade
- Sunrise : pineapple juice, 7 Up, grenadine and garnish
Feel free to screenshot this list to refer back to when ordering.
How to go about Ordering
- If it’s a reputable bar or restaurant, you can ask for their best mocktail that is [sweet, bitter, citrus, etc]. The bartender will likely be helpful and enjoy being creative if they don’t already have a mocktail menu.
- If it is busy or a dive bar with the basic choices, sticking with a club soda with cranberry or tonic water and lime may be your best bet.
- I would refrain from using the outing to educate your friends about the benefits of not drinking. By doing so you are showing respect for their choice of drink, and hopefully they will extend a judgement-free zone to you as well, and support your choice that aligns with your wants or needs for that day or permanently if you are recovering.
- There may be a few jokes made at your expense, or questions, and you can choose to say something applicable to you that feels okay, like “I’m switching it up tonight”, “Alcohol hasn’t been too good to me lately”, “My medications don’t mix well with it”, or crack a joke if that’s your personality. Always know though that you don’t need to explain or have a reason to report.