On Bluesky, the up-and-coming social-media network, the hip-hop superstar Flavor Flav is enjoying a second (or third, or fourth) stardom. After earning six Grammys, a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, starring in a raft of VH1 reality shows, and looking forward to a slot as an Olympic torchbearer in L.A., the Public Enemy rapper holds court in 300 characters or less. And recently, he had a holiday message for the world: “Note for the upcoming holiday season… some of us are on a sobriety journey and mocktails or non-alcoholic options make a big difference.” He signed off with three thumbs up.
The mocktail, it seems, has made it.
Flav is not the only tastemaker to boost the boozeless booze. Pop icon Kylie Minogue has been marketing a No Alcohol Sparkling Rosé and just sealed a deal that sees it poured for partiers aboard Princess Cruises. “Bridgerton” star Regé-Jean Page served as the face for Seedlip non-alcoholic spirit’s “Don’t mind if I don’t” campaign. Tom Holland, Spider-Man in the Marvel movies, stopped drinking in January 2022 and in 2024 launched his Bero brand of non-alcohol beers. Katy Perry co-founded the De Soi line of sparkling, non-alcoholic apéritifs.
(Photo: The Bend Liquor Lounge)
The Bend serves a cute-but-refreshing pair of mocktails: the bubbly Your Turn to Drive and the sweet, citrusy Babysitter.
It’s gotten so dry January isn’t nearly the hardship it used to be. And – though it may be rank heresy for a cocktail columnist to ask this – why should it be? We drink alcohol because it’s fun, because it lifts the spirits, because it spreads joy. When it doesn’t do that anymore – and any veteran of the bar scene knows there are limits – it’s fine to do something else, and to enjoy a decent refreshment while we’re doing it.
Let the unimaginative stick in the mud of, “But just one, eh? What do you say?” For a joyously dry January, a Biscayne tippler appreciates the pure fun of the virgin colada and the many mocktails gracing Miami menus.
TRADITIONAL ALTERNATIVES
The old-school Hialeah watering hole The Bend Liquor Lounge (motto: “Liquor in the Front, Party in the Rear”) made a social-media splash last year serving rapper King Tetrus apple juice, at his request. With a shot glass. Because it was Sunday? On their regular menu, however, they lean into the mildest mockery of the mocktail with the humorously named Your Turn to Drive, consisting of soda water with blackberry, lemonade, and sage; and The Babysitter, made from coconut, pineapple, and orange juice with a bit of sugar and mint. Both are fresh and tasty any day of the week.
Something even more traditional is served at Peruvian restaurants like Jarana, which has a location in New Jersey as well as in Aventura. Wherever they are, they pour the classic Incan drink chicha morada.
(Photo: Jarana)
Chicha morada is a centuries-old Peruvian mocktail.
“It’s the most popular and enduring beverage in Peruvian culture,” says Mike Ryan, the global beverage director for Jarana’s restaurant group. “This refreshing beverage is brewed from purple corn, pineapple, green apple, and spices; a dash of lime juice and just enough sugar to balance out the brightness. Nearly every Peruvian home will make their own, and it's easy to find in grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants across the country. Unlike anything you've had before, but once tasted, an immediate favorite."
CREATIVE CONCOCTIONS
Of course, not everything in the Biscayne Corridor is time-tested; there’s plenty of creativity in local cocktail bars who set themselves the challenge of mixing something sophisticated and sippable without that particular kick.
“NA cocktails, mocktails, or whatever you may call them are becoming exceedingly popular in Miami and just about everywhere else,” said Gui Jaroschy, cocktail wizard and co-founder of Unfiltered Hospitality, the bar consultants behind everything from Julia & Henry’s on Flagler to Wynwood’s R House. “It's become clear that consumers from all walks of life and lifestyle preferences want to partake in the cocktail occasion, but not always with the effects – and after-effects – of alcohol. Thankfully, as this movement has gained traction, there has been a rise in fun and versatile non-alcoholic ingredients for mixologists to create NA cocktails that have all the features of alcoholic cocktails, just without the buzz.
(Photo: Unfiltered Hospitality)
Cocktail wizard Gui Jaroschy of Unfiltered Hospitality welcomes the zero-proof drinks craze.
“Much to our surprise, even our most old school and traditional of clients, Joe's Stone Crab, is selling NA cocktails we launched on their new menu at numbers rivaling some of their classic menu martinis,” Jaroschy said. “At Virgin Voyages, known for its adults-only, free-wheeling environment, Unfiltered created full-proof, low-ABV, and proof-free drinks for their Michelin-star-inspired Test Kitchen cocktail menu. Sailors are given the option to order a la carte or as an exclusive pairing menu. The proof-free cocktails are more than keeping pace with alcoholic offerings, highlighting the growing appreciation for elevated non-alcoholic offerings."
Elsewhere in Miami, Torno Subito, the innovative restaurant by Michelin-starred Chef Massimo Bottura, of Netflix’s “Chef’s Table,” has a mocktail menu just as visionary as its food offerings. Highlights include the Lychee Spritz, a blend of lychee fruit, lemon juice, simple syrup, and Pellegrino, garnished with mint; and the Golden Wave, crafted with mango, lime, pineapple, bell pepper, simple syrup, and Fee Foam, served over a large ice cube with a sprig of rosemary.
Sushi By Bou Wynwood is the omakase restaurant inside Arlo Wynwood’s cocktail lounge, Higher Ground, and boasts an exceptional mocktail menu designed to pair with its 12- or 17-course omakase offerings. One visually striking standout is the Sparkling Galaxy Yuzu Lemonade, crafted with yuzu juice, butterfly pea flower syrup (which gives the drink its dramatic purple hue), club soda and a lemon-wheel garnish.
Verde at Pérez Art Museum Miami, offers sweeping views of Biscayne Bay and a broad selection of mocktails and low-ABV spritzers. A few of the more intriguing offerings include the Rose Fizz (with lemonade, simple syrup, and egg white); Coconut Cooler (coconut water with lemon juice and simple syrup, topped off with mint, lime and cucumber); and Honey Mule (ginger beer with honey syrup and lemon juice).
(Photo: Sushi by Bou)
Sparkling Galaxy Yuzu Lemonade at Sushi by Bou in the Arlo Hotel gets its dramatic color from butterfly pea flower syrup.
Teatro, at the Adrienne Arsht Center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House, serves pre- or post-show nibbles and drinks to those who appreciate a good performance. Mocktails run from an Espresso Martini made with Seedlip Spiced 94, fresh coffee, and cane sugar syrup to a Watermelon Sour consisting of Seedlip Garden 108, fresh watermelon juice, basil syrup, and egg whites.
But Teatro’s menu also takes a step into the avant garde of the non-alcoholic scene with a different kind of kick altogether. They pour THC- and CBD-infused cocktails such as the Hemp Spritz, made with grapefruit, lime, soda water, and Calmezzi Original (an alcohol-free liqueur with an herbal citrus tang and 5 milligrams of THC and 5 milligrams of CBD per serving); the Spiced Hemp Mule, made with lime, ginger beer, and Calmezzi Spiced (a spicier spirit with the same levels of CBD and THC); and the Agave Hemp Sunrise, which consists of tangerine juice, grenadine, and Calmezzi Agave (an infusion with the same amount of CBD and THC, but an earthier, richer flavor profile).
Two for the Road from Jaroschy
Try these mocktails from the Joe’s Stone Crab menu.
WINTER CITRUS LEMONADE
1 oz Tanqueray 0 Proof
0.75 oz lemon juice
0.75 oz Winter Citrus Syrup
3 oz soda water
8 mint leaves
Vessel: highball glass
Garnish: mint bouquet
Put mint in bottom of a tall glass and press with the back of a bar spoon. Add all ingredients except soda, top with ice and churn with bar spoon to mix. Top with soda and lightly incorporate with bar spoon.
JIM DANDY
2 oz Martini & Rossi Floreale NA
1 oz ginger-thyme elixir
1 oz lemon juice
Vessel: martini glass
Garnish: lemon wheel
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake well to combine and chill. Strain into a chilled martini glass.
Grant Balfour is a Miami Beach native, writer, editor, traveler, musician, bon vivant and our official Biscayne Tippler.