A non-exhaustive guide to NYC mocktails
A guest post by Mandy!
Welcome to New in Town’s first-ever guest post! Mandy Seiner is a writer, educator, and co-founder of DEAR Poetry Journal - as well as a very dear friend of mine. Real ones will know that we recently walked the entire perimeter of Central Park together. Enjoy their extremely non-comprehensive, yet incredibly fun guide to - and meditation on - the NYC mocktail scene.
In the summer of 2019 I became very sick very quickly. It soon became apparent that something was wrong with my insides - an overnight visit to the hospital showed that I had an intense case of mono that had inflamed and enlarged many of my organs, including my spleen and liver. With this news, my doctor recommended that I cut my already minimal drinking down to zero. This stressed me out as an early 20-something who enjoyed casual nights out with friends. I was never a capital d Drinker, but so much socializing in New York City centered around alcohol: post-work happy hour, checking out a hip new spot, celebrating someone’s birthday, wine and cheese night… the list of assumed alcohol-inclusive events goes on.
I trusted my largely kind and progressive friends to be understanding of my abstinence. I had now been sick for the better part of a year, and I already knew many folks who were sober for a variety of personal reasons. The main thing I hadn’t anticipated was the guilt others expressed for drinking when I said I either couldn’t or wouldn’t. For the first time, people began to show regret for their brews and cocktails. They’d had a really hard day at work, or their partner’s parents were in town, or they’d heard this bar had a really good gin drink and simply needed to try it. My takeaway from all of this - which has held up in the three years since - is that when people are surrounded by others who are drinking, they feel validated in their choice to consume alcohol. When they are the only one drinking, they feel guilty.
I love to have a good time and am a certified beverage girlie, so even though my taste for alcohol has waned due to various health issues, a tight wallet, and personal preferences, I still love getting drinks with friends. Here is a brief guide to some of the non-alcoholic drinks I’ve tried recently.
A non-exhaustive guide to NYC mocktails
Bonnie’s
Bonnie’s is at the top of my list of Restaurants in Brooklyn That Rock. Head chef Calvin Eng left Win Son in 2020 to start his own venture, which has quickly become one of the most desired dinner reservations in the city. And for good reason - they’re the first restaurant I’ve been to that made long beans into a true delicacy, their salt & pepper crispy squid is not to be missed, and the chow nai sundae with malted fried milk is the most decadent dessert this side of the East River. On my most recent visit - a 95 degree day - I sat in their outdoor dining structure and ordered a little liquid treat-- an iced honey lemon tea found on their “non-alcoholic cocktails” list. Going purely by its name, this drink seems simple. An iced tea with honey and lemon - that’s an everyday drink you can make at home, right? But the honey is spiced, the lemon is cordial, and the tea is orange pekoe tea, which has nothing to do with the flavor of oranges, but is named for the buds of the plant it is made from. It was the perfect refresher while I waited for my food, and kicked off my longing for fall. It was something I could drink ten of, but constrained myself to one (since dinner was on my friend’s bill). I’ll be back for another (and then eight more) very soon.
Nitehawk
One thing that Christine and I have in common is that Nitehawk Cinema is one of our favorite places in the world. Located in an old theater at the southwest corner of Prospect Park, it is the epitome of the phrase “dinner and a movie.” Nitehawk is a full-service restaurant, and while I find it increasingly rare for a business to do both of two things very well, they are an anomaly. I own their cookbook, make mock versions of their recipes at home, and would trust their staff with my life. I almost exclusively see films there. For a long time, my favorite beverage on their menu was the hibiscus lime soda, a simple sparkling drink that offered the perfect balance of floral and sour. While this doesn’t appear on their menu any longer, they now offer a “phony negroni,” a non-alcoholic aperol spritz, and a variety of spiced sodas with things like turmeric and orange, so even the most sober of movie-goers can try a new little drink each time they see a flick.
Nura
On a sweltering day at the beginning of August, I met two friends for an early dinner at Nura, a breezy new Indian-inspired restaurant in Greenpoint that had recently made the 2022 Michelin list. The restaurant was open, with tall ceilings and ample greenery, a welcome change from the cozy and loud venues I’d visited as of late. I decided to replenish my sweat by getting a drink off of their “zero-proof” list (a business expense, I told myself, as I already knew I would be writing this essay). The “Ruby Visor” was said to have watermelon shrub, grapefruit, seltzer, and sea salt, and boy did it ever. My uninitiated and largely sober self didn’t realize that “shrub” was a term for “drinking vinegar” and I spent most of dinner wondering if they had put some ACV in my glass by accident. Was it still good? Yes. But the food was better. I’d recommend the restaurant (maybe stick to water), especially their lettuce dish and prawns.
Carbone
Carbone in the West Village is considered quintessential old money New York. While its current iteration opened in 2013, the space was previously occupied by the 90 year old Rocco Restaurant and modeled after mid-century Italian venues. In its first year, they earned their Michelin star and gained a reputation for celebrity clientele. Their spicy rigatoni pasta is featured in the Instagram posts and TikToks of every wannabe influencer in the tri-state area. I’m not a wannabe influencer, but I am extremely nosy, so I had to go for myself and see if it was worth it. I secured a reservation two weeks out by having my finger shaking on their Resy page at 10 am one random, determined day. The original plan had been to treat myself once I got there, but their cocktail menu boasted a flat price of $20 per drink at the top, and I cannot in good conscience pay that for a beverage-- not even in the cafeteria of New York City’s elite. The only other drinks I could find on the menu were coffee and wine, so I asked the waiter if I could have a mocktail if the bartender had time-- something fruity, please? They complied and charged me $15, and it was good! That is my formal review. Good but not great - I could have made a similar drink at home with some orange juice, seltzer, and a dash of bitters. All in all, Carbone was a good experience, but I don’t see it as a place worthy of returning to in a hurry. Especially not when there is so much other excellent food and drink to go around in the city.
Blueprint
An unassuming little storefront on 5th Avenue in Park Slope, Blueprint is one of my favorite places for small bites and mocktails. I’m an unabashed salty food person, and they’re one of the few places I’ve found where the spicy house pickles are actually spicy. I half wrote this newsletter feature just to plug their sober beachcomber drink - a slush mixture of pineapple, lime, orange, coconut milk, and cinnamon. Absolute emphasis on the cinnamon, as it ties everything together with a perfectly plump bow. Prior to downing one of these with Christine herself, I never would have thought to combine summer fruits and cinnamon - I typically reserve the spice for apples, sweet potatoes, brown sugar, and other fall-linked foods. Topped with fresh mint, this is my most recommended non-alcoholic drink in NYC.
Boisson
In the middle of a recent thunderstorm, my partner and I stumbled into an unfamiliar storefront to escape the downpour. It blended in with the other shops on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg with its minimalist decor and clean lines. The rain didn’t show any indication of slowing down, so we decided to peruse the shelves. The shop ended up being one of five NYC Boisson locations, a store that specializes in non-alcoholic drink mixes and spirits. They sell zero-proof wine, whiskey, gin, beer, and more. While I’m glad that recovering alcoholics have alternatives to turn to, it comes at a cost. A bottle of non-alcoholic tequila runs you $54. We ended up buying a few small drinks to take home, and shared sips from the bottles an hour later. They were largely just okay - the best of the bunch were those that were not directly trying to copy a known cocktail or liquor. I wondered what was driving the apparently broad industry of nonalcoholic spirits, and still do - on return visits to pick up mixers and favorite sodas, I’ve never seen more than one other person in the store.
Non-alcoholic drinks have been trending on TikTok for the last few months, with many creators declaring it a Mocktail Girl Summer. I think and hope this will last beyond the usual trend cycle, as young people begin to step back and really analyze their relationship with drinking. I will admit that as time goes on, the word “mocktail” has started rubbing me the wrong way. It’s not offensive, exactly, but it implies a proximity to alcohol that I find to be limiting for beverages as a whole. Fancy little bevs do not need to be synonymous with a depressant, a fact that’s being realized by the internet and beyond. There are so many multifaceted, delicious drinks to be made and had, and there’s no reason for all of them to be modeled after alcoholic concoctions. Bubble tea, probiotic sodas, and juice-based refreshers have rooted themselves in the urban American diet. My kitchen remains stocked with rose water, seltzer, jams, teas, tapioca pearls, fancy ice cubes, orange slices, and juices of all kinds for anyone who comes through my door wanting a thirst-quenching treat.