Not so sure about Dry January? These zero-proof options might change your mind

It’s that time of year when the Dry January movement suggests hitting the pause button on boozy bevs. Perhaps you embrace a complete 31-day break, or you prefer a forgiving “Damp January” commitment that prioritizes moderation. You may dismiss the act altogether, or push it past Carnival season all the way to Ash Wednesday.

No matter your level of interest in the sober-curious movement, one thing’s for sure. Alcohol-free options have never been more robust. According to NielsenIQ, mocktail sales are the fastest-growing segment in the beverage industry, seeing a 70% increase between 2024 and 2025.

Gone are the days of settling for a seltzer or a bland near beer. Restaurants and bars in Baton Rouge and around the country continue to get creative in the zero-proof space, sourcing boutique faux spirits and brews that taste remarkably like the real deal. It’s unusual to find a cocktail menu these days that doesn’t offer at least a few tasty zero-proof options, but if you find yourself in an NA desert, speak up. Bartenders are usually happy to mix a quick mocktail on the spot.

Bars and restaurants aren’t the only places to practice moderation. Local independent supermarkets and liquor stores like Bin Q and Calandro’s Supermarket carry tasty ingredients to make your own creative alcohol-free drinks at home.

Meanwhile, check out the following local bars and restaurants for satisfying sips that’ll get you through any form of cutback.

Brasserie Byronz and Bistro Byronz

Along with Athletic Beer—beloved by NA beer fans—Brasserie and Bistro Byronz serve inventive craft mocktails. At Brasserie Byronz, try a non-alcoholic Aperol Spritz that mimics this popular cocktail’s bitter profile, and the Gentle Frenchie Spritz made with Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic London Dry Spirit and Leitz Eins Zwei Zero Sparkling Wine and other ingredients. The restaurant’s Frere Monaco is made with lemonade, grenadine, Athletic Upside Dawn Golden Ale and orange bitters.

The Bistro mocktail menu includes options like the Fizz L’Orange with orange juice, mint, El Guapo Tonic Syrup and lemon; and the Pineapple Spritz with pineapple juice, mint, lemon, El Guapo Lime, grenadine and soda.

Cocha

Cocha’s exemplary wine and cocktail program is matched with a commitment to high-quality, conscientious cocktails. The menu was first rolled out in 2021 and offers drinks made with boutique British company Seedlip non-alcoholic spirits. Cocha’s Forsyth Park deploys Seedlip Garden, a white liquor dupe made from distilled pea shoots, rosemary, thyme and spearmint, along with cucumber juice, lime, demerara sugar and muddled mint; while the Jenny and Me combines the same spirit with carrot juice, lemon, honey and fuego bitters.

Mestizo Louisiana Mexican Restaurant

For much of its 26 years in business, Mestizo has incorporated healthy menu options, offering keto-friendly and veggie-centric dishes. Similarly, the restaurant has a robust mocktail menu with drinks like the Cos”no”politan, an NA riff on a classic Cosmo; the berry-infused Strawberry Fields; and a Mexican restaurant essential—the booze-free Mock-a-Rita.

Jubans

Jubans’ seven-item mocktail menu features the refreshing and light cucumber and elderflower with mint, as well as Lyre’s Classico Grande, a popular non-alcoholic sparkling wine. Lyre’s Classico Grande is also the base of the fruity Sparkling Rosemary Peach, set off by fresh lemon and rosemary.

Hayride Scandal

Baton Rouge’s stylish Prohibition-era speakeasy Hayride Scandal offers a “Temperance Menu” for those who want a break from its generous selection of brown liquors and other high-octane options. Tequila fans will enjoy the No Lomo, which combines zero-proof tequila, grapefruit and lime juices and soda. Zero-proof spirits also appear in the Deliver Us From Gin, a mock gin-based drink with lime and mint, and the New Fashioned, which subs alcohol-free whiskey and bitters for the real stuff.