Food & Drink

Deliciously Dry – The 10 Best Places for Craft Mocktails

January 7, 2022

Who says a good drink has to include alcohol? We’ll show you some of the best eateries (and a distillery!) that are offering up thirst-quenching, highly inventive mocktails.

At St. Louis Park’s West End, head to  CRAVE American Kitchen & Sushi Bar and try the Blueberry Mint Fizz made with fresh blueberries and house-made blueberry puree or the Pineapple “Nojito” with house-made pineapple puree and vanilla demerara syrup. They also offer a Raspberry Bull Lemonade and a Watermelon Refresher (also made with Red Bull), as well as flavored ice teas and lemonades.

Next door, check out The Loop West End, and try their Babe the Blue Mule, made with Cock ‘N Bull ginger beer and blueberry syrup, or one of their two basil-infused drinks, the Herbed Pineapple Limeade or the Strawberry Basil Soda.

In addition to serving all day breakfast, Hope Breakfast Bar serves up some delightful non-alcoholic beverages. The Hope-Ade features aranciata San Pellegrino, cardamon syrup, fresh mint and lemonade, while the Peach & Rose Punch includes fresh ginger, peach, rose, ginger beer and rosemary. They also serve a pink raspberry passion lemonade. A full coffee bar offers up some innovative hot and cold drinks, including the Paul Bunyan (espresso, maple syrup and cracked pepper), Café at Tiffany’s (espresso with rose syrup), and a Banana Bread Latte (made with banana syrup and banana bread spice), to name just a few.

You’ll also want to stop by Punch Bowl Social and sample their Strawberry Rhubarb Fizz made with house-made strawberry syrup, Fee Brothers rhubarb bitters and sparkling water. Other choices include a Blueberry Lemonade Fizz, a Watermelon Palmer and a Fresh Spritz made with cucumber, strawberry and lemon. They also serve some delightful fresh juice blends, including Jessica Rabbit (carrot, ginger, apple), Go Green (kale cucumber, celery, apple) and The Purist (beet, carrot, apple).

a trio of mocktails at Lat14

In Golden Valley, Lat14 currently offers a duo of non-alcoholic fermented beverages, including Pompelmo (3Leches) with a Kombucha culture, grapefruit, yarrow, lemon verbena and rhubarb, and Aqua de Jamaica (3Leches) another fermented beverage with hibiscus, clove, cinnamon and allspice. They also serve a VirGIN & Tonic, a VirGIN Membership (with blackberry/celery syrup), a Ginger and a variety of hot teas.

Three One Six Bar + Grill serves a delicious Strawberry Citrus Mocktail made with strawberry puree, sprite and lime juice. They also serve flavored lemonades (passion fruit, raspberry and strawberry). In the winter, try their hot chocolate or hot cider.

Back in the Park, Hazelwood Food + Drink offers 4 different delightful mocktails, including a Blueberry Ginger Refresher made with blueberry puree, rosemary syrup, lemon juice and ginger ale; an Apple Cinnamon Zinger, with apple puree, lime juice, honey cinnamon syrup and ginger beer; as well as a Lychee Fizz and an NA Sangria.

Meanwhile, The Block Food + Drink’s mocktail offerings include a Blueberry Fizz, Lavender Mule, The Barista, Pineapple Whip and a Blood Orange Mockarita. However, one of our new favorites is the Cereal Killer – a custard shake with a “whodunit” of flavors, blending your favorite cereals into a sinfully delicious treat. Bonus: They have lots of other shakes to try too!

Copperwing Distillery offers 6 designatedly delicious drinks, including their own house-brewed Ginger Beer, a Hop Cola (house cola syrup, hop water, habanero tincture and lime), a Harvest Ginger (with ginger beer, spiced cranberry and caramel apple cordial), a Never Better (with ginger beer, Szechaun-Thai syrup, and LA orange) and more.

And last, but not least, for a mocktail with a European flair, stop by Dampfwerk Distillery. Enjoy a Ghia Spritz made with ghia aperitif, caramelized orange, seltzer and olives. Or try the Smoke + Cherry, a lapsang tea with cherry. They also serve Bauhaus NAH Beer.

Several of these restaurants, including Lat14 and Copperwing, change their mocktails seasonally, so there’s always something new to try!