Dry January: Chicago’s Best Hangouts for a Vibrant & Sober Night Out

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Hawksmoor

Start 2025 alcohol-free with these Dry January alternatives. With special mocktail creations or a twist on old alcohol favorites, Chicago bars find ways to keep the party rolling into 2025, sober.

Sweetwater Tavern

The Sitch: Known for its American food and craft beer, Sweetwater Tavern is diving into the mocktail scene with creative spins on classic drinks.
Try This:

  • Mellow Mule: Cucumber, honey syrup, mango syrup, lime juice, and ginger beer ($9.49).
  • Strawberry Soothe: Strawberries, lime juice, lemon juice, simple syrup, and a splash of lemon-lime soda ($9.49).

LYRA

The Vibe: LYRA’s mocktails embody the natural Greek lifestyle, blending fresh, Mediterranean-inspired flavors.
Don’t Miss:

  • Halara: Amass Zero Proof, pomegranate, lemon, mint, and tonic ($12).
  • Cypress: Amass Zero Proof, pineapple, lime, and ginger ($12).

The Godfrey Hotel Chicago

The Details: Enjoy inventive mocktails in the city’s only year-round rooftop lounge.
Menu Musts:

  • Mint to Be: Choose a base flavor—peach, strawberry, or raspberry açaí—then top it with lavender or cucumber, muddled mint, lime, lemon, and topo chico ($9).
  • Peach Out: Yucca peach tea, blueberry, muddled agave, rosemary, club soda, and chia seeds ($9).

LondonHouse Chicago

Sophistication Meets Flavor: Elevate your Dry January with drinks that don’t skimp on taste.
Top Picks:

  • One in a Melon: Seedlip Garden, Mallorca Melon Shrub, pineapple, and lemon ($13).
  • Aperitif and Soda: Aperitif Cordial, soda, and Orangea ($13).

Prime & Provisions

Stay Classy: This luxe steakhouse delivers high-end mocktails to match its upscale ambiance.
Try This:

  • Facade: Ritual Gin Alternative, Ritual Aperitif Alternative, Giffard Elderflower Alcohol Free, lemon, and tonic ($15).
  • Spiced Grapefruit: Seedlip Spice, grapefruit juice, soda, and lime ($15).

Fioretta

Vibrant and Unique: Fioretta offers a curated zero-proof experience that highlights bold, complex flavors.
What to Try:

  • Pineapple Punch: Seedlip, grapefruit, pineapple, cardamom, ginger, and lemon ($14).
  • Secretariat: Ritual Non-Alcoholic Whiskey, mint, and lime ($14).
  • Non-Alcoholic Wines: Prosecco from Italy and Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand ($14); red blend from California ($12).

Gaijin

Seasonal Delights: Chef Paul Virant’s okonomiyaki restaurant brings seasonal inspiration to its mocktails.
Menu Highlights:

  • Haru (Spring): Lyre’s Dry London Spirit, cherry blossom, lemon, and soda ($11).
  • Natsu (Summer): Matcha, lemon, strawberry, and soda ($11).
  • Aki (Fall): Lyre’s White Cane Spirit, hojicha, persimmon, and honey ($11).
  • Fuyu (Winter): Amazake, yuzu, coconut, and sesame ($11).
  • Alcohol-Removed Options: Dr. Lo Riesling from Germany ($8) and Go Brewing Suspended in a Sunbeam Non-Alcoholic Pilsner ($6).

Dearly Beloved

What’s Unique: This bar combines inventive ingredients and a sensory experience for mocktails that wow.
Standouts:

  • Clearly Cultured: Seedlip Grove, probiotic yogurt clarification, lime, Mallorca melon, hibiscus, ginger, and rose water ($15).
  • Oaxacan Cold Fashioned: Bacon-washed Seedlip Notas de Agave, Lapsang Souchong, Chocolate Puerh, ancho chili agave nectar, and orange zest ($16).
  • Fresh Cut Grass: Dandelion honey, grasshopper syrup, liquid chlorophyll, lime, and soda ($13).
  • Life of the Party: Tangerine apricot oleo saccharum, scorched fennel, Oddbird Blanc de Blancs non-alcoholic ($15).
  • Soda Pop: Orgeat, oat milk, coconut soda, orange flower water, rose water, and a hint of lime ($13).

Daisies

Sustainable Sips: This Logan Square favorite turns food byproducts into unique mocktails.
Signature Drink:

  • Mushroom Sour: Housemade mushroom syrup from lacto-fermented portobello stems, combined with a sweet and savory sour base.

Hawksmoor

Award-Winning Options: This international favorite brings the same creativity to its booze-free drinks as it does to its cocktails.
Top Picks:

  • Green Juice: Seedlip Spice, bell pepper, basil, cucumber, lemon, and yuzu ($14).
  • Sour Cherry America(no): Seedlip Spice, tart cherry shrub, and soda ($14).
  • Steady Pete’s Ginger Brew: Seedlip Spice, lemon, ginger, and Athletic Brewing’s Run Wild Non-Alcoholic IPA ($14).
  • Grape Escape: Grape cordial, verjus, Seedlip Spice, and Earl Grey tea ($14).

Chicago’s mocktail scene is brimming with innovative options. These spots prove you don’t need alcohol to enjoy a perfectly crafted drink.