Bar Talk: Mocktails on menu for Dry January

After a night out on the town, low-alcohol or zero-proof liquors are becoming mainstream, which are popular nationwide but are more readily adopted in big cities, where partying It doesn’t seem to have much adoption in the small mountain towns that love it. , well, aspen.

I went out with friends for dinner and drinks, researched Dry January and Bar Talk, and thought it would be a great opportunity to find a downtown bar or restaurant with mocktails on the menu.

After some light website digging while trying to decide where to land for the evening, what I discovered, at least in their online presence, was that there weren’t many restaurants in town with zero-proof cocktails on their menus. It means that it is limited.

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I understand that non-alcoholic beverages, or for that matter, people who do not consume alcohol with their meals, are not considered money-makers for restaurants. Using creativity to mix new cocktails allows bars to approach the alcoholic beverage prices of these drinks.

Our first stop for the night was PARC Aspen.

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Since opening, as is to be expected in a new restaurant, they have made some changes to the drinks menu, especially cutting it down quite a bit.

There were 2 non-ABV cocktails on the menu. I’ve tried both, but for the type of drink I prefer, only one fit the bill.

Interestingly, both drinks at PARC were alcohol-free, but not zero-proof spirits. Instead, they were creative concoctions of juices, sodas, and other add-ins.

Hummingbird was my first drink. I was drawn in by the addition of mint and hibiscus, but unfortunately it turned out to be two flavors that don’t seem to exist in the actual drink.

According to the menu, the Hummingbird is made with white grapes, lime, hibiscus, soda and mint and costs $14. The hibiscus was present in the pink color of the drink but not in the taste.The soda contributed to the mild foam.The overwhelming sensations were grape and lime, resulting in a sweet and sour skittle flavor. The flavor is stronger.

The second drink from the non-ABV section, the Alpine Air, was also $14 and was relatively simple, but more speedy when it came to flavors. Made with fresh grapefruit, ginger syrup, soda and rosemary, the Alpine Air was refreshing and well balanced between the sweetness of the ginger syrup and the tartness of the grapefruit.

After our main course at PARC, we headed to Chica for dessert and an after dinner drink.

Chica has three spirit free menus, one of which is Red Bull so I don’t think it should be counted. The other two are G&T and Amalfi Spritz, featuring Lira non-alcoholic spirits.

My picks were Lyre’s Italian Spritz and a $16 Amalfi Spritz made with Lyre Classico, a non-alcoholic Prosecco.

The spritz was exactly what a spritz should be. It’s refreshing, slightly bitter, and a great option for an après-ski sip that can be enjoyed on the patio, especially on sunny days.

The Amalfi Spritz isn’t exactly a new cocktail creation, but it was nice to have the option to enjoy a recognizable cocktail in an alcohol-free format.

This night out was a great foray into on-menu mocktail options around town and a fun way to discover new bar options without the headache the next morning from enjoying so many drinks the night before.

Where should I try next?