I once stumbled into a random bar in Manhattan in search of a good cocktail with my friends. We planned to start with a drink or two before letting our buzz whisk us away. But when I picked up the menu sitting on the bartop, I was met with three bold words at the top of their menu: “non-alcoholic drinks only". 

I’m only slightly ashamed to say we almost walked out then and there, feeling like we were victims of false advertising. Our aversion to their concept was based on a desire to get buzzed and a belief that mocktails often taste like kids' drinks. We refused to pay for a glorified juice. 

Before we could walk out the door, however, the bartender came our way to make conversation. As we chatted, I expressed my confusion at their concept. Couldn’t non-drinkers just get the alcohol-free version of otherwise boozy drinks? How does their business thrive when it is based on the lack of something? 

That’s where I got it wrong. Non-alcoholic drinks don’t have to be a substitute for cocktails, nor do they have to be boring. We go to bars for their ambience, to socialise, and to buy a drink that’s leagues above what we can make at home. In the same vein, while the mediocre mocktails served at most establishments taste flat and overly simplistic, the mixological art of crafting a delicious drink translates even when alcohol isn’t involved. 

Liquor cuts through sickly sweet syrups and tonics to create a complex flavour profile that is difficult, but not impossible, to mimic. Non-alcoholic spirits can accomplish the depth of flavour a good gin or rum brings to the table without the same detriments to your health. No, you won’t feel the tipsy thrill of lowered inhibitions with a mocktail, but you also won’t wake up with a pounding headache and a million texts detailing the terrible decisions you made the night before. 

Sober, is a homegrown brand bringing non-alcoholic spirits to India. Its founder, Vansh Pahuja, told Financial Express that Sober spirits use the flavours of the base ingredients of our favourite distilled drinks to recreate their taste. They then replace alcohol with a host of natural ingredients including juniper berries, ashwagandha, and tulsi to boost immunity, relieve anxiety, and uplift your mood. Though they are most known for their non-alcoholic gin, which they vow “Tastes like gin, burns like gin, but doesn’t get you drunk,” their catalogue also boasts whiskey and rum alternatives.

Sober was born out of the pandemic when many of India’s drinkers cut back or entirely forfeit alcohol. Additionally, it’s only fair that our large population of non-drinkers are offered an alternative other than tonic water or soda when at a bar, restaurant, or party. As mocktails grow in popularity nationwide, it only makes sense for Sober to contribute to the market with a product that fills the alcoholic void. 

Alcohol alternatives also don’t have to exist in absolutes. You don’t have to go off the booze completely to enjoy these products — I know I won’t. But they’re a great option to have on hand when you have to drive back home, feel you’ve reached your limit for the night, or simply want to give your liver a break. Sober is just proof that you don’t need 40-proof to have a good time.

That night in New York, I ended up staying at that bar with my friends. We ordered one mocktail, and then another, and spent our evening chatting away. When I stopped focusing on the bolded words on the face of my menu, I noticed everything great at that moment: the bar’s beautiful interior, the wonderful company of my friends, and the delicious, albeit non-alcoholic, drink in my hand. 

Order Sober’s non-alcoholic spirits here. 

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