January is often the time where many of us choose to stay in a little more, eat a little healthier and, as per countless new year’s resolutions, drink a little less alcohol, or, indeed, none at all. As have changed since the days where cutting down on alcohol meant staying at home, with more and more people choosing to opt for low or no-alcohol options, the capital’s bars have taken up the challenge of catering for all with flair.
London’s best bartenders are now adept at mixing innovative ingredients, local produce and zero alcohol alternatives to create cocktails just as exciting as our old, alcohol-based, favourites. If in seek of a quiet drink with a friend, these are the best bars in London for a non-alcoholic cocktail.
The Library Bar at The Lanesborough
Grand wooden panelling, shelves of gold-embossed books, heavy drapery and portraits of noble faces peppering the walls, you’d be hard pressed to find a drinking spot as impressive, or imposing, as The Library Bar at the prestigious Lanesborough Hotel on Hyde Park Corner. A long-loved favourite of London’s most-coveted characters - be it famous or familial - the decor here might harp back to the decadence of a bygone era, but the bar menu is firmly in the present. In fact, this sleek spot was ahead of the curve when it launched a menu dedicated entirely to its most popular cocktails, sans alcohol, a few years ago, meaning that you needn’t compromise on familiar flavours and favourites in order to skip the hard stuff.
Think simple classics, such as G&Ts, as well as their beloved Upside-Down Fizz - a mix of spiced cinnamon mixed with lemongrass and vanilla. There’s a strict dress code, but for those who fit the brief, this no-alcohol option is available all-year round - as are their traditional boozy offerings.
Hyde Park Corner, SW1X 7TA
Nightjar
First opened and still owned by a quartet of Frenchman who kickstarted the cocktail revolution in Paris many years ago, this sultry Shoreditch haunt has remained a firm favourite of debaucherous Londoners in the know ever since. A pressed-tin ceiling, bentwood chairs and industrial-style low lighting never fail to delight those who descend to this subterranean speakeasy, and the no-standing policy means that you’re never in danger of feeling cramped or claustrophobic.
This year, across the entire month of January (and possibly beyond), the bar has launched their Three Spirit menu for punters who want to start the year with a clear head but not a clear diary. They describe this no-alcohol cocktail list as a ‘flavour and sensorial experience’, designed by plant scientists and bartenders to ensure that no one feels as though they are compromising.
129 City Road, EC1V 1JB
The Hari Hotel
Within strolling distance of Hyde Park, Harrods and the esteemed V&A, The Hari Hotel is one of London’s more discreet boutique hotels, and exudes an air of secrecy and romance.
The Hari Bar encapsulates exactly the same sumptuous elegance as the rest of the property, inviting well-connected Londoners in from the grey, stormy skies and seducing them with a range of mocktails, from alcohol-free sparkling rosé to something a little fruitier. And once the skies lighten again and dry-January is firmly behind those who opt in for the month, The Hari roof terrace - tucked away at the top of the hotel - is a tranquil place for a tipple in the warmer months, high above the hustle and bustle of the well-heeled below.
Heads & Tails
Away from the crowded cocktail scene of central London, this West Hampstead haunt is the brainchild of Will Partridge and Chris Dennis, and plays with the idea of personality and atmosphere. The two-floor bar slots two entirely different vibes (plus an outdoor terrace) under one roof, with the airy Heads cocktail bar taking up the ground floor with its eggshell blue walls, gold-laced bar stools and illuminated turquoise-tiled bar with copper countertop, and Tails, a sultry, neighbourhood-style, subterranean offering downstairs. The two floors are worlds apart in feel, and in offering, as those looking to stick to their new year’s resolutions can enjoy the alcohol-free options in the pastel surrounds of Heads, while those looking for the classic house cocktails (hello, French Pearl Martini) may venture down the stairs.
Albie at The Hoxton
The Hoxton group are known across Europe and the US for popping in the only the coolest neighbourhoods and attracting only the most sartorially-savvy digital nomads and creative types around, and their Southwark outpost remains never seems to give up its place as one of London’s most in-vogue hangouts. A place to see and be seen, Albie, the ground-floor bar, is clad in floor-to-ceiling mirrors, peppered with palms, dotted with comfy wicker chairs and lit by copper pendants that hang from the ceiling.
Here, many can be found sipping on the alcohol-free concoctions (of which the drinks menu dedicates an entire page to) and enjoying Mediterranean-style nibbles (including one of the best vegan burgers in London). Our advice? Order the Ginish mocktail and settle in.
34 Mayfair
If on social media it’s likely that you’ve scrolled past the countless snaps of 34 Mayfair’s indoor and outdoor installations. The artistic flair doesn’t end with the decor, it extends to the very menu itself, including a non-alcoholic drinks offering that will put many of London’s most extravagant classics to shame.
From the 34 Virgin Colada, fragrant and faraway-feeling, to the Electric Mule, a spicy, gingery concoction, there is no need to envy your friend’s G&T or Bloody Mary here, in fact, we’re certain the opposite will be the case. Incidentally, this immersive art scene, is also one of the Capital’s best brunch spots, so, once Dry January is over, you might want to return to take advantage of their February offer too: a glass of fizz alongside your pancake stack.
