Three days after learning I was pregnant, I found myself in a quandary. I had arranged a Back Bay bar crawl for my husband’s birthday. How would I handle this shindig when I wasn’t ready to tell everyone I was expecting? Well, I quickly called myself the “designated dragger” and said I had to stay sober to keep everyone in line. I think people bought it.
But as a working professional in Boston, I continued to get social invites to bars and restaurants while I was pregnant. Because of this, I started scoping out non-alcoholic cocktails, otherwise known as “mocktails,” that I could order around Boston.
Over the next 30-some-odd weeks, I began a hodgepodge list of the best mocktails around Greater Boston. And over the last few years I’ve added even more recommendations to my list from my bartender friends in Boston — the options get better and more plentiful as the years go by! So for whatever reason you are not drinking alcohol, you can still enjoy a fun drink with great flavor.
Earls
Assembly Row, Somerville
Prudential Center, Boston
The hip Earls has a changing cocktail menu, so my favorite cocktail — a muddled mojito-style drink with mint and lime (pictured) — may not always be on the menu. But Earls boasts others, including a spring gimlet, which uses Seedlip Garden, a non-alcohol-containing base that is growing in popularity. The gimlet also includes cucumber, rosemary, and fresh lemon.
Wusong Road
Harvard Square, Cambridge
This Harvard Square tiki bar is tucked away on Mt. Auburn Street, and it’s a perfectly cozy spot with great ambiance and decor. The Asian-American tapas are delicious, and the mocktails are inventive in the best way. Try the panda-monium — fizzy coconut with an herbal kick. It’s light and citrusy, made with pandan and lemongrass.
Kowloon
Saugus
I’m married to a proud Saugonian, meaning the Kowloon is a regular stop when we have a rare night out. They have a whole section of mocktails on their drink menu, including my favorite — the virgin pina colada. Sweet and tropical, Kowloon makes it look just as pretty as their alcoholic tiki drinks.
Banyan and The Gallows
South End
I love to hear bartending stories from a friend of mine, so I had to ask her input on mocktails. She’s currently at The Gallows in the South End, which is part of a restaurant group with Banyan, an Asian gastropub close by. Both restaurants are well versed in mocktail concocting, with house-made syrups like cranberry, mint, and blood orange available daily. Banyan sometimes has non-alcoholic house sodas on their menu as well.
Temazcal
Seaport, Lynnfield, Burlington, Framingham, and Dedham
Margaritas are my guilty pleasure. I don’t get them often, but when I do, I enjoy every last drop. Margaritas were the lone alcoholic drink I missed while pregnant with my son. Temazcal to the rescue! It is my absolute favorite restaurant in all of Boston. My husband and I were celebrating our wedding anniversary at Temazcal about a month before my son was born. We asked our waitress if there was any way they could make a virgin margarita, and she said, “Of course!” A few minutes later, she stopped by with the most wonderful and refreshing drink I had enjoyed in a long time. It still had the tart lime flavor I craved.
Loretta’s Last Call
Fenway
Margaritas are one guilty pleasure of mine, and sweet tea is the other. Loretta’s has the best sweet tea I’ve ever had up North. They use it as a base in many of their alcoholic drinks, but they also offer it as a standalone drink. So if you are OK with some caffeine (it has roughly 41 mg of caffeine — less than a cup of coffee), head to Loretta’s and enjoy a sweet tea that looks and tastes as good as their fun Southern-style alcoholic options.
Blossom Bar
Brookline
It’s worth a trip to Blossom for the innovative drinks and expert pairing alone — it’s been said to be the “city’s smartest cocktail program.” This is the place to ask your server/bartender to make the mocktail of your dreams — they’ll deliver! You won’t be disappointed with the Szechuan-style Chinese dishes, either. Oh, and if you find yourself in the suburbs, try Blossom’s sister bar, Baldwin Bar in Woburn!
This post was originally published in 2018 and was updated with new Boston mocktails in 2024!
