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IF THE WORD ‘mocktail’ leaves a sickly-sweet taste in your mouth, you’re not alone.
As non-alcoholic alternatives to the traditional cocktail, ‘mocktails’ can conjure images of syrupy, sugar-laden drinks. But this is a perception that more and more mixologists are now actively challenging.
Thanks in part to a growing focus on health, more Irish people are consciously seeking non-alcoholic, low-sugar alternatives on nights out – which means drinks which don’t look (and taste) like they should only be served to the tune of Wham’s Club Tropicana.
The Journal.ie chatted to those at the helm of Dublin’s bar scene about the growing interest in innovative non-alcoholic cocktails – and where to look if you’re in the market for a hold-the-hangover drinks menu.
“There’s a ton of different reasons as to why people are cutting down or cutting out alcohol completely,” Billie Johnson, bar manager of MVP, tells us.
Lots of our customers, who come in looking for the non-alcohol menu, aren’t abstaining 24/7 either. In fact, quite a few of them are simply cutting down their alcohol intake, not drinking for a few weeks, or they’re driving and just want to come into the bar for half an hour for a catch-up with a friend in the evening.
Similarly, Drop Dead Twice, a BYOB cocktail bar on Dublin’s Francis Street, tells us that each group they cater to will generally include one or two people who have chosen to go alcohol-free.
While they say it’s rare to encounter an entirely alcohol-free group, they’re well versed in creating alcohol-free mixed drinks.
“More often than not, this is due to pregnancy or having a dry month,” they explained.
We have had ladies, who are very early on in their pregnancy, call ahead and ask us to discreetly make them ‘mocktails’ that look the same as everyone else’s drinks so as not to raise any red flags with the rest of the group, as they aren’t ready to announce their pregnancy.
With more and more establishments acknowledging the value in investing in the alcohol-free section of their menu, the days where non-drinkers are forced to deliberate between a soft drink or the bar’s token alcohol-free beer are on the decline.
“For a very long time, the only non-alcoholic option was a bottled carbonated soda of some kind, or a sickly combination of syrups and juices that left the consumer with a sugar rush and the inevitable crash,” says Pat Thomas of The Little Pig Speakeasy.
Another trailblazer in Dublin’s no-alcohol scene is Vaughan Yates. He wondered what the city’s alcohol-free community could be offered in terms of venue – a musing which led to the establishment of Dublin’s first ever alcohol-free bar; The Virgin Mary on Capel Street.
“They can go to hotels possibly, or existing bars, but they might not want to be in those types of environments, especially if they get quite loud and they’re not drinking,” he explains.
So that’s where the idea stemmed from; to offer people who didn’t want to be around alcohol a venue to go to that still has all the same cues as those venues that do have alcohol.
“With The Virgin Mary, we are simply offering a different way to drink,” head bartender Anna Walsh tells us.
With the menu, we’ve ticked all boxes. Some drinks are light and delicate, more of a Martini-style in a delicate glass. Or if you want a more punchy Tiki-style drink, we tick that box too. If you feel like a certain style of drink, you can have that.
“It’s a serious alternative, with similar taste profiles, but a lot better for you,” Vaughn says of the bar’s drink selection.
Indeed, the intricacy involved in creating these profiles cannot be overstated. “One of the key aspects to a really good mixed drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic!) is the ability to balance out the different flavours whilst still being able to taste all the elements – sweet, sour, herbal, bitter, floral, et cetera,” Billie says of MVP’s approach to their menu.
And like Billie, Anna believes the growing interest in the zero-alcohol drink scene is reflective of a more health-conscious nation. A customer’s desire to skip alcohol shouldn’t mean sacrificing taste or quality, she says.
If you’re in a cocktail bar in a group of people, you’d like your drink to be of the same quality as the ones with alcohol in.
“As a nation, we are extremely social,” she adds. “We are naturally good humoured and I really do believe that we can have the craic with or without booze.”
Interested in this ever-growing arena of the Dublin bar scene? Sounds like it’s time for a pub crawl.
MVP
Located on Upper Clanbrassil St, MVP is a member of the Bodytonic family and well known for its Sober Sundays.
“My aim is to have a really rounded non-alcoholic cocktail list to rival our standard cocktail list, covering different flavour profiles to suit different tastes,” bar manager Billie tells us.
Drop Dead Twice
With a team of dedicated mixologists at its helm, this Francis St BYOB bar caters to large groups keen to create their own customised mixed drinks.
“We are always very happy to create ‘mocktails’ and generally have a few peeps in each week joining us as part of a wider group!”
The Little Pig Speakeasy
A throwback to the Prohibition era, customers of the Little Pig Speakeasy enjoy the semi-clandestine nature of the place.
While known for its traditional cocktails, the hidden bar definitely delivers on the no-alcohol front. Watch out for the Wicklow Street Spritz and the bar’s riff on the traditional Whiskey Sour.
777
A hugely popular spot on Dublin’s South Great George’s Street, 777′s menu features a Designated Driver section, aimed at anyone who has no intention of entertaining a hangover the morning after the night before. Pro-tip: Try their non-alcoholic margaritas.
The Bernard Shaw
The Bernard Shaw is another example of Bodytonic’s contribution to the alcohol-free scene in the capital.
With an extensive low ABV and non-alcoholic selection, this South Richmond St bar is a must.
The Virgin Mary
Dublin’s first ever alcohol-free bar will be opening its doors in the not-too-distant future, and looks set to impress on a number of levels.
“All of our ingredients are homemade and we’re keeping it on the lower-sugar level as well. Our cocktail menu is fully vegan, and our wines are also vegan which means anyone can drink them!”
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All the focus on Hamas when the real terrorists are the Israeli IDF and government.
@BannonsBarse: Hi jack
@BannonsBarse: Ye, because Hamas doesn’t launch attacks against civilians. Both sides are as bad as each other. Only dialogue and agreement can solve this.
@MaryLoonyMcDonald: the difference is that only one of those sides is acting out of a state of total oppression.
@Heroin Chic: What would happen if the power balance was reversed here? Would hamas oppress the Jews, or would they simply murder all of them. I think we can find the answer to that by reading the original and still valid hamas charter.
@BannonsBarse:
If Hamas aren’t targeting civilians they’re throwing political rivals off rooftops. Sure, Israel have carried out unjustifiable atrocities in the region, but let’s not use that to make out that Hamas are somehow the ‘good guys’.
@Matty kinevan: let’s be clear here, there are arabs and other ethnic groups living in Israel not just jews
@Avina Laaf: The Israeli government created Hamas at its inception as a counter-balance to Yasser Arafat’s PLO in 1987. Reap what you sow. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/07/30/how-israel-helped-create-hamas/?utm_term=.4bfd06491adc
@Craig De Barra: I never claimed otherwise
@BannonsBarse:
We get it – the jews are to blame for everything. Your hatred for everything israeli is clear.
@Avina Laaf: hatred of Israel and hatred of Jews are very different things.
@Niall Campbell:
Not in the eyes of the far left – they hate them both with a passion, but sometimes try and muddy the waters by saying they only hate zionists.
@Avina Laaf: I see an interesting parallel here. You can hate Israel and not hate Jews/Israelis in the same way you can hate Islam and not hate Muslims. The argument you just put forth is one I’ve seen used a million times by “progressives” in defence of Islam, just replace the words “left” and “Zionists” with “right” and “Islam” in your text and you’ll see what I mean :-)
@BannonsBarse:
Hi Liam, still spouting your taqiyya I see… The son of a leading member of Hamas says different (The Green Prince)… https://youtu.be/2qie2T3imz8
@Heroin Chic:
@Craig De Barra:
Yes there are, and Israel is possibly only place in the ME where any religion can be practiced in peace without persecution.
Wrong Lepanto, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan…
But if it suits your narrative go ahead and lie, it’s what the zionists do well.
@canuckandgo:
BS.. I’ll think you’ll find that Jewish populations in ME countries has and is declining. along with Christian populations.
–
http://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/jews/
Doesn’t matter if they are increasing or declining, other religions are free to practice in these countries without fear of persecution. Apart from judaism for obvious reason of course.
@canuckandgo:
Lets take a look at Christians in Oman.
–
– There are over 120,000 Christians in Oman making up over 4 percent of the total population.
– Oman ranks at 39 in the World Watch List of countries in the world where Christians face persecution, according to UK-based Open Doors, an organization that supports persecuted Christians worldwide.
– Over 98 percent of Christians living in Oman are not citizens but foreigners, working mainly in the urban areas around cities of the coast.
–The Christian communities living in the urban areas of Oman are mainly Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and various other denominations, such as the Protestant Churches of Oman.
6. All religious organizations must register with the Oman government. For Christians, the government recognizes the Protestant Church of Oman, the Catholic Diocese of Oman, and the Al Amana Centre as official sponsors of the faith, according to the State Department..
7. Christians in Oman can only practice their religion on land approved by the Sultan for collective worship. Groups may not gather in private homes or elsewhere to pray or carry out services.
Pretty restricted wouldn’t you agree?
@canuckandgo:
“Doesn’t matter if they are increasing or declining, other religions are free to practice in these countries without fear of persecution. Apart from judaism for obvious reason of course.”
What obvious reason?
@canuckandgo:
What other religions???
–
http://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/country_profiles.php
Lepanto, Sure there are restrictions, but they can practice their respective religions without persecution.
They’ve also said this doesn’t replace their old charter…. Taqiyya!!!!!!!
@Matty kinevan: Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 269:
Narrated Jabir bin ‘Abdullah:
The Prophet said, “War is deceit.”
@Matty kinevan: why are you taking to yourself?
@Joe Travers: cos nobody else listens :-(
@Matty kinevan: if.you were a dj I’d say change the record then.
@Joe Travers: Sorry Joe. I’m just concerned about some things going on in the world and I’m trying to popularise some info which I think is important for people to know. You’re absolutely welcome to ignore me :-)
@Matty kinevan: by creating a new fake twitter account to publish your shite
@Cathal Mac Einri: What shite is that? Could you be more specific please
Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 and expelled several thousand Jewish settlers……
Since then HAMAS has spend all the billions it gets from EU and Gulf states on tunnels to attach Israel and thousands of rockets from Iran to fire at Israel as well as sending suicide bombers.
This is step in right direction if they use all their billions they get from the EU and Qatar to develop Gaza with industry and tourism rather than attacking Israel…. They could become the Singapore of the region.
@John003: I read that in The Hasbara Times too, great story, so full of imagination!
@BannonsBarse: You have an obvious deep hatred for Israel…..Have you even been there?…Is everything you know about Isreal from the internet?..
@John003: I’ve never been to Nazi Germany either.
@John003:
Interesting perspective.
Hamas appeal to the international community for building materials. Remember the Mavi Maramara.
Simultaneously Hamas is siphoning off 95% of cement transferred into Gaza for rebuilding homes and other humanitarian projects to construct the terror tunnels from Gaza into Israel in order to attack civilians. Over 200 Palestinian children have been sacrificed in the construction of these tunnels. Sadly western lefty liberals seem to care not a whit about the deaths of these children.
An estimated 800,000 tons of concrete has been used in the construction. To put that in perspective. Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower, required 110,000 tons of concrete. How many hospitals, schools or social infrastructure could have been built using that much material? Unfortunately Hamas, who publicly declare to have the interests of the Palestinian people as their goal have in reality no other goal than the continued war against Israel and the destruction of the Jewish state.
If they finally come round to a position of the right of Israel to exist then I would venture that a concrete peace agreement could probably be reached in the near future.
@John003: i doubt if Liam has been to Isreal theres too many jews there &he’ll steer well clear of Gaza because he may have to confront the unfortunate truth if what life is like for ordinary palestinians under the hamas / islamofascist heel… palestinian christians know well what life is like under these savages..forced conversions, repression of women &gay hate. Hamas going soft?! Never!!
@BannonsBarse: The vast majority of Israel would be only delighted if the money sent to Gaza was used to develop an airport, tourist facilities, public utilities, etc. Instead, the more money we pour into Gaza, the more the Israelis have to develop bomb shelters and defensive measures because when HAMAS gets the money, it goes straight to attacking Israel instead. Any wonder why the top 15 HAMAS leaders in Gaza are now worth more combined than the rest of the entire Gazan population combined…
@John003: Israel withdrew it’s settlers from Gaza to great fanfare and immediately and illegally settled thousands more on the West Bank.
Gaza is collapsing because Israel has severely restricted it’s imports for years with only the very basic of essential allowed in. Israel ‘put Gaza on a diet’ – with half of it’s population being children under 18 when the policy was introduced – to punish them for voting Hamas into power.
http://imemc.org/article/59843/
@Marcus Maher:
I think John’s point went right over your head – the vast majority of funding received by Hamas goes directly towards military action and not to the welfare of ordinary Palestinians in Gaza or the West Bank, so yes, many are living in deplorable conditions which haven’t improved much since Israel destroyed much of the infrastructure.
Ask yourself how the lives of ordinary Palestinians compares with those of Hamas leadership – do you think Hamas leaders barely have running water too??
He’s also right about the amount of donated money flowing into Palestinian coffers since 2005 as being in the billions.
Much as I dislike John’s constant defence of Israel’s actions in the region, he’s basically right on this one.
@Marcus Maher: Wonder why hamas have cancelled the democratic process, banned opposition parties and hammered dissenters?
@Marcus Maher:
The ‘billions’ figure is correct – do some research before mouthing off.
Hamas starting to get sense.
The world will be a better place without their terrorist atrocities.
@Jack Cassady: Jack you are just trolling
@Matty kinevan: are you saying that he is wrong?
@Alan Brogan: Are they starting to get sense? Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha… Would the world be better off without em? Undoubtedly. Do I think jack is the slightest bit sincere in anything he says? Nope. Just a troll. AKA Open Borders/Grainne Abdulaziz/Peedur Dante/Bannons Arse and many others I’m sure.
@Alan Brogan:
I support Israel’s right to exist, always have, always will. Israel is an oasis of civilisation in a desert of Arab fanaticism to which Europe and the rest of the world owes an enormous debt.
That Israel historically has had to resort to extreme measures to protect its people and borders is in no small way attributable to Hamas’s destructive charter to wipe Israel off the face off the earth and not rest until all Jews have been exterminated.
The world will be a better place without Hamas ideology.
@Jack Cassady: Well said jack, you can make sense when you want to :-)
@Matty kinevan:
Would love to reciprocate that remark………
@Matty kinevan:
‘ AKA Open Borders/Grainne Abdulaziz/Peedur Dante/Bannons Arse’
I do not resemble that remark.
@Jack Cassady: having read your scripted rant about Israel , I am curious…do you share the same views about the British occupation of Northern Ireland ?
@Alan Brogan: I don’t think he’s wrong but the world would also be a better place if there was no oppression
@Craig De Barra:
No comparison.
In reality Palestinian is a made up word. Israel was called Palestine for two thousand years. ‘Palestinian’ sounds ancient but is really a modern invention. Before the Israelis won the land in the 1967 war, Gaza was owned by Egypt, the West Bank was owned by Jordan, and there were no ‘Palestinians.
Ex-Muslim Jihad Terrorist Walid Shoebat once said,
“One day during the 1960’s I went to bed a Jordanian Muslim, and when I woke up the next morning, I was informed that I was now a Palestinian Muslim, and that I was no longer a Jordanian Muslim.”
In essence the modern phenomenon of the fight for Palestinian freedom has its roots in the US/Soviet Cold War. The PLO was a KGB construct.
In 1964 the first PLO Council, consisting of 422 Palestinian representatives handpicked by the KGB, approved the Palestinian National Charter—a document that had been drafted in Moscow.
The Romanian espionage service (DIE) was responsible for providing the PLO with logistical support. Arms were supplied by the KGB and the East German Stasi. Everything else came from Bucharest. Even the PLO uniforms and the PLO stationery were manufactured in Romania free of charge, as a “comradely help.” During those years, two Romanian cargo planes filled with goodies for the PLO landed in Beirut every week, and were unloaded by Arafat’s men.
Arafat claimed to have coined the word “imperial-Zionism,” but in fact Moscow had invented this battle cry many years earlier.
Of course western lefty liberals will always adopt an anti American position in such conflicts as to do otherwise would deprive them of the opportunity to pontificate their Marxist credentials at dinner gatherings.
Israel’s Memorial Day which begun yesterday ended this evening.
Celebrations for Independence Day which runs until tomorrow evening have already begun.
Perhaps the Journal could set aside the inherent ideological bias for a moment and give recognition to the occasion.
An important international event.
@Jack Cassady: Why would they celebrate a memorial day of an illegal rogue state?
I seem to recall one Christmas a few years ago when children playing on a beach were killed by shell s fired at them
@Stouts O Shea: I also seem to recall that it was proven that they were killed by HAMAS rockets, despite the initial claim that it was Israel. That was brushed under the carpet awful quick when the Jews couldn’t be blamed…
@Brian Ó Dálaigh: Where is your evidence for this claim?
@Seán Ó Briain: Why didnt you ask stouts the same question?
@Stouts O Shea: You might not wish to recall the anniversary (yesterday) of the murder of a pregnant mother and her 4 young daughters in 2004. Shot to death by 2 palestinians in Gaza.
Do we seriously want to compare civilian deaths between Israel and Palestine? Somehow I think the Israeli apologists of Zion will lose.
Not good enough. Designed to make up with Egypt and the PA, not a serious attempt at peace. Any group committed to ‘liberating’ Palestine and not even entering into direct negotiations with Israel is not worth taking seriously. Pathetic attempt to tone down the Jew hate too.
Violence against Israel is useless. The killing of innocent Israelis is exactly what the occupying state wants. An enemy threat entity is essential for the states ongoing military war justification. What Hamas should do is what the IRA finally discovered gets actual peace talk going – target what really matters to the state – financial assets. No innocent lives lost. Just loss of material assets of the aggressors. Support from innocent Israelis for military retribution will evaporate overnight.
@Biróg: So the IRA bombing London was a peace inititive then….By the way Gaza gets all its electricity most of its food and water from Israel…Also for serious cases gets free medical treatment in Israel…
I see the social media wing of the IDF is out in force tonight…Christ have you no shame
@Craig De Barra: Where do you buy your tinfoil? (Thanks alan brogan)
Ah the good old muzzies with there hate speech…Jews explicitly banned from 16 Muzzie countries too….Where’s that Lefty brigade when you need it?
@James Ryan: *their*
HAMAS has seen the writing on the wall. Their benefactor and supporter in the White House is gone replaced by the grown ups, ably led by Mr Trump who won’t be fooled or led around by these people. So its time to change tack and use a little bit of Taqiyya on us. Hopefully we won’t be fooled by this and continue to call a spade a spade. HAMAS is a murderous cult of drugged up Iranians who spread death and destruction where ever they go. Israel needs to stay strong and never give a inch.
Humanity has ever been at war with itself. It’s very sad but only a fool could deny it’s a massive part of what we are, collectively and individually, a combative species.
But what breaks my heart is to see a collection of people who were brutally ghettoised less than a century ago turn around and attempt to justify that same ghettoisation of another collection of people as a matter of state security.
Seriously now, what exactly did the Nazis argue their excuse was? Wrong then, wrong now. But even sadder, proof if anyone still needed it that all violence has ever done is beget more violence. At every tier, on every level.
@John Considine: One word dude, tribalism. We can’t help it, it runs deep in all of us.
@Matty kinevan: We can help it
@Emeralds: We can up to a certain point but it’s always there working in the background. Look at how divided and energised people have become about politics for example, people rioting and killing each other in the streets over what crappy leader the other voted for, it’s insanity. Tribalism is deeply engrained in us by evolution and I believe another facet has been added by heavily partisan media and echo chambers etc…. We need to get away from tribalism and try be a truly harmonious global society but we seem to be heading in the wrong direction unfortunately.
Israeli apologists desperate to make the oppression of the people of Palestine a religious issue as if they don’t, they don’t have a leg to stand on.
The Hasbara (Israeli employed trolls) are still running this site I see – what I can’t understand is the lack of exposure on this site, yer it still has these apologists for Israeli Terror basically ‘policing’ the journal
Rothchilds admitting his family created (bought) the illegal State Of Israel http://www.theeventchronicle.com/study/rothschild-family-created-israel/
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