How to make Dry January easy at local establishments

We’re a little more than halfway through January. So how are those “Dry January” resolutions going?

If the term is unfamiliar to you boozehounds, Dry January is an annual campaign during which folks aim to abstain from alcohol during the first month of the new year. (According to Time, Dry January launched in 2013 under the organization Alcohol Change UK.)

Whether you’re cutting back entirely or just a tiny bit, there are plenty of ways to quench your thirst without sacrificing taste. Local bars and restaurants are rocking fun mocktail menus (that are generally available year-round, too), and local companies are curating comprehensive non-alcoholic (NA) and alternative beverage options.

It’s worth noting that any bar serving delicious alcoholic beverages can usually whip up a tasty NA drink with the ingredients on hand. Just be sure to ask nicely and tip big if you’re asking for something off-menu.

Editor’s note: We don’t love the word “mocktail” because NA cocktails can exist on their own without having to riff off their alcoholic cousins, but it’s familiar and easy to use, so that’s what we’re going with here.

Here’s where to celebrate this month:

Marbled & Fin always offers a self-described “robust” NA beverage menu. A selection of the restaurant’s signature cocktails can be made NA, meaning you can have all the flavor without the hangover. These drinks include the Much Appreciated, made with kiwi matcha yuzu and sea salt, and the I’ll Take Five made with guava, elderflower, verjus and makrut lime leaf.

The Matador offers three exclusive NA cocktails featuring Lyre’s NA spirits. Guests can choose from the scratch margarita, pomegranate mule and cucumber paloma. We’re keen on the mule, made with Lyre’s NA tequila, chili-pomegranate syrup, fresh lime and ginger-orange syrup.

Hotel Bennett serves mocktail menus at its three dining outposts, Camellias, Gabrielle and Fiat Luxe. Guests will find a variety of mocktails made with the NA spirit Seedlip at each location. Gabrielle also serves NA beer, such as Heineken Zero, and NA wine like Hand on Heart, a Cab Sav from California.

Spots like Sweatman’s Garden and High Rise Dry Bar are perfect for folks looking to cut back on booze anytime of year. Sweatman’s is a “sodary” that focuses on housemade sodas that can be made into either mock- or cocktails. High Rise Dry Bar opened on James Island in August 2023 and offers hemp-derived products and mocktails made with legal cannabis seltzers.

You can sip on any crusher from Gingerline as a “zero proof” beverage. Choose from the Coco Pina, made with banana, creme de coco, pineapple and lime, or the Peach Aperol Paloma made with peach, lime and grapefruit soda (minus, of course, the Aperol).

Satellite Bar at Stars Restaurant offers several refreshing mocktails including the Silver Lining, made with lavender, blueberry and fresh lemonade, and the Midnight Train to Georgia, made with passionfruit, ginger beer and bitters.

Another rooftop bar, Citrus Club at the Dewberry, serves mocktails year-round, too. We love the sound of the spicy “margarita,” made with green tea, agave, lime and habanero tincture.

Known for its extensive cocktail list, Felix Cocktails et Cuisine offers mocktails, too. Sip on drinks like the Faux Fun, made with zero proof bourbon, orange juice, lemon-ginger syrup and Sweatman’s tonic.

Check out the grab-and-go NA and alternative beverage selection from King Street store Sèchey. As of last year, in addition to shopping Sèchey’s curated selection of no and low-ABV drinks, you can also find some of Sèchey’s best-selling brands at your local Target, sold in exclusive variety packs.

Sipland, which describes itself as a “marketplace” and “cultural community,” is a new resource in the flourishing world of beverages with low or no alcohol. Head to Sipland’s website to shop curated goods.

Skipping booze but still looking for a buzz? There are local companies for that, too, including Levity, the first hemp-derived Delta 9 THC non-alcoholic spirit, and, of course, High Rise seltzers, which include hemp-derived products as well as drinks that feature and focus on adaptogens.

Some local breweries make low and no-ABV beers. Local brew company Ceebo, for instance, crafts a stand-out NA malt beverage.