With the alcohol industry seeing a slight slump as of late — a 2024 Silicon Valley Bank “State of the Wine Industry” report showed a sharp decline in domestic and international wine sales, with California restaurants echoing the trend — and Dry January here again, alcohol-free beverages (known as the mocktail) have picked up the slack.
ALSO SEE: Mocktails, the hero of Dry January, find their place on cocktail menus — and beyond
No longer the glorified juice of yore, mocktails are just as complex, varied and downright delicious as their boozy forbearers. Orange County has a slew of spots with dedicated mocktail sections on their menus. Here are five to put on your temperance radar.
Duke’s Huntington Beach
317 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach; 714-374-6446 or dukeshuntington.com
This surf-themed eatery named after Duke Kahanamoku features a mocktail menu that includes the Volcano (which includes blended coconut and strawberry), a Mint Lemonade (watermelon, mint and lemonade), the Pog Slushie (Hawaii-grown fruit juice slushie) and Bundaberg sodas (ginger beer or guava). Duke’s also has a Run Wild nonalcoholic IPA from San Diego-based Athletic Brewing Co.
Khan Saab
229 E. Commonwealth Ave., Unit A, Fullerton; 714-853-1081 or khansaaboc.com
“When we opened Khan Saab in February of 2020, our nonalcoholic bar program was the first of its kind in Southern California and only the fourth in the nation,” chef Imran Ali Mookhi said in 2022. The 100% halal restaurant, where everything is prepared in accordance with Muslim law, offers a bevy of cocktails minus the liquor. Booze-free highlights include a Smoked Negroni, Peshawari Mule, a brut, a rose, beer and even mimosas.
Solstice Seasonal Kitchen & Bar
18555 Jamboree Road, Irvine; 949-241-7088 or dineatsolstice.com
This Irvine spot offers a mocktail menu known for using seasonal flavors into their mocktails — or “un-cocktails,” as they call them — each for $9. Booze-free cocktails include the Un-Daquiri (featuring aloe vera juice, toasted sesame syrup and lime juice), the Un-French 75 (aloe vera juice, ginger pear syrup, lemon juice and sparkling water), the Un-Tequila Cocktail (aloe vera juice, house made grenadine, hibiscus tea mix and lime juice) and the Cranberry Sage Spritz (cranberry sage syrup, simple syrup and Fever Tree soda water).
Strong Water Anaheim
270 S. Clementine St., Anaheim; 714-844-1875 or strongwateranaheim.com
This shipwreck-themed, James Beard Award-nominated restaurant and bar, owned and operated by Ying Chang and Robert Adamson, created two zero-proof cocktails under its mocktails menu: the Anana Rising (a bright and juicy beverage with pineapple, lemon, cinnamon and walnut bitters) and the Tarobi Colada (tropical, rich and creamy with pineapple, lime, coconut, taro cream and sugar cane). Strong Water also offers two low-alcohol brews, like the Bitter Mai Tai and the Fernet Swizzle.
Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar
1150 Magic Way, Anaheim; 714-781-4636 or disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/disneyland-hotel/trader-sams
The most magical place on Earth offers mocktails inspired by the Jungle Cruise ride. At this Tiki bar, which is part of the Disneyland Resort property, teetotalers can enjoy the Skipper Sipper (featuring tropical juices, agave nectar, falernum, mint and lime juice topped with soda water), the Schweitzer Falls (tropical juices, Sam’s Gorilla Grog and Sprite) and the Polynesian Punch (Sam’s Gorilla Grog with hibiscus grenadine). Sam’s Gorilla Grog is a puckering powerhouse that features passion fruit, orange, guava and pineapple juices, orgeat and falernum syrups, and freshly squeezed lemon. Disneyland Hotel,
