Food & Drink

This alcohol-free bar just opened in downtown Sacramento. But go quickly

An Instagram post by All the Bitter promotes the opening of The Teetotalist in downtown Sacramento
An Instagram post by All the Bitter promotes the opening of The Teetotalist in downtown Sacramento

Just in time for Dry January, Sacramento’s first 100% sober bar is opening in the city’s center core.

The Teetotalist will pop up at 830 K St. in downtown Sacramento for the next few months, owners Amanda Brincat and Kathryn Altman announced on social media Thursday evening.

Plans for a Friday opening were dashed, but the bar is slated to welcome its first customers at 2 p.m. Saturday.

“The space is still a work in progress, but come on down this weekend,” the post read.

The Teetotalist’s temporary setup might soon turn into a permanent home. The sober bar is one of six finalists for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s Calling All Dreamers competition, which gives the winner $10,000 and additional support to launch a downtown business.

Alcohol-free bars have become more common in U.S. cities over the past five years, thanks both to better drink options and a rising number of sober or sober-curious customers. In Sacramento, traditional restaurants and bars such as Bottle & Barlow, Iron Horse Tavern and Beast + Bounty have upped their mocktail games.

At The Teetotalist, beers fans can grab $6 virgin West Coast IPAs from Sausalito-based Best Day Brewing or lagers from Sacramento’s own Oak Park Brewing. There’s booze-free wine from Jøyus and Prima Pavé as well, available for $7 per glass.

Mocktails, though, are where this sober bar shines, using nonalcoholic spirits from brands such as Ritual, Lyre’s and Three Spirits. Take the “Clover Club,” with alcohol-free gin, raspberry syrup, aquafaba and citrus, or a ginger Old Fashioned that won’t result in a hangover.

The Teetotalist will be open from 4-10 p.m. on Fridays, 2-10 p.m. on Saturdays and 2-8 p.m. on Sundays. All drinks are 0.5% ABV or less.

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Benjy Egel
The Sacramento Bee
Benjy Egel is a former reporter for The Sacramento Bee.
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