Boozy holiday parties and champagne toasts may get the best of us in December.
Now that the calendar has flipped to January, many are hitching a ride on the sober express for a solid month, a practice dubbed “Dry January.” Being alcohol-free doesn’t have to mean curling up at home with your Netflix lineup while watching your pals enjoy happy hour on Facebook. These local bars and restaurants are serving up skillfully executed mocktails to savor without the hangover.
First & South — This popular Greenport restaurant and bar always hits it out of the park with its annual Prohibition Party, a celebration of free-flowing booze with a bevy of craft cocktails that ensure the theme’s success. The bar’s specialty mocktails are just as impressive. The Wicked Mint is crafted with mint, grapefruit juice, orange bitters and club soda for a touch of effervescence.
First & South is located at 100 South Street in Greenport. Call (631) 333-2200 or visit firstandsouth.com.
North Fork Table & Inn — Attention to quality ingredients and culinary preparation is a hallmark of this award-winning Southold restaurant. It comes as no surprise that its bar holds equally high standards for drink service. Keep cocktail hour light with a nonalcoholic Spiced Pear Soda. The medley of house-made spiced pear syrup and seltzer is refreshing for your tastebuds and your wallet at only $5.
North Fork Table & Inn is located at 57225 Main Road in Southold. Call (631) 765-0177 or visit northforktableandinn.com.
Birchwood of Polish Town — Sunday brunch is not off the table even if mimosas and Bloody Mary’s are. Along with a robust menu of waffles, pierogies and kielbasa with kraut, the downtown Riverhead eatery offers the option of a full mocktail frozen drink bar with its brunch package.
Birchwood is located at 512 Pulaski Street in Riverhead. Call (631) 727-4449 or visit thebirchwoodofpolishtown.com.
