Voting starts January 17 in Edible Memphis’s Instagram stories.
Let’s make “Dry January” #SpiritedAF with a friendly mocktail competition.
After the holidays, many bars and restaurants experience a dip in business. So we want to give our readers and community a reason to continue supporting their favorite cocktail spots—even while participating in Dry January or sticking to a New Year’s resolution to drink less.
Enter the second annual Edible Memphis ChampionSip: Mocktails, brought to you by Spirited AF, a movement inspired to infuse AF—“alcohol free”—on menus, on shelves, and at the table.
Voting for each individual matchup will take place exclusively on an Edible Memphis Instagram Story poll over an assigned 24-hour period.
- January 12: Bracket announced
- January 17-24: Sippin’ on Sixteen
- January 25-28: Icy Eight
- January 29-30: Pour of Four (Semi-finals)
- January 31: ChampionSipper (Finals)
There are three ways to win: Overall Bracket Winner, Most Tagged Mocktail, and Judges’ Choice.
Readers are encouraged to tag photos of mocktails on Instagram throughout the month to be entered to win a $100 gift card to the participating restaurant/bar of their choice.
Readers who sample all 16 mocktails will be invited to cast a vote as an official judge.
See below for descriptions of the participating restaurants and their signature mocktails.
Photos by Doug Carpenter & Associates
Cinder Conk Concoction
Venture up to the second floor of Crosstown Concourse, and you’ll find Art Bar at Crosstown Arts. This full-service bar’s menu features artful, cutting-edge cocktails served in a funky space with vintage decor.
Manager Dee Mitchell says that, with every new menu, Art Bar adds more non-alcoholic options and they’re always working to make sure their offerings are inclusive. The ChampionSip: Mocktails contest fits right in with that goal. “I personally like to take breaks from alcohol and have loved ones in recovery, so this is a great opportunity to make something special,” says Dee.
Dee’s Cinder Conk Concoction features chaga mushrooms, which have a chocolatey, coffee flavor and are known for being an antioxidant. “My drink was inspired by both my fascination with mushrooms and love for Ramos gin fizz,” says Dee. “Chaga is something I consume on a regular basis, and it makes me feel great. I want people to feel like they are getting their money’s worth when drinking my mocktails, and you definitely get your money’s worth with chaga.”
The Cider Conk Concoction is a Ramos gin fizz riff with coconut almond tea (from Memphis’s My Cup of Tea), chaga syrup, lemon, orange, aquafaba, coconut cream, and orange blossom water—all topped with soda. “The creamy, flavorful delight is vegan, will boost your immune system, and will leave you feeling great,” Dee says.
1350 Concourse Avenue, Suite 280
Tuesday – Sunday 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Smokin’ Mirrors
At ARRIVE Hotel’s Bar Hustle, they consider their non-alcoholic options to be just as important as their cocktails. “ARRIVE has several team members who are sober, including myself, so having those options is especially important to us,” says Will Davenport, ARRIVE’s food and beverage manager. “Whether you don’t drink at all or you’re just taking the night off, we want everyone to be able to enjoy a good drink.”
Bar Hustle wants to bring the same fun, creative energy to their mocktails that they do to their cocktails. “Whether it be from trying out different techniques, using interesting ingredients, or just messing with flavor combinations, it’s all about having fun with our drinks,” says Will.
Smokin’ Mirrors touches on a wide variety of flavors. Citrus and smoked maple drive the drink with a savory punch from the barrel-aged shoyu; the cola foam brings in some fun textures and a bit of sweetness to round out the drink. “Our bar team and I had a great time collaborating on this drink, and we cannot wait to share it with Memphis,” says Will.
477 South Main Street
Sunday, Monday, Thursday 4 to 10 p.m., Friday – Saturday: 4 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Calabrian Folklore
Bari Ristorante e Enoteca is the city’s only Southeastern Italian restaurant and wine bar. Chef and co-owner Jason Severs’s renditions of antipasto, meats and seafood, handmade pastas, and over 50 Italian cheeses convey a true taste of this Italian region.
Co-owner Rebecca Severs says many bartenders—as part of the health and wellness movement—are taking the mocktail seriously with high-quality ingredients so that all customers can indulge in alluring beverages without the adverse effects of alcohol.
The Calabrian Folklore features fresh-squeezed satsuma, house-made orange cordial, Seedlip 42, and lime matcha vegan foam. “The addition of creative mocktails on a menu is an enticing and enjoyable option for everyone,” says Rebecca.
524 South Cooper Street
Tuesday – Saturday 5 to 9 p.m.
Fauxito del Jefe
Bar Ware is a moody living room on Front Street in downtown Memphis. Its cozy and elegant decor creates an unpretentious refuge for excellent beverages, refined small plates, live music, and good times.
“Our bartenders enjoy the challenge of creating something just as good, if not better, than something with alcohol content,” says owner Libby Wunderlich. Herbal infusions, fresh produce, dry ingredients, and even smoke and fat provide a lot of the inspiration behind their cocktails and mocktails. Bar Ware’s Fauxito del Jefe features blueberry, jalapeño, mint, lemon, lime, simple syrup, and soda.
“There’s something incredibly satisfying about making a guest who chooses not to imbibe feel more than included by trying something new—that’s far from a Coke or nonalcoholic beer,” Libby says. “Alcohol shouldn’t draw a line in the sand.”
Bar Ware is known to comp a mocktail to designated drivers for taking one for the team, so get your team together for this one.
276 South Front Street
Tuesday – Saturday 5 p.m. until
Techno Babble
At Midtown’s most happening cocktail bar, they’re also playing around with lots of non-alcoholic options. Since they opened last spring they’ve become known for their fancy drinks and fun times—and they want to make sure both the drinks and the fun are accessible to all of their guests.
“With the changing of times and NA culture on the rise, we at Cameo think it’s vital to offer our guests something fun and delicious, no matter the reason for their sobriety,” says co-owner Paul Gilliam.
“There are plenty of ingredients and chemicals out there that can affect you—physically or mentally—without the inclusion of alcohol. We love playing in that sandbox and giving people an array of experiences—from CBD, to Delta 8, to ginseng and—in the case of the Techno Babble—caffeine.
The Techno Babble starts with Memphis-roasted Vice & Virtue cold brew coffee and adds a plum-sage syrup, lemon juice, and soda. “The seasonal nature of sage combined with the delicious pairing of coffee and stone fruit—the Techno Babble just makes sense,” says Paul.
1835 Union Avenue, Suite 3
Tuesday – Thursday 4 p.m. to 12 a.m., Friday – Saturday 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Rich Burgundy
Part of the beloved Andrew Michael family of restaurants—owned by born-and-bred Memphians Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman—Catherine & Mary’s is a great place to grab a drink and enjoy a delicious meal downtown. When the restaurant opened in 2016, it brought a blend of their grandmothers’ cooking, an Italian philosophy of dining, and Southern ingredients to the heart of the city.
Developed by bartender Diamond Woody, Rich Burgundy features beets, lemon, mint, apple, cardamom, and tonic. “Its name is inspired because it looks like the color of a lot of the wines we have at Catherine & Mary’s,” he says. “Beets are a great ingredient during the season, and we enjoy using that savory starting point.”
272 South Main Street
Monday – Saturday 4:30 to 10 p.m.
Blanc de Roots
From the beginning, Dory has included mocktails on its menu, wanting people who aren’t consuming alcohol to have the same experience as everyone else. Additionally, Dory emphasizes a no-waste model.
“My thought process aligns with the vision of the restaurant both in the categories of no waste and a space for alcohol-free,” says Nick Zorbino, bartender. “The process of using juices as a means to create spirit-free cocktails is bland in my eyes. My approach comes from a submersive background in kitchen work.”
Nick’s drink flavors often are unique and influenced by the kitchen. “l take time to craft my spirited cocktails and firmly believe spirit-free should cause just as much food for thought,” he says.
Blanc de Roots is a non-alcoholic sparkling beverage. It’s tart with a green fruit twang from the non-alcoholic riesling. And hakurei turnips give it a sweet and spicy flavor. It has a slight zing from the balsamic shrub, while it’s crisp and refreshing from the tonic. And the soda stream brings the bubbles. “It’s a drink that hits all the right notes creating a symphony of good vibes for all involved,” says Nick.
716 West Brookhaven Circle
Tuesday – Saturday 4 to 9 p.m.
Ruby Sipper
“We try with anything we do to have a little something for everyone,” says Jacob Dries, who owns El Mero Taco with his wife, Clarissa. That desire to have something for everyone extends to their drink menu. Jacob and Clarissa worked with El Mero bartender Nichole Roberts—who’s a certified bourbon steward and heads up the Tennessee chapter of Bourbon Women—to develop their entry to this year’s ChampionSip: Mocktails.
The three aimed to combine their Southern roots with Mexican culture. The result was the Ruby Sipper, which features Ritual Zero Proof Whiskey Alternative, house-made cranberry shrub, rosemary, and Mexican vanilla.
In their bar drinks, the El Mero team likes experimenting with shrubs—like the cranberry shrub they made for the Ruby Sipper. “They’re delicious and fun,” says Jacob.
El Mero was part of last year’s ChampionSip: Mocktails and has returned this year. “We like being challenged to up our game,” says Jacob. “It’s fun for us.”
8100 Macon Station Drive, Suite 102
Tuesday – Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
K-POP
“We joined the [ChampionSip: Mocktails] competition so we can collectively raise the bar of the drink community in Memphis,” says co-owner Arturo Leighton. “Competition inspires new ideas, thoughtful conversation, and innovative techniques. By joining the competition we get an opportunity to see what Memphis is doing and how we can improve our own drinks. We all have something to bring to the table, and the exchange of ideas is very exciting.”
At Good Fortune Company, where scratch-made noodles and dumplings rule the menu, they realize many lifestyles don’t allow for alcohol consumption—from expecting mothers to underage drinkers, those with religious reasons or fitness goals, or those just making a personal choice. “Zero-proof drinks go far beyond the mixing of juices. We strive to put the same intentionality in our zero-proof drinks as we do in our cocktail program,” says Arturo. “No matter who you are, you can enjoy a fancy beverage in a cute glass.”
K-POP is an idea bartender Hollie Jean Johnston came up with. “The idea is that you can take a timeless flavor—bubble gum—and make it accessible to all demographics. This embodies the spirit of zero-proof cocktails in that all people can try them,” says Arturo. “There are many processes in this zero-proof drink, making it technically elaborate and visually stunning.”
Because Good Fortune pulls a lot of influence from Asia, K-Pop seemed a fitting name. “ K-Pop is a pun as well referencing the popping sound of bubblegum,” says Arturo. “Also, who doesn’t love K-POP?”
361 South Main Street
Wednesday – Sunday 4 to 10 p.m.
Ain’t Duckin No Smoke
Serving Southern-influenced Italian fare, Hog & Hominy is a wood-burning neighborhood eatery and bar in the Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman family of restaurants. After a rebuild from the ground up after a 2020 fire, the bar is bigger and better than ever. Hog & Hominy has always been about playful and creative cocktails that are as tasty as they are thoughtful. They’re now putting that same care into their mocktail options.
Ain’t Duckin No Smoke is a play on a paloma and a tribute to Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant. It includes butterfly pea flower syrup, lime, grapefruit, Topo Chico, and Tajín. And it’s finished with smoked salt to give it that classic, mezcal flavor without the alcohol.
707 West Brookhaven Circle
Monday – Saturday 4 to 10 p.m., Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Sober Betty
Looking for a cozy drink and snack in Cooper-Young? Knifebird wine bar, with their selection of charcuterie boards and other snacks, is the place to go.
Sober Betty is their riff on the Bitter Betty, a Knifebird favorite specialty cocktail. It includes Ghia non-alcoholic aperitif, Gista floral wormwood, lime, and ginger. It’s bitter and herbaceous, with some spice from the ginger. In addition to Sober Betty, Knifebird will feature other mocktails during January to offer variety.
“I personally enjoy participating in Dry January as it always ends up being a great way for me to reset my habits at the start of a new year,” says owner Kate Ashby. “It’s been so great to see more NA options becoming available to us in the market year after year. I’m excited to try everyone’s mocktails this year!”
2155 Central Avenue
Monday – Saturday 4 p.m. until
Sixty 6, Sixty 1
Longshot is all about big flavors, great drinks, and a little friendly competition on their shuffleboard tables. They pride themselves on being a globally inspired gastropub serving crave-worthy food, classic cocktails, and a vast selection of draft beers. And this January you can get a tasty mocktail to fuel your shuffleboard competition too.
“Longshot’s cocktail menu has a strong focus on classic cocktails that we like to put our own unique spin on, and our mocktail is no different,” says Will Davenport, food and beverage manager at ARRIVE Hotel, where Longshot is located.
Sixty 6, Sixty 1 was inspired by the Jungle Bird—a fun tiki cocktail that mixes rum, pineapple, Campari, and lime. “We’re using a lot of the same ingredients and flavors but putting our own unique touch on them,” says Will. “It’s a refreshing drink that has the perfect balance of sweet, bitter, smoke, and acid.”
477 South Main Street
Monday – Thursday 5 to 11 p.m., Friday 5 p.m. to 12 a.m., Saturday 12 p.m. to 12 a.m., Sunday 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The Butterfly Effect
Pantà prides itself on being authentically Catalan and creatively Memphis. Plus, its kitchen is open late, so if you’re looking for a place to get great late-night food with your tasty drink, Panta is the place to go.
“I think it’s really important for everyone to feel included when celebrating or going out on a Friday night,” says general manager Aaron Ivory. “It’s awesome that we as an industry are acknowledging those who can’t or don’t drink for whatever their reason may be. It doesn’t matter—we are all here to have fun!”
With The Butterfly Effect, Panta worked to create a drink that matches their creative, fun atmosphere. “All mocktails tend to be fruity and we wanted to create something more refreshing and unique than the average mocktail,” says bartender Blake Frasier. “Green tea infused with mint and lemongrass is the focus of the drink and creates a unique flavor profile.”
2146 Monroe Avenue
Monday 5:30 to 10 p.m., Thursday – Saturday 5:30 p.m. to 12 a.m., Sunday 4 to 10 p.m.
Well Shoot!
Whether you’re looking for an end-of-the-week lunch sandwich, a delicious Asian fusion dinner, or a spot to hang with friends on the weekend, you’ll find it at Salt | Soy on Broad Avenue. Popular menu items include Chili Crab Udon and Dirty Fried Rice, and they’ve become known for lunch “sandos” served on house-made milk bread.
Upstairs you’ll find a cocktail bar and lounge where you can catch a Grizzlies game while you try out Salt | Soy’s ChampionSip: Mocktails entry—Well Shoot! This bubbly drink features spiced pear syrup, vanilla, orange juice, lemon juice, and tonic water.
When co-owner Brad McCarley asked Kat Smith, the bartender who came up with this delicious mocktail, what she wanted to call it, she asked if he knew any metal songs about a pear. When he said no, she said, “Well shoot!” So that’s what they called it.
2583 Broad Avenue
Dining room: Tuesday – Thursday 5 to 10 p.m., Friday – Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Cocktail bar and lounge (upstairs): Thursday – Saturday 5 p.m. to 12 a.m.
A Clockwork Orange
South of Beale, or SOB as it’s affectionately known, is an elevated gastropub that isn’t new to the mocktail scene. Their bartenders are trained to know how to make mocktails based on what flavor profile a guest would like—floral, sweet, light and refreshing, sour, bitter, and more.
“We love participating in this contest because it brings a lot of great brands together for a fun and competitive promotion that also highlights underrated aspects of our offerings,” says owner Ed Cabiago.
For A Clockwork Orange, SOB staff drew inspiration from the flavors of childhood. “Our bar staff loved Creamiscle-flavor popsicles when they were kids, so we wanted to bring that back in a fun way,” says Ed.
In A Clockwork Orange, Lyre’s non-alcoholic orange sec, coconut cream, and orange sherbet syrup all come together to create a classic childhood flavor profile.
You can try A Clockwork Orange for yourself at either of SOB’s locations.
“Inclusion is very important, and something as simple as offering a mocktail on the menu shows that we know and understand that not everyone wants to have a drink, but they also don’t want to feel excluded,” says Ed.
5040 Sanderlin Road and 345 South Main Street
Sunday – Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday – Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Siesta en la Playa
Tucked in Midtown’s Evergreen neighborhood, Tonica offers Spanish-inspired tapas, paellas, and more. Though Tonica’s menu doesn’t list mocktails, the bar is well equipped with homemade syrups, flavored sodas and tonics, and fresh-squeezed citrus juices—along with bartenders eager to create non-alcoholic drinks based on customers’ preferences.
Tonica’s Siesta en la Playa draws on tropical flavors. “Because we are doing this at Tonica, I wanted to create a mocktail version of a gin and tonic,” says bar manager Mary Connor “MC” Jones. “I was inspired by the juice blends or kombuchas that you see in some health food stores.”
For the base of Siesta en la Playa, MC makes a tropical cordial—a combination of mango and passion fruit juice, spiced with turmeric and ginger, and then steeped on the stove with chamomile tea. “This sweet, spicy, and floral concoction is actually finished with a tiny bit of apple cider vinegar to balance the sweetness,” she says. “The drink is built in our Spanish-style goblets, topped with tonic, and heavily garnished just like our gin and tonics that we have on the cocktail list.”
1545 Overton Park Avenue
Open Thursday – Saturday 4:30 p.m. until, Sunday 4:30 to 9 p.m.