Usually on Into the Barchive, we talk about spirits like gin, rum, tequila, and whiskey, the ingredients that give cocktails their backbone. But as Dry January winds down, Dr. Blake Jones and Tim Wright ask a different question.

What makes a cocktail a cocktail when you take the alcohol out?

In Episode 7, Blake and Tim explore the rise of non-alcoholic cocktails, not as an afterthought or a “kids drink,” but as a real part of modern bar culture. They break NA drinks into two approaches.

- Technique-driven NA cocktails built from structure, using citrus, tea, syrup, tonic, egg white, and proper dilution, without trying to replicate booze.

- NA spirit-driven cocktails that use purpose-built zero-proof spirits to recreate the role alcohol normally plays.

On the menu today:

- The Grey Fox, inspired by Anders Erickson: Earl Grey syrup plus lemon plus egg white plus tonic for a bright, frothy, cocktail-like experience, no NA spirit required.

- The Wandering Path, based on Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s recipe: Pathfinder NA “Amaro” plus grapefruit plus lemon plus rich simple syrup plus egg white for a complex, bitter-leaning zero-proof sour.

Along the way, they trace the deeper history behind alcohol-free drinking, from shrubs, switchels, and small beer, to the temperance movement, soda fountains, and how today’s craft cocktail revival finally gives NA drinks the same attention to balance, bitterness, texture, and ritual.

Because NA cocktails are not just about restriction. They are about choice, hospitality, inclusion, and good design.

Questions or want to share what you’re mixing at home? Email: [email protected]

Tag us on Instagram with your NA builds and zebra-striping nights.

Next time, we turn up the heat with hot drinks, including Hot Toddies, coffee cocktails, and how warmth changes everything.