Zero Proof Pop-up Bar Plans Its Debut Next Week in Greenwood

Dry January may be long over, but the trend toward spirit-free drink options in Seattle’s bar scene continues. The mocktail-focused pop-up Sobar will debut March 4 at the event space Corner Store Studios in Greenwood, serving up a selection of zero-proof beverages, including the Emerald City, made with green tea, coconut, ginger beer, and cucumber, and the Ruby Red, with mint and cherry shrub, lime, and tonic.

That latter drink is a nod to Sobar’s founder Audra Goetz, who hails from Kansas City (hence the “Wizard of Oz” references). Goetz is an event planner who tells Eater Seattle she’s been working on creating a non-alcoholic bar for years, at first considering options with CBD-infused drinks, but eventually landing on this concept. For her, creating a completely alcohol-free space is a deeply personal issue, since her dad died from substance abuse. “I want this to be an atmosphere where people in AA and in recovery might feel most comfortable,” she says. “But, of course, others who abstain are more than welcome.”

While still in pop-up form, Sobar — billing itself as “Seattle’s first sober cocktail bar” — can lay claim on treading some new ground in the city. There are many bars and lounges that offer a wide variety of non-alcoholic drinks (here’s a list of some of the best), but most still have booze on the menu. Meanwhile, completely sober bars are becoming more prevalent in cities across the country — even one of Minneapolis’s best known cocktail destinations is getting in on the action.

Now Sobar starts to lay down its roots. If it proves successful, Goetz says she may try to franchise the pop-up, perhaps renting it out to other events in the area. There will be some snacks at the March 4 opening, with an eye on perhaps adding food trucks to the mix down the road, and Chris Guard — formerly of well-known chef Josh Henderson’s Huxley Wallace Collective — will be the main bartender. Tickets are $20.20, and the event runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

• Sobar [Official]
• Sobar [Instagram]
• How Do Non-Alcoholic Bars Actually Work? [E]
• 10 Spots in Seattle With Irresistible Non-Alcoholic Cocktails [ESEA]