A temperance bar, also known as an alcohol-free bar, sober bar, or dry bar, is a type of bar that does not serve alcoholic beverages. An alcohol-free bar can be a business establishment or located in a non-business environment or event, such as at a wedding. Alcohol-free bars typically serve non-alcoholic beverages, such as non-alcoholic cocktails known as mocktails, alcohol-free beer or

low-alcohol beer Low-alcohol beer is beer with little or no alcohol content and aims to reproduce the taste of beer while eliminating (or at least reducing) the inebriating effects of standard alcoholic brews. Most low-alcohol beers are lagers, but there are some ...

, alcohol-free wine, juice, soft drinks and water. Popular temperance drinks include cream soda, dandelion and burdock,

sarsaparilla Sarsaparilla often refers to the sarsaparilla soft drink, made from Smilax plants. Sarsaparilla may also refer to: Biology *Several species of plants, of the genus ''Smilax'', including: **''Smilax ornata'', also known as Honduran or Jamaican sar ...

, and

Vimto Vimto is a soft drink first sold in Lancashire in the United Kingdom. It was first manufactured as a health tonic in cordial form, then decades later as a carbonated drink. It contains the juice of grapes, raspberries and blackcurrants (in a ...

, among others. Various foods may also be served.

History

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a number of temperance bars were established in conjunction with various temperance organisations. Originally, these advocated a moderate approach to life, especially concerning the consumption of alcohol. Later they moved toward abstinence from alcohol. Temperance bars with full temperance licenses (allowing them to serve on Sundays despite English trading laws) were once common in many

high street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

s and shopping areas in the North of England. The

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

had a massive following, fueled mainly by nonconformist Christian denominations, such as

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

s. Temperance bars were the first outlet for the drinks

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...

and

in the early 20th century. They were also sometimes called "temperance taverns". In the past, the bars quite often asked their patrons to sign a pledge of temperance, meaning that they would abstain from intoxicating liquors; today's wave of alcohol-free bars are frequented by both

teetotalers Teetotalism is the practice or promotion of total personal abstinence from the psychoactive drug alcohol, specifically in alcoholic drinks. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler or teetotaller, or is ...

and drinkers who wish to have fun in a drink-free environment. The recent popularity of alcohol-free bars is fueled by the declining usage of alcohol amongst the

millennial generation Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 20 ...

, as well as the increased availability of information regarding the negative effects of alcohol on health.

By country

Australia

In the 19th century

coffee palace A coffee palace was an often large and elaborate residential hotel that did not serve alcohol, most of which were built in Australia in the late 19th century. A modest temperance hotel was opened in 1826 by activist Gerrit Smith in his home ...

s were established as alcohol-free hotels in Australia.

New Zealand

In 2015 the first alcohol-free bar in New Zealand, located in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

and named Tap Bar, went out of business five weeks after opening due to a lack of consumer interest, in which few patrons showed up.

United Kingdom

Some cities in the United Kingdom have alcohol-free bars and

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

s. The popularity of alcohol-free bars has increased in the United Kingdom, and they are "often funded by anti-alcoholism charities." Fitzpatrick's Herbal Health in Rawtenstall is one of the first and original temperance bars surviving from the late 1800s, when it was established. The Fitzpatricks came to Lancashire from Ireland in the 1880s. A family of many herbalists, they built a family-run chain of shops throughout Lancashire. These shops dealt in their non-alcoholic drinks, sold herbal remedies, and cordial bottles. At their peak, the Fitzpatrick family owned 24 shops, all brewing drinks to the original recipes from Ireland. As new drinks came from America, the temperance bars slowly waned. Fitzpatrick's, supported by loyal customers, survived. The

Rawtenstall Rawtenstall () is a town in the borough of Rossendale, Lancashire, England. The town lies 15 miles/24 km north of Manchester, 22 miles/35 km east of Preston and 45 miles/70 km south east of the county town of Lancaster. The town is at the ...

branch of Fitzpatrick's was run from 1891 until 1980 by family members. It is now run by new owners, with the objective of returning Fitzpatrick's Cordials to the market. Following a brief closure in early 2016, Fitzpatrick's reopened for business on 25 March 2016. Fitzpatrick's is notable for its old copper hot water dispenser which was originally a fixture at the Astoria Ballroom in Rawtenstall. It has also won an award as the country's "Best Sarsaparilla Brewer", and an award for its dandelion and burdock, a year later. In 2013, a new temperance bar opened in

Rotherham Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...

, the Whistle Stop Sweet Shop & Temperance Bar. An alcohol-free bar named "The Brink" opened in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

in 2011. The Brink is also a drug-free bar, and is run by the charity

Action on Addiction Action on Addiction is a UK-based charity that works with people affected by drug addiction, drug and alcohol addiction. It works in the areas of research, prevention, treatment, aftercare, as well as professional education and family support.

with support from the

Big Lottery Fund The National Lottery Community Fund, legally named the Big Lottery Fund, is a non-departmental public body responsible for distributing funds raised by the National Lottery for "good causes". Since 2004 it has awarded over £9 billion to ...

. An alcohol-free bar named Redemption is located at the base of the Trellick Tower in

North Kensington North Kensington is an area of west London. It is north of Notting Hill and south of Kensal Green and in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The names North Kensington and Ladbroke Grove describe the same area. North Kensington is wh ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England. It originated as a

pop-up restaurant A pop-up restaurant is a temporary restaurant. These restaurants often operate from a private home, former factory, existing restaurants or similar space, and during festivals. Various other names have been used to describe the concept of settin ...

, and opened as a permanent establishment in July 2015. Redemption also serves vegan food that is locally sourced, and its menu is based upon providing nutritional foods and beverages. Its owners have stated that it is a "sober and cruelty-free bar." Redemption also utilizes a

zero waste Zero waste is a set of principles focused on waste prevention that encourages redesigning resource life cycles so that all products are reused. The goal of this movement is to avoid sending trash to landfills, incinerators, or the ocean. Current ...

policy. The Netil House is another alcohol-free bar located in London. Sobar in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

is an alcohol-free bar operated by a charity, Double Impact, which works with both alcohol and drug addiction. It received funding from the

and employs people who have been addicts. An alcohol-free bar named Universe exists in

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

, England near Coventry University.

United States

The Other Side is an alcohol-free bar located in

Crystal Lake, Illinois Crystal Lake is a city in McHenry County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Named after a lake southwest of the city's downtown, Crystal Lake is 45 miles northwest of Chicago. The population is 40,269 as of the 2020 Census, a 1.2% decrease from 201 ...

, a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

suburb, that strives to provide a place that is "exactly like a bar" for recovering alcoholics. Getaway is an alcohol-free bar in Greenpoint, a neighborhood of

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

that opened in April 2019 and serves alcohol-free mixed drinks,

shrubs A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

, sodas, and teas. Listen Bar is an alcohol-free bar in New York open one night every month. All their bartenders are musicians, including special guests Savoir Adore and Sir Babygirl. They have risen to popularity following favorable reviews in Refinery29,

VICE A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...

and features on the

Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It w ...

, Good Morning America and more. Awake is an alcohol-free bar in Denver, Colorado. It has been featured in Good Morning America, Forbes, AP, Sunset, and the Denver Post.

Popular drinks served

Temperance bars serve a variety of non-alcoholic mixed drinks, including: *Black beer and raisin *Blood tonic *

Cola Cola is a carbonated soft drink flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus oils and other flavorings. Cola became popular worldwide after the American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, a trademarked brand, in 1886, which was imi ...

* Cream soda * Dandelion and burdock *

Ginger beer Traditional ginger beer is a sweetened and carbonated, usually non-alcoholic beverage. Historically it was produced by the natural fermentation of prepared ginger spice, yeast and sugar. Current ginger beers are often manufactured rather than ...

Milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...

Sarsaparilla Sarsaparilla often refers to the sarsaparilla soft drink, made from Smilax plants. Sarsaparilla may also refer to: Biology *Several species of plants, of the genus ''Smilax'', including: **''Smilax ornata'', also known as Honduran or Jamaican sar ...

Shrubs A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...