Embracing the Mocktail Moment

Local businesses share their successes with NA cocktails

By Anna Faller | Nov. 29, 2025

It’s no secret that the U.S. has entered a dry spell when it comes to alcohol enjoyment, with factors like health concerns and economic constraints driving consumption down in the last few years.

This increase in teetotalers, however, doesn’t negate the demand for a tasty drink. Enter: the rise of the mocktail. Per Missy Leverett, owner of Malted Vinyl in Petoskey, the thirst for non-alcoholic options is on the rise, with zero-proof spirits and beers accounting for about seven percent of beverage sales in markets like Europe.

But are northern Michiganders ready to drink the figurative Koolaid? Northern Express sat down with three local slingers of NA sips—Malted Vinyl, Mammoth Distilling in Traverse City, and Blue Fish Kitchen + Bar in Manistee—to find out.

Malted Vinyl

At the Petoskey listening lounge and cocktail bar, zero-proof sips have also been on the menu since the space opened in 2023.

To start, Leverett says it’s important to distinguish between zero-proof cocktails and more traditional mocktails, because they’re different things—and Malted Vinyl has both!

“Traditionally, mocktails are your more familiar Shirley Temples and ginger snaps,” she explains, and accordingly, often carry sweeter notes, more calories, and a lower price tag. Malted Vinyl’s zero-proof cocktails, by contrast, feature the same nuanced flavor profiles, intentional glassware, and creativity as their fully-leaded counterparts.

“[Our menu] is all developed at once, so our zero-proof cocktails are not afterthought,” Leverett says. “They’re created intentionally by the same team with the same level of care as our traditional cocktails.”

Like the rest of the bar’s beverage lineup, the exact selection at Malted Vinyl varies, but Leverett highlights Kentucky 74—an NA whiskey from Spiritless—as well as Rituals Zero Proof and Lyre’s award-winning non-alcoholic amaretto as recent favorites. There are a few zero-proof staples, headlined by the top-selling Fashionista, aka, an NA twist on the classic Old Fashioned. Right now, Malted Vinyl’s autumnal menu reflects the cooler season with house-spiced honeys and ciders, a flavor profile NA selections like the Fall Amaretti Sour highlight (pictured).

Though zero-proof options accounted for about three to four percent of Malted Vinyl’s beverage sales last year, Leverett notes that much of northern Michigan has yet to board the NA bandwagon. Still, she stresses the importance of crafting top-notch sips that allow everyone to—literally—drink in the experience of visiting the lounge.

“As a cocktail lounge, we wanted to provoke mindful enjoyment that included everyone. To do that, a broad beverage portfolio is [the first step],” she says.

Mammoth Distilling

With a virtually endless array of house-made syrups, juices, and booze-free bitters, zero-proof cocktails have pretty much always been available at Mammoth Distilling in Traverse City.

“You can remove the alcohol from a lot of [our cocktails] and still have a really fun drink, whether you’re swapping out that ingredient for water for something else,” general manager Hunter Eagle notes.

What hasn’t always existed is a menu of NA cocktail offerings, which hit the tasting room rotation about two years ago in response to the rise in non-alcoholic interest.

Still, the expectation at a craft beverage bar is craft beverages, and Mammoth’s zero-proof selection is just as curated as their signature hand-hewn spirits (but at a purposefully lower price). Per Eagle, the NA lineup rotates seasonally with the rest of the menu, with finalized drinks representing the collaborative input of distillery staff and management.

“Everyone’s palettes are different,” he says. “Not everyone likes sweet, not everyone likes spicy. We want to be able to cover all of those bases.”

To do that, the Mammoth menu is set up so drinkers can choose their own mocktail adventure. This includes removing the booze from hard drinks, like the cult-favorite Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (ingredients: Mammoth northern bourbon, a homemade pineapple-jalapeño mixer, and Northwoods ginger beer), which is just as tasty minus the W. Other NA riffs include the zero-proof Green Heat—which has a similar profile to the gin-forward Verdant Dreams—seasonal features, like the mulled cranberry Twilight Hour for fall, and fun additions, á la the Orange Creamsicle, which is every bit as juicy and sweet as it sounds.

As for Mammoth’s zero-proof future? Eagle says the Traverse City location makes only about five to 10 NA cocktails per day in the high season, but it’s a figure that’s poised to increase in their new downtown location. Though Mammoth-branded NA spirits aren’t yet on the docket—this would be a much longer process and discussion on the distillation end, Eagle notes—he’s looking forward to the opportunities a more structured NA program might offer.

“It’s all about having options,” he adds. “It shows that we’re making progress towards something that could be really great.”

Blue Fish Kitchen + Bar

Comfort and craft are the name of the game at Blue Fish Kitchen + Bar in Manistee, so when front of house manager Stephanie Watson saw increased demand for zero-proof sips, she started mixing.

In fact, non-alcoholic cocktails now account for about seven percent of the eatery’s high-season beverage numbers, a trend which Watson says appears to be on the incline.

“The industry is changing dramatically. My main target is to have everyone feel included, from guests who come in [without] the pressure to drink, as well as my staff feeling like they’re a part of it,” she adds.

To achieve this, the eatery has spent the last two years expanding their non-alcoholic options from two or so drinks to full lunch and dinner menus featuring curated NA cocktails, or zero-proof mixer selections, a title Watson chose to elevate alcohol-free options in the minds of consumers.

The popular Cucumber Cooler, for instance, pairs perfectly with the Spicy Pork Bowl on the lunch menu; meanwhile, the strawberry-coconut notes of The Pink One mirror the tropical vibes of the Yuzu Mule. Other top-sellers include the Lavender Limonata, a summer favorite-turned-staple, and the delightfully-caffeinated Expresstini.

To amplify the wow factor further, Blue Fish has introduced a selection of Seedlip non-alcoholic spirits—specifically, the tequila-adjacent Notas de Agave and aromatic Spice 94—allowing staff to add another layer of dimension to their NA creations.

“It’s all about elevating that experience,” Watson notes. “We want to make sure everyone is getting a crafted experience in both food and beverage.”

Watson hints at a New Year’s Eve NA feature (a burgeoning tradition, she says), as well adding an NA beer draft in preparation for Dry January.

“If there’s a demand for it, I’m here for it!” she adds.