‘Summer House’ Star Carl Radke Opened a Non-Alcoholic Bar in the Heart of Brooklyn — But Can It Live up to Ambitions?

(Photo: Instagram/softbarcafe)

This week, “Summer House” star Carl Radke welcomed the first guests at Soft Bar, a non-alcoholic bar and cafe that specializes in mocktails, THC drinks, adaptogenic coffee and everything else holistic beverages.

The hideaway has been years in the making. Throughout his nine-season run on the hit Bravo reality show, Radke has been open about his struggles with alcoholism, which eventually gave way to a sobriety journey that began in early 2021. Now, after a handful of delays, the brick-and-mortar testament to that journey has finally opened its doors.

“Soft Bar is really about changing what going out can be,” Radke told People Magazine in August. “We wanted to build a spot where the drinks are high-quality and intentionally crafted, the vibe feels good, and people can connect without alcohol. At the end of the day, it’s about bringing people together and celebrating great flavors.”

The venue is located in the heart of Williamsburg, the Brooklyn neighborhood home to all things thrifted and otherwise fashionable. Soft Bar fits in perfectly. Like many restaurants and clubs in the area, Radke’s cafe was built inside a converted warehouse, lending a sense of scale that towers well over 30 feet toward the ceiling. A mini coffee shop greets guests as they walk in, followed by a full-length bar counter and a Nowadays THC drink station nestled in the back. Cushions and barstools are decorated in muted shades of teal, beige and grey. The music, a constantly pulsing house tune.

After sitting down at the counter and ordering a drink, a neighboring patron nudged my shoulder and pointed to a row of glimmering, black-and-white marble tabletops. She said they cost at least $1,000 each.

The menu is equally detailed. The 10 house non-alcoholic cocktails available to guests are each subtitled with a functional ingredient, ranging from ashwagandha to L-theanine. If, like us, you’ve heard of those ingredients but haven’t the faintest clue what they actually do — no worries. The menu features helpful symbols next to each drink, accompanied by a key at the bottom that explains their meaning. A crescent moon for “Chill”; a squiggled tilde for “Vibey”; a Cheerio-shaped circle for “Digestion.”

We opted for the Mint Condition, a Mojito riff made with amethyst grapefruit basil, spiced cane, vanilla, mint and guava black tea. The description cheerily boasted that the mocktail contained NAD, a metabolic coenzyme, and COQ10, an antioxidant said to improve heart health. The symbols? A sloped triangle and a sideways hourglass, Soft Bar lingo for “Uplifting” and “Focus.”

The spiced cane and black tea added a welcome bite. Though a one-to-one recreation of alcohol isn’t always the end goal of a non-alc cocktail, it’s nice to taste ingredients that mimic bitterness and a complex finish, which this faux-Mojito accomplished in droves. The vanilla was none too overwhelming, pairing well with a huge pile of muddled mint present in every sip. A great start with an impressive glass to boot.

We perused the rest of the menu. In addition to cocktails, Soft Bar offers a variety of nonalcoholic wines, some of which cost as much as $16 per glass and $74 per bottle. Further down the list, you’ll find a small selection of zero-proof beers, including Tom Holland’s BERO and the imminently popular Athletic Brewing. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that Loverboy NA — founded by fellow “Summer House” star Kyle Cooke — was the only ready-to-drink beverage available for order.

After much humming and hawing, we settled on the Mr. Feel Good, a dark-yellow concoction mixed with everleaf forest, palo santo, spiced honey and Kava Haven. The throat-numbing burn of kava was present in full force. Heady flavors of smoked wood and cloves lingered long after the last sip, in what we imagine may be a “love it or hate it” experience for some. To their credit, the bartender had warned us beforehand.

Word had gotten out about Soft Bar’s grand opening. Locals poured in at a constant pace, wearing a hodgepodge of Carhartt overalls, flower-printed dresses and immaculately white tennis shoes. Radke was posted up at the front, greeting guests with handshakes and a toothy, ready-for-TV smile. He held the door open as a couple left with a baby stroller in tow.

Nearly everyone was ordering a coupe glassed non-alc cocktail with a giant, spice-garnished popsicle plopped right on top. It looked delicious — but we had places to be, and nary the patience to wait for a drink that slowly melted for intended effect. Instead, we rounded out our visit with the Golden Hour, a saffron- and B12-forward mocktail that included wilderton citrus, prima pavé rosé champagne, fiji apple, orange and pink peppercorn shrub.

Much like the popsicle drink, the Golden Hour evidenced Soft Bar’s affinity for presentation. The liquid was separated into shades of chartreuse and pale orange, suspended inside the glass like some sort of 1960s-era psychedelic poster. Everything blended together after a quick stir. The flavor reminded us of a summer spritz halfway between Aperol and St-Germain, packed with plenty of juicy fruit notes and a delicate sweetness. Of all the non-alcoholic cocktails we tried at Soft Bar, this one best resembled a guaranteed best-seller.

If you’re interested in checking out Soft Bar for yourself, you can find the venue at 200 Banker St, Brooklyn. It’s open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday.