7 Best Bars for Nonalcoholic Cocktails in New York City, According to Experts

(Photo: Bar Moga)

Any cocktail bar worth its salt in 2026 is bound to offer a fully-fledged nonalcoholic drinks menu. But what separates the wheat (a delicious zero-proof Negroni) from the chaff (a run-of-the-mill Shirley Temple)?

Last week, Bright Nights Social and Boisson unveiled their picks for the best nonalcoholic bar programs in New York City. Combing through over 60 nominations across the five boroughs, judges narrowed in on mixology destinations where boozeless drinks got just as much attention as their alcoholic counterparts.

The trio of judges comprised Sam Bail, founder of Bright Nights Social, Alex Highsmith, general manager at nonalc bottle shop Spirited Away and Vibe Imbibe, cocktail artist and host of The Vibe Check. Criteria included the visibility, variety, creativity and quality of each bar’s cocktails, as well as the overall bar experience by way of ambiance, service and food. Finally, judges attempted to answer a single deciding question: Would we recommend this bar to people who drink alcoholic drinks as a great place to try non-alcoholic drinks?

Bar Contra

(Photo: Bar Contra)

Like many of New York’s trendiest mixology destinations, Bar Contra has flair for blurring the lines between meal and drink (case in point: the Tomato Bulls–t, a nonalcoholic serve built around tomato juice, cranberry and rhubarb root). Other boozeless creations at the cozy Lower East Side hideaway include the Schisandra, a heady mix of cinchona bark, Buddha’s hand and juniper, and the Better Living, which the menu affectionately likens to a grapefruit creamsicle.

Find Bar Contra at 138 Orchard Street.

Sunken Harbor Club

(Photo: The Sunken Harbor Club)

The Sunken Harbor Club pushes its tiki bar influences to the absolute limit. Located above one of the oldest steakhouses in the city, the bar is as much a speakeasy as it is a bite-sized nautical theme park, one where seemingly every drink is garnished with either a pineapple slice, flamingo garnish or a blast from a blowtorch. Sunken Harbor’s nonalcoholic menu, cleverly titled “On Dry Land,” maintains the same panache. Fan favorites include The Elixir, made with gentian, sarsparilla and wintergreen, and the PKNA, a riff on the painkiller rich in coconut and nutmeg.

Find the Sunken Harbor Club at 372 Fulton Street, Second Floor.

Oddball

(Photo: Oddball)

Each of Oddball’s cocktails looks and sounds like something that would be served at the Mos Eisley Cantina. Adventurous drinkers can indulge in the Lightspeed Drifter, a nonalc daiquiri riff rich in blueberry, horseradish and salted whey. The tamer end of the menu includes the Gem Devil, a campfire-smoked lapsang tea highball, and the Phantom Limb, a mezcal-less mezcal Negroni made with palo santo, peach and lime leaf. Whatever your tolerance for the bizarre, Oddball is sure to impress with its 1970’s-inflected digs.

Find Oddball at 188 Avenue B.

Superbueno

(Photo: Superbueno)

A frequent sight on the World’s 50 Best Bars list, Superbueno is renowned among the downtown Manhattan crowd for its signature Green Mango Martini and ceviche-topped Doritos. That playful attitude is alive and well on the establishment’s delicious “Sin Alcohol” menu. Favorites include the Mole Negroni, the Chamoy Gimlet and the odds-defying La Shamami, which makes use of nonalcoholic tequila, pomegranate fig tonic and a sour apple agua fresca. Nowhere else will you find zero-proof serves this colorful.

Find Superbueno at 13 1st Avenue.

Bar Moga

(Photo: Bar Moga)

Greenwich Village’s Bar Moga styles itself after a 1920s-era Japanese jazz bar — a time and an era that doesn’t exactly scream “nonalcoholic” at first glance. Appearances, however, can be deceiving, and Moga finds myriad ways to incorporate zero-proof drinks into its meticulously curated theme. On a recent visit, we had the opportunity to enjoy the Twilight, a yuzu, lavender and matcha concoction that separated into glossy layers of white and dark green. Other highlights include the citrus-forward Daydreaming and the Morning in Ethiopia, an unorthodox mix of coconut water, espresso, nonalc gin and cardamom.

Find Bar Moga at 128 West Houston Street.

Golden Ratio

(Photo: Golden Ratio)

The recently opened Golden Ratio serves 16 alcoholic and 16 nonalcoholic cocktails, all of which make use of house-made distillates built around a zero-waste, farm-to-table ethos. In lieu of Jack Daniel’s or Jose Cuervo, customers can order drinks that make use of parsnip, Japanese wild raisin and nasturtium leaf, served in minimalist glassware alongside a fruit and veggies-heavy menu. The Golden Ratio’s unique brand of eco futurism is a natural fit for zero-proof drinks, and the team has embraced the concept to full effect.

Find Golden Ratio at 216 Greene Ave.

The Portrait Bar

(Photo: The Portrait Bar)

The Portrait Bar offers a small but mighty selection of spirit-free drinks. The most famous, by far, is its Ramos Revival, a nonalcoholic Gin Ramos Fizz that blends pistachio, yuzu, cream and apéritif bianco for a wallop of pillowy flavor. Order it alongside the bar’s award-winning burger and its chocolate brandied-cherry ice cream sandwich for a luxurious night to remember.

Find The Portrait Bar at 1 West 28th Street.