Sober curious is a thing, and it’s not going anywhere, Louisville. Why you should try it

You may be tired of hearing about Dry January by now, but guess what? Next is Dry February.

The January step back from drinking is brought to us by our British friends, while our neighbors in Canada promote a February sans booze (I can’t help but notice they chose the shortest month of the year!).

There’s also Dry July, a fundraiser in Australia for people living with cancer, Sober October and any number of other times of year or life circumstances when people forego drinking. 

Sober curious is a thing, and it’s not going anywhere. Savvy companies are hopping on the alcohol-free bandwagon, and bars and restaurants — and those of us at home — who want to be more inclusive will want to join in.

The feedback I got from my Dry January story earlier this month — which explored what the phenomenon means for a city and state built on bourbon — was eye-opening. Yes, we are a bourbon-soaked city, but people want alcohol-free options, and they want to be part of the social community — even if they don’t have a glass of bourbon in hand. 

Happily, we are also a town known for our Southern hospitality, and I’ve experienced nothing but encouragement in my month without imbibing bourbon and other drinks. 

Read more:It's Dry January! What a month of no booze means for Louisville, a city built on bourbon

At Trouble Bar, 1149 S. Shelby St., in Shelby Park, they will just as cheerfully pour you a delicious cocktail, or mix up a tasty drink without spirits. Over alcohol-free drinks one afternoon this month (and with dogs at our feet, because it’s that kind of cozy place), I chatted with founders Kaitlyn Soligan Owens and Nicole Stippy about their "dry" approach —  which extends beyond just making mocktails. 

Nicole usually does Dry February herself. For drinkers, the nice thing about a dry period, she said, is “If you want it to, it can help you reestablish your relationship with alcohol. It’s really easy, especially during the holidays or when you’re busy working a lot to have a relationship with anything — food, your family, your job, alcohol — that isn’t thoughtful. I like alcohol, I want to enjoy it and be thoughtful and careful about it, and taking a step back gives me that opportunity.”

Same, Nicole, same.

But when you’re not drinking, whether it’s forever or for a night, “People have the question ‘how does this impact me socially?'” Kaitlyn said. 

And I admit, I had that question going into the month, too, living in such a bourbon-fueled city. How would it be going to dinner at some friends’ house? (Great, if you must know: they had trendy fizzy water, bitters, and lime, so I met the wish to have a glass in hand.)

How about dinner out on the town at Eiderdown, 983 Goss Ave.? (Also great: co-owner Heather Burks whipped up alcohol-free pisco sours, complete with egg white, which filled the time before our food came.)

How about having friends over for dinner? (Great again: we played quirky board games, and I stayed up late and won a game, maybe because I didn’t get bourbon-sleepy?) 

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And neighbors coming by “for drinks” after work? Yep, still great.

As part of my Dry January plan, I’d picked up some supplies at Logan Street Market, 1001 Logan St., including juniper berries to make a syrup, citrus, bourbon-smoked sugar and Copper & Kings’ aperitivo soda Chinotto. I also had a decent arsenal at home of fizzy waters, fresh herbs and bitters (Yes, I know they’re not all alcohol-free, but replacing my entire collection wasn’t happening).

With all that on hand, I was prepared to experiment with mocktails. 

But how about meeting friends at Trouble Bar, a date we’d made before I impulsively decided to do Dry January?

Absolutely perfect. Two of us actually were going alcohol-free, so we took appreciative noses of the bourbon our third was sipping, and instead, I enjoyed a blueberry fizz mocktail and my companion sipped a blueberry sour. We felt completely at home with our beverages, and that’s 100% intentional, according to Kaitlyn and Nicole. 

“We’ve designed ourselves to be sober friendly,” Kaitlyn said.

And she knows what that looks like. “I’m married to a man who’s never had a drink in his life,” she said. “It sucks to be someone that’s sober and to know your whole life will be $3 Cokes.” 

So they look at their space a little differently.

“We’re not built to be a bar,” Kaitlyn said. “We’re built to be a community place, and we don’t want to be unwelcoming to (anyone). Any member of the community should be able to come here. Alcohol is one thing out of many. We have coffee, we have tea. We do mocktails because if (going out) means having something colorful and fun in your hand, I want you to be able to do that.”

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“It’s for the same reason that this entire place is ramped,” she added. “If we didn’t ramp the whole place, we were still technically accessible because (people using wheelchairs) can come in the back door, but we don’t think people in the community should have to come in the back.”

And that’s the feeling of inclusivity I want to embrace when I’m hosting friends at home and the feeling I want to experience when I’m out at Louisville bars and restaurants or friends’ homes, whether or not I’m drinking. When we have vegan or gluten-free friends visit, we’re absolutely happy to prepare a meal they’ll feel good about eating, and I want my friends who don’t drink — or aren’t drinking for a day, a month or nine months — to feel welcome and comfortable when it comes to beverages. 

So as I round the corner into February (which, no, will not be dry for me!), I’m going to distill some of the lessons I’ve learned in Dry January when it comes to inclusion. And I hope more and more of Louisville will too. 

Tell Dana! Send your restaurant “Dish” to Dana McMahan at thecjdish@gmail.com and follow @danamac on Twitter.