Athletic Brewing in Cincinnati, OH

MadTree Brewing's flagship Oakley taproom on Madison Road was one of Cincinnati's first craft breweries to brew its own non-alcoholic beer — the draft-only "Leave No Trace" pale ale, released in 2021. Today the brewery-restaurant keeps a genuine zero-proof lineup alongside its 30-plus taps: guest non-alcoholic beers including Lagunitas Hazy IPNA and Athletic Brewing's Upside Dawn Golden Ale, plus two house-made mocktails mixed to order — The Garden Variety and the Watermelon Limeade. It's a full kitchen with weekend brunch, a big patio and event spaces, so a non-drinker can settle in for a whole evening rather than nurse a soda. One honest caveat: the taproom also pours Floral's THC-infused beverages, so it's alcohol-free-friendly but not entirely substance-free.

HomeMakers Bar is a "slightly retro, mostly modern" Over-the-Rhine cocktail bar whose zero-proof program is the deepest of any Cincinnati cocktail bar. The standing menu carries six house no-proof cocktails, each $10 and built like their full-proof counterparts: The Echo (Seedlip Garden, cucumber, rye syrup, lemon, salt, egg white), the Katz Nap (a mezcal-alternative with tepache and grapefruit), the Boatbuilder, the Toy Gun (a non-alcoholic French 75 with Seedlip Spice and NA sparkling wine), and The Harvey. Co-owner Julia Petiprin, who also built Sundry and Vice and Fifty Fifty Gin Club, champions mocktails with the same texture and balance as spirited drinks. An attached bottle shop lets you take the sober vibe home, stocking Seedlip Spice, Athletic Brewing's Free Wave, non-alcoholic sparkling Riesling, and Fever-Tree mixers.

Second Story is a Southern-Gothic craft cocktail bar and rooftop lounge on the upper floor of a century-old former Covington firehouse, opened in April 2023 by Lost Co. — the team behind Over-the-Rhine's Somerset and Alice — and voted CityBeat's Best New Bar. Beneath chandeliers and a giant artist-built tree that "grows" spirit bottles behind the bar, the menu keeps a small but genuine zero-proof lineup: house mocktails such as Clear Intent (lemon, lime, blueberry, pomegranate, mint) and Slow Burn (lime, pineapple, Fresno chili, soda water), a gin-substitute Clear Conscience, plus non-alcoholic Athletic Brewing lager and IPA. Note the bar also pours a THC-infused floral seltzer, so it's alcohol-free-optional rather than fully substance-free. Covington's largest bar patio makes it a comfortable place to gather without drinking.

The Baker's Table is chef Dave Willocks' farm-to-table tasting-menu restaurant in Newport's historic Monmouth Street district, and its non-alcoholic program is unusually serious for a fine-dining room. Alongside the six-course seasonal menu, guests can add a four-course Spirit-Free Pairing ($45) that runs parallel to the Wine Pairing ($60), matching a considered zero-proof beverage to the canapes, starter, pasta and main. The bar always keeps a rotating seasonal mocktail on hand -- past pours include The Petal (hibiscus, chamomile, egg white) and the wintry The Partridge (cider, pear, cinnamon) -- plus Athletic Brewing non-alcoholic beer. Willocks, a 2026 James Beard finalist for Best Chef: Southeast, brings the same California-farmers-market rigor to the drinks that regulars say gets as much thought as the wine.