Alcohol-Free Things to Do in Denver

Adrift Tiki Bar is an immersive Polynesian and Caribbean-inspired tiki bar on South Broadway in Denver, established in 2011 and purchased in 2016 by current owner Loren Martinez (who also manages Little Man Ice Cream). The space is designed as a full tropical escape — totem-pole-flanked bar, pufferfish lights, an outdoor patio with firepit, and a kitchen turning out spice-route-inspired Polynesian and Caribbean fare to match the rum-forward cocktail program. In January 2025, Bar Manager Jacoby Morciglio launched a formal zero-proof and low-ABV menu, framed around the idea that 'this isn't simply fruit juice on the rocks — it's a multi-touch cocktail that's highly executed and delicious.' Visit Denver's official tourism blog has gone further, calling Adrift's NA program 'possibly the best non-alcoholic drinks in all of Denver.' Named NA cocktails on the permanent menu include the N/A Mai Tai and N/A Painkiller (both built on Ritual N/A Rum), the crossover Anchored Tides (with Leopold Brothers N/A Aperitif), and the Frozen Virgin Colada. Adrift also maintains a separate 'In Shallow Water' menu of lower-ABV cocktails (8–16% ABV) for guests who want to moderate without abstaining entirely.

Death & Co Denver is the second outpost of the legendary NYC cocktail bar, opened in 2018 inside The Ramble Hotel in Denver's River North Art District. Founders David Kaplan, Alex Day, and Ravi DeRossi opened the original Death & Co in a windowless Manhattan room in 2007, where it helped lead the modern craft cocktail movement and originated drinks like the Naked and Famous. The Denver location is a multi-bar complex within the boutique 50-room hotel: the marquee lobby bar (with 1930s decor, plush velvet seating, crystal chandeliers, and dried flower arrangements), the DC/AM coffee and brunch bar serving breakfast to mid-afternoon, the rooftop Garden patio, and Suite 6A — a reservation-only 20-seat tasting menu experience. Bar manager Alex Jump, hired to open the Denver location, has been featured in 5280 Magazine's Denver mocktail coverage and is widely credited as one of the founding figures of Denver's modern non-alcoholic bar scene. The flagship zero-proof cocktail is the Divine Favor — a custom NA creation that regulars now ask for by name. Cocktails are spirits-forward and ambitious (up to $33), and the bar's commitment to taking non-alcoholic drinks just as seriously as the alcoholic program has made Death & Co a benchmark for craft cocktail bars across the Mountain West.

Honey Elixir Bar is a wellness-forward elixir lounge tucked into the art-covered alley behind Denver Central Market in RiNo, opened in 2019 by Jocasta Hanson. The bar's animating principle is 'rejuvenation over depletion' — by day, the menu runs cacao, jun (a fermented honey tea similar to kombucha but built on honey instead of sugar), kefirs, smoothies, matcha, and chai; by night, it shifts into apothecary cocktails and a full lineup of NA potions, all made with organic herbs, botanicals, raw honey in place of sugar, and adaptogens including lion's mane, chaga, reishi, mucuna pruriens, and Shatavari. The NA potions are unlike anything else in Denver: drinks like the Radiant Roots (turmeric, ginger, housemade jasmine rice milk) and the Soothed By Saffron (saffron, rose, cardamom, vanilla, honey, oat milk, Shatavari) come garnished with actual crystals — citrine, rose quartz, rainbow lemurian — and flowers including gardenia, pink yarrow, linden, and cherry blossom. The space is a retro velvet-forward lounge that doubles as a rotating gallery for Denver artists, with a retail section for local makers. Music event nights run every other Friday; regular service is 18+, music nights are 21+. Featured in Westword's January 2026 NA roundup and 5280 Magazine's restaurant guide.

Lady Jane is a neighborhood cocktail bar on West 32nd Avenue in Denver's LoHi (Lower Highlands) neighborhood — airy, plant-filled, and known for a seasonal menu that rotates frequently and a collaborative bar team. Westword describes the non-alcoholic program as having 'a permanent place' on the menu, not a dry-January promotion, and 5280 Magazine calls it one of the most ambitious mocktail programs in Denver. The lineup of named NA drinks tends to be more inventive than at most cocktail bars: the Bay Leaf Cream Soda is built on Seedlip Grove 42 with quince, lemon, and vanilla; the Pineapple No-groni layers bitter botanicals from Giffard, Martini, and Amass; the Morada Colada uses Three Spirit Nightcap with Chicha Morada (a Peruvian purple-corn drink), pineapple, coconut, pear, apple, and lime; and the alcohol-free Persimmon Soda is finished with maple, fenugreek, and mace. The venue was named Reader's Choice Best Bar in 5280's Top of the Town 2023 awards, and the team's broader cocktail program has been covered by Thrillist, Eater Denver, Imbibe Magazine, 303 Magazine, and Denver Life. Lady Jane operates primarily first-come-first-served with limited reservations available.

Poka Lola Social Club is a cocktail bar inside The Maven Hotel at Dairy Block in Denver's LoDo (Lower Downtown) neighborhood, with a concept that blends art-deco elegance and Midwestern soda-shop nostalgia inspired by turn-of-the-century American soda fountain culture. Beverage manager Lexi Parker runs a seasonal cocktail program built around fresh produce — recent menus have featured ingredients like ube, lychee, snap peas, turmeric, and pink peppercorn-infused spirits. The bar maintains a dedicated non-alcoholic cocktail menu on its own website with crafted mocktails like the Ski Bum (bittersweet chocolate, vanilla, milk, whipped cream), the Snow Bunny (built around Pavari 17 non-alcoholic aperitivo), Cheaper Than Therapy (hibiscus, cinnamon, allspice, piloncillo), and Nightmare on Blake Street (pear-cranberry shrub, citrus, soda). The venue features live music, an alley bar that opens for warm-weather seating, and a 'Dealer's Choice' option where the bar crew creates a custom cocktail based on the guest's preferences.

The Goldfinch is an upscale cocktail bar that opened in 2024 on South Broadway, helmed by Denver hospitality veteran Iain Chisholm. Tucked behind Upswell Studios at 1842 S Broadway, the space is designed as a Hollywood Regency / ski lodge fusion — leather couches and velvet chairs against black-and-white checkered floors, with hanging chandeliers, gilded mirrors, framed digital art, a VIP booth, and an outdoor patio adorned with wooden elements and lush greenery. The food program features globally-influenced shareable plates with influences from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, served alongside a craft cocktail menu and weekend brunch. The bar is named after an ayahuasca-ceremony spirit animal of the owner. The non-alcoholic program is treated as a peer to the alcoholic menu rather than an afterthought — Westword's January 2026 dry January roundup highlighted the Goldwing, a zero-proof version of the bar's signature Goldfinch cocktail (pineapple, lime, bell pepper habanero syrup, egg white), alongside the Orange Dreamsicle. Downtempo house music played by rotating DJs runs through evening and late-night service Tuesday through Saturday.

Yacht Club is a 2021-founded neighborhood bar in Denver's Cole neighborhood, co-owned by McLain Hedges and Mary Alison Wright. The 'anti-club club' concept sits at the crossroads of upscale cocktail haunt, natural wine bar, and beloved dive bar — with hot dogs and dim-sum-style snacks rounding out the food offering. The bar debuted on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2023 and won the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award at North America's 50 Best Bars the same year, recognized for sustainability initiatives including fermentation programs that extend the shelf life of seasonal ingredients. The non-alcoholic program is featured on the menu under 'soft bangers' and has been covered in detail by Visit Denver's December 2025 spirit-free roundup (the Paradise Waits — green pineapple, Lyre's white cane, celery, lime, curry leaf) and Sober Bars Finder's Denver mocktails feature (the Friends In Low Places — Three Spirit Nightcap, Late Harvest Verjus, coffee, N.O.T. Chocolate Vinegar). The split-based, wine-forward cocktail philosophy that defines the alcoholic menu extends to the NA program: thoughtful, ingredient-driven, and far from the standard mocktail playbook.

Retrograde is a discreet, retro-futuristic cocktail lounge hidden behind the freezer door of an adjacent ice cream shop on East 19th Avenue in Denver's Uptown neighborhood — flip a light switch by the entrance to signal staff, and you'll be welcomed into a dimly lit space styled with mid-century vibes, cosmic flair, and classic films projected on the walls. Named Best of Denver 2026, the cocktail program is anchored by drinks inspired by 1950s and 1960s cult films — the Bubba Ho-tep, Massacre in Dinosaur Valley (a rum-based punch bowl with a mini flaming volcano), My Alien Girlfriend, and Galaxy Lords among them. The non-alcoholic offering follows the same cinematic naming convention: 'A Virgin Among the Living Dead' is a bartender's-choice NA cocktail built from zero-proof spirits, seasonal syrups, and juices, called out by Do303 in their Denver NA roundup. Retrograde is 21+, strictly first-come/first-served (no reservations), capped at parties of five, with cocktails starting at $17. Bartenders are known for crafting off-menu drinks on request — ask for Mo if he's working.

Upstairs Circus LoDo is the original location of the DIY workshop-meets-bar concept, opened in 2010 in Denver's historic Lower Downtown district at 1500 Wynkoop Street near Union Station. The space pairs a full bar serving craft cocktails, mocktails, beer, and wine with a rotating menu of 25+ hands-on creative projects — jewelry making, leather working, woodworking, art, and home décor — that guests work on at their own pace while drinking. The format is reservation-based: book a seat, pick your project from the menu at check-in, get supplies and photo tutorials plus on-demand staff help, and take your finished piece home. The non-alcoholic offering is built into the menu alongside the cocktail program — Do303's Denver NA roundup highlighted the Snake Charmer (grapefruit juice, lime juice, simple, tonic) as the named NA option, with FOX31's Dry January listicle noting mocktails in the $7–$8 range. The concept has since expanded to Austin, Minneapolis, and a second Denver-area location in Greenwood Village, but the LoDo location remains the original.