Secret Admirer

Secret Admirer occupies a century-old boiler room at 110 SW 5th Street in downtown Des Moines, converted into a cocktail and patio bar — CITYVIEW called it the envy of local historic developers when it opened. The name came from the building's neighbours: the story the team tell is that it felt as though people had been secretly admiring the bar. It belongs to the DMDT hospitality group alongside Hello, Marjorie and Good News, Darling. CORRECTION TO OUR EARLIER LISTING: we had the wrong web address. The domain we published, with an s in the middle, no longer belongs to the bar and now resolves to a network security block page; the working site drops that letter.

What makes it worth a non-drinker's time is that the spirit-free drinks are a printed section rather than a courtesy, and they are priced below the cocktails — $10 against $13. The current list is a spring one, and the bar rotates it hard by season, so treat the names as a snapshot rather than a promise. No Ragret Spaghett is the interesting build: Best Day Brewing's non-alcoholic kölsch lengthened with a non-alcoholic aperitivo and lemon, which is a proper spaghett — the Italian bartender's drink of a beer with bitter aperitivo dropped into it — rendered alcohol-free without losing the bitterness that makes it work. Spring Kick runs non-alcoholic tequila with passionfruit, lime, jalapeño and Topo Chico. A Pesche strawberry mojito is $8, and Best Day's kölsch on its own is $6. The group's own view of the programme, from their events manager, is refreshingly unpretentious: they make them easy and drinkable, and people who don't drink alcohol say they have a good selection. One earlier winter drink documented here, a Santa Spritz of raspberry, cinnamon, apple cider and Topo Chico, is not on the current card — which is the clearest evidence that the rotation is real. The bar publishes no hours on its own site; check before travelling.