Watts & Ward

Watts & Ward is a prohibition-styled lounge in a basement space off Moore Square in downtown Raleigh — low ceilings, exposed brick, a long list of barrel-aged and classic cocktails. Its zero-proof section is one of the better-built ones in the city, and it is introduced on the menu with a line that sets the tone: all the craftsmanship, none of the spirits.

The four listed builds are structured to cover the spirit categories rather than to offer four variations on a spritz. The Faux Tai is a mai tai built on Mock One's non-alcoholic rum with lime and orgeat. My Little Secret uses the NA tequila with strawberry, lemon and soda. Après Tout runs the NA gin against a blueberry shrub, lime and tonic — the shrub doing the acid work. Village of the Deer is the darkest of them, pairing NA whiskey with grapefruit and honey. All four are ten dollars, several dollars below the bar's full-strength list.

The more valuable part of the programme is the standing substitution policy: any house cocktail can be made with Mock One in place of its spirit for an extra five dollars. That matters because it means a non-drinker at this bar is not choosing from four drinks but from the whole menu, including the classics the bar is known for. Very few venues in the Triangle offer that, and none advertise it as plainly.

One correction worth carrying, if you have read about this bar elsewhere: several non-alcoholic directories still describe Watts & Ward as pouring Seedlip and substituting Seedlip on request, and credit it with an "Espresso MartiNO". The current menu runs on Mock One throughout and that drink is gone. The substitution policy survives — only the brand has changed.