After the excess of the holiday season, many Austinites are craving something a little less boozy for January. In fact, all over the world, people will be participating in "Dry January," a movement that was officially started by Alcohol Change UK back in 2013 to help people curtail their alcohol consumption for at least the month of January.

Even though Austin may seem like a minefield of alcohol-fueled parties when you're trying to abstain, there are lots of businesses leaning into Dry January with events and special non-alcoholic drinks throughout the month.

Events

Dry January Ritual Refresh at Dear Dry Drinkery
January 2, 2226 E. Cesar Chavez St.
On Thursday, January 2, from 6-8 pm the folks at Deer Dry Drinkery, Austin's completely non-alcoholic bottle shop, will be having a little party to ring in the New Year. It will feature Ritual Zero Proof zero non-alcoholic spirits, light snacks, a raffle, and exclusive sales on Ritual products and wellness items. Entry is free with RSVP.

"Brew Thru" Pop-Up with Best Day Brewing
January 3-17, 927 W. 12th St.
From January 3 through January 17, Best Day Brewing will be hosting several alcohol-free events at Magic Isle Records. Some of the event highlights include live painting, a fun run, live music, and live comedy. All the while, Best Day Brewing will be offering complimentary alcohol-free six packs and samples of their craft non-alcoholic beers. These events will be free and take place from 2-6 pm on January 3-5, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, and 17.

Non-alcoholic wine tasting at Dear Dry Drinkery
January 11 at 6 pm, 2226 E. Cesar Chavez St.
On January 11, Deer Dry Drinkery is hosting a sommelier-guided wine tasting with four premium non-alcoholic wines, a charcuterie from the Board Bae, and food pairing tips. The cost is $45 per person and tickets are available online.

Beyond Booze Fest
January 25, 918 Congress Ave., Ste. 100
From Swift Fit Events comes Beyond Booze Fest. This day-long festival will include influencer panels, non-alcoholic bar takeovers, live music, and tastings from Sans Bar and Dear Dry Drinkery. Tickets are $15.

Dear Dry Drinkery, a non-alcoholic bottle shop, will be offering several events through January. Photo from deardrydrinkery.com

Non-Alcoholic Drink Offerings

Armadillo Den
10106 Menchaca Rd.
South Austin's Armadillo Den earned the Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin Mocktail award for 2023 and 2024, so we'd imagine their mocktail offerings for Dry January won't disappoint. Some of these drinks include the Frescadillo Paloma, a pink and white grapefruit, lime, sea salt, and dry bay leaf concoction; the Fords Ranch Water, including Thai basil sparkling water, cucumber, lemon, and basil; and the Blackberry Smash, a sweet and tart drink with blackberry, lemon, and agave.

Cosmic
121 Pickle Rd. or 1300 E. 4th St.
Cosmic is offering a variety of drink options for Dry January at both of its locations. Some highlights include the Liquid Sunshine, a drink with pink pitaya (dragon fruit), coconut, lime, Golden Ratio Coffee, and added electrolytes, antioxidants, probiotics, taurine, vitamin C, bromelain, and B-12. This super-hydrating drink is basically a recipe for lots of energy. They'll also have more calming concoctions like The Gigi, which includes grapefruit, lemon, mint, and L-Theanine, a soothing adaptogen.

Dainty Dillo
3201 E. Cesar Chavez St.
The Dainty Dillo is embracing Dry January by offering guests a few new refreshing non-alcoholic options including Dillo Water with cucumber, lime, and Thai basil; The Blackberry Smash with blackberry, lemon, and agave; and The Paloma with white and ruby red grapefruit guava.

Daisy Lounge
5701 W. Slaughter Ln., Building D
This South Austin speakeasy is offering a few non-alcoholic specialty drinks for January that "look and taste just like your favorite libation," according to a recent press release. They'll have the Jamaicano with Lyre's Italian bitters, lime, and ginger beer; the Not Another N/A Negroni Pun with Lyre's gin, Lyre's Italian red, and NA Sweety Vermoot; and the So Long, featuring citrus, cucumber, and tarragon soda.

Electric Shuffle is partnering with Poppi to offer a variety of mocktails for Dry January. Photo from electricshuffle.com

Electric Shuffle
91 Red River St., Ste. 102
Electric Shuffle is a national chain of shuffle board bars, and starting January 1, all of their locations will be serving up a new menu of non-alcoholic options. Guests can look forward to several mocktails, many of which contain Poppi, a healthy soda option born out of Austin. Some menu highlights include the Orange Creamsicle, Strawberry Cucumber Smash, and the Poppi Shirley.

Keepers Austin
5701 W. Slaughter Ln., Building D
Keepers is a neighborhood seafood restaurant in Circle C (right next to its sister restaurant mentioned above, Daisy Lounge) and ordinarily they offer an extensive cocktail and wine menu to pair with your meal. For Dry January, they're also adding in three non-alcoholic options that, according to a recent press release, should "pair perfectly with their fresh seafood dishes": the Serrano Sunset, the Apertif Spritz, and the Post Yoga with green juice.

Loro
2115 S. Lamar Blvd. and 11601 Domain Dr., Ste. 200
Recently beloved South Austin restaurant Loro opened up a new location at The Domain, and for Dry January, both locations are going all in. They've added a Spicy Cucumber with lime, yuzu, and ghost agave; a Ginger Cooler with yuzu and ginger beer; a Piña Horchata; and a Strawberry Thai Margarita with Ritual Tequila Alternative.

Meanwhile Brewing Co.
3901 Promontory Point Dr.
Starting January 1, Meanwhile Brewing Co. will be offering some new non-alcoholic cocktail options that should "perfectly pair with their tacos," according to a recent press release. Some of their featured NA drinks include the Agua Fresca No. 1 with blood orange, lemon juice, rosemary, dried hibiscus, and sparkling water; the Agua Fresca No. 2 with yuzu and blended citrus, lemongrass, mint, candied ginger, and sparkling water; and the Palmer Royale, a non-alcoholic twist on the Arnold Palmer. Aside from drinks and tacos, Meanwhile Brewing offers four other food trucks, a playscape, a soccer field, live music, and free events throughout January.

The Peached Tortilla
5520 Burnet Rd., #100
For Dry January, The Peached Tortilla is introducing three new drinks: Potion No. 9 with hibiscus, cloves, pineapple, and lemon; The Lady Bird with pomegranate, ginger, lemon, and egg whites; and State of Mind including strawberry shrub, Chinese five spice, ginger and lime.

Postino Wine Café is offering five new zero-proof cocktails for Dry January. Photo courtesy of Postino

Postino Wine Café
1301 S. Lamar Blvd., Ste. 102
For the first time ever, Postino is rolling out a lineup of five zero-proof cocktails for Dry January: The Glow-Up with fresh cucumber, mint, lime, and ginger beer; the Espresso Flirtini featuring spiced cane, hazelnut, and espresso; The Mockingbird with pineapple, Italian orange, and almond bitters; The "Unfashioned," with honey, rich bitters, and amaro; and the Naked Ranch Water, a simple drink with lime and soda. Additionally, Postino will continue offering some of their zero-proof favorites like non-alcoholic sparkling rosé.

Serenade
200 Lavaca St.
Serenade may not have new drink options for Dry January, but the restaurant itself only opened two months ago and has some year-round mocktails worth mentioning. The Flamingo Mocktail is a fan favorite which features Lyre's NA Italian Spritz, grapefruit juice, and pink peppercorn syrup. They also have a Lyre's non-alcoholic Amalfi Spritz, Lyre's sparkling wine, and a non-alcoholic Italiano Apertivo by De Soi.

Trulucks
300 Colorado St. and 10225 Research Blvd., Ste. 4000
At both locations, Trulucks will be offering some new zero-proof drinks for Dry January. These include the Blackberry Bramble with blackberry purée, habañero-lime syrup, lime juice, and soda water; the Berry Patch with strawberry, almond syrup, lime juice, and sparkling coconut; and the Hibiscus Fresca with hibiscus, orange, and almond syrups, lemon juice, and soda water. Each new NA drink is $9.

Whiskey Cake
2600 N. IH 35, Round Rock, Texas
From January 1 through 31, this Round Rock kitchen and bar will be offering some new non-alcoholic refreshments for Dry January. Their six new mocktails have playful names like Thorns and Roses, Ruby Slippers, Jessica Wabbit, and Hulk, and include fresh ingredients. The Jessica Wabbit, for example, is made of local mint, carrot, lime, pineapple, a pineapple-ginger simple, and Fever-Tree ginger beer; and the Ruby Slippers is a refreshing mix of strawberry, basil, agave, and lemon.