Dry bars – the place to Sobar up this January?
Instead of getting half way through Dry January only to rediscover your love of red wine, cocktails or craft beer, why not find a place free from temptation, free from violence, and completely and unapologetically, free from alcohol?
Originally established as a creative space for drug addicts and alcohol abusers, Sobar is one of the many dry bars popping up across the UK and has fast become much more than rehabilitation, providing an alternative for people of various religions, cultures and backgrounds as well.
“We’re not saying alcohol’s bad – just that there’s an alternative to getting completely razzled,” said marketing and events manager of Nottingham’s only dry bar, Jason Loftus.
“We want to provide an option for those who may not want to drink – for whatever reason – and it shouldn’t be something just for January, you should always have that option, all year round.
“It’s a professional place – not a church hall with well-meaning old ladies giving out weak tea. We work with local producers such as 200 degrees coffee and host events to give the venue its twist.”
Offering everything from poetry and film nights to acapella and barber shop quartet evenings – and of course a variety of soft drinks – Sobar is becoming increasingly popular, with record numbers coming through the doors to join in with the events every week.
“The kind of performances we offer lend themselves to you being all ears and not being affected by a substance because you want to take it all in, musically or performance wise or creatively,” said Jason.
“One of our big taglines is ‘You’ll remember this in the morning’, which you will because that’s what we do – that’s one thing other places can’t guarantee. Six pints and all people want to do is sing along to Oasis or Hey Jude or punch somebody and of course they won’t remember it.”
But Sobar wasn’t the first to offer such a space and wont be the last either as the one of the UK’s first alcohol-free bars, The Brink in Liverpool is actively encouraging others to hop on the bandwagon.
The venue – which has been established for over five years – also runs a programme called Brinky Business, advising budding dry bar owners how to set up a similar venue.
“We’ve seen over 80-90 people over the last three to four years to show them what you need to do to open a venue like this and most of the venues that have opened countrywide are people that have had these consultations and had workshops,” said general manager Carl Bell.
“Everyone can benefit from having a month free from alcohol as a general lifestyle choice especially now as more dry bars are available.”
Friends Kitchen in Birmingham, Nexus Art Cafe in Manchester, Redemption in London and George Street Social in Newcastle are just a few of alcohol-free venues open to enjoy in the UK.
