Two of the tasty mocktails at BRQ. Photo by Kristin Selle.

Mocktails go mainstream


This article originally appeared in the March 2020 issue of inRegister.


The Patio Surfer at BLDG 5. Photo courtesy BLDG 5.

BLDG 5

This Perkins Road Overpass hotspot might be getting a lot of buzz, but you won’t when you partake of one of the bar menu’s mocktail options—which are basically endless, since any alcoholic drink can be made to the customer’s specification—while hanging out on the rooftop deck or in the Relic Room. One popular mash-up sometimes referred to as The Patio Surfer is a combo of mint leaves with ginger beer, lime juice and almond-infused Orgeat syrup. Also available is a rotating assortment of housemade seasonal lemonades—available plain or spiked—in flavors like blood-orange honey turmeric and ginger rosemary.

Beausoleil

Under new ownership this year, the new Beausoleil can nonetheless create some tasty alcohcol-free versionsThe new mocktail menu at Beausoleil includes the Lavender-Lime Fizz, which features lavender syrup and soda finished with blueberries and lime peel. Other options include the Spicy Grapefruit Sodarita, which turns up the heat on grapefruit and lime juices with the addition of pineapple habañero, and the Mocktail Mule, which comes complete with a copper mug—minus the vodka.

Mid City Beer Garden

Don’t let the name throw you. This hot new Government Street spot offers plenty of cocktails—and non-alcoholic drinks—along with its extensive lineup of lagers and IPAs. Let herbs refresh your palate when you order the Blackberry Basil Sparkler, which also features a tangy note of lemon, or go for the Sparkling Rose Lemonade, infused with ginger and pure rose extract. New Orleans-brewed Big Easy Bucha, Louisiana’s nod to the probiotic beverage known as kombucha, is also on tap in a variety of flavors.