Places in London to drink when you’re not drinking

In the middle of Marylebone you'll find alcohol-free beer brand Lucky Saint’s first official pub in the old bones of the long-shuttered Masons Arms. They’ve a huge range of lo and no beers, ciders and cans, including their own lager and newer IPA, as well as sober tipples from Big Drop, Erdinger, Asahi and Mash Gang as well as the likes of Italian aperitif Crodino, and alcohol-free cocktails. Your beer-y mates are catered for too – there’s a full selection of pints and wines, so nobody feels left out. 

Raven Records is your go-to spot for all things black metal, death metal, thrash, glam and doom as well as no-alcohol drinks – including pour-over coffee from Concept Cafes and Black Coffee Worship. Open until 9pm on Friday and Saturday, swing by this heavy music mecca for alcohol-free whiskey, gin, vodka, and tequila-style drinks and botanical spirits as well as CBD drinks. There’s also a decent range of 0.0% beers and ciders, including ones on tap. 

This cosy, speakeasy-esque bar under Soho’s iconic Italian delicatessen Lina Stores offers up a trio of non-alcoholic cocktails; Ananas & Menta with gin 0%, mint, pineapple cordial, pepper bitter, and tonic water; Euphoria with Amaro 0%, paspberry, mint and tonic water; and Essenza, with Amaro 0%, lemon balm cordial, strawberry and lavender soda. The best bit though is the chance to feel slinky in this very special spot, and in true aperitivo style, your drinks come with complimentary snacks from the delicatessen. There’s also another Bar Lina in Shoreditch if you’re looking for a swanky sober session in east London. 

Jazu is one of the London bars that stock Sentia Spirits, a non-booze drink developed by the wise Prof David Nutt. It claims to replicate all of the mood-boosting effects of alcohol but with none of the nasty parts. Jazu is a listening bar, so the perfect place to give it a go, alongside a soundtrack of tunes as smooth as your non-alcoholic cocktail. 

On the wall of this Islington boozer is a board of beers from across the land, with each one’s hefty ABV advertised. But in fact, the Earl has got the soft options on lock. Lucky Saint beer is on tap and full of the hoppiness you'd expect from any round at this pub, and there’s a special low and no alcohol section of the menu, too. If beery flavour is too much like temptation, the Earl also stocks a solid range of sodas.

This old-school oak-panelled bar is a contemporary, high-fashion hangout with non-booze cocktails to match. Go glam at the 19th century private members club-styled spot with the likes of the Back to My Roots, which is finished with cardamom, caramel and lemon, and the Imposter with ginger and lime, from bars manager Anthony Callegari, who has slotted sober drinks seamlessly in the menu. 

Danish brewery Mikkeller’s first UK bar in Shoreditch offers up 20 different beers on tap (and more available in bottles and cans), which always includes a non-alcoholic option. Pop down and see what’s new. There’s also a brewpub branch on Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell. 

The mega-bling hotel bar may be famed for its Martinis, but you can still make it a place for one hell of a celebration when on the wagon. Mocktails – presented with just as much artistry as the hard stuff – include luxe ingredients, from salted cacao coconut water to red berry kombucha.

At the foot of Exmouth Market you’ll find just as appetising a spread of delicacies at beery institution the Exmouth Arms. Away from the hard stuff, feel-good brews from Erdinger and Lucky Saint are on offer.