Where to drink in Melbourne when you're not drinking

Still ahead of the game after more than a decade, the award-winning Black Pearl is your quintessential Melbourne cocktail bar perfect for almost every occasion – from late-night hangouts and dates to arvo refreshments for locals, hospo workers and tourists. As you'd expect, their non-alcoholic cocktail options are just as impressive as everything else the bartenders mix. Whether it's a savoury concoction made with lacto-fermented tomatoes or a fruitier affair you desire, the talented bar wizards are sure to have something delicious and happily hangover-free up their sleeves.

Whereas in other bars if you're shunning liquor you'd be a minority, at Brunswick Aces you're in the majority. Here's a bar that serves just one alcoholic drink: a single gin and tonic, in a nod to normal bars stocking just one lemon, lime and bitters. Everything else on the menu is alcohol free, including plenty of non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits from other brands like Heaps Normal XPA, Songbird Wine Ovant, GNISTA, Non and Vandestreek Playground IPA. All wines are available by the glass and by the bottle, and alcohol-free spirits are mixed with juices, extractions and syrups to make a variety of cocktails.

Marion might be Andrew McConnell's wine bar, but if you're off the vinos there's still plenty low and zero-alcoholic options you can drink. Slink into the moody space and sip on an Italian Orange Spritz with verjus and tonic, a Spritz Veneziano or a sparkling salted raspberry and cranberry potion. Dinner and drinks, sorted, minus the hangover.

Melbourne's highest rooftop bar offers plenty of views – and great non-alcoholic options, too. The three signature mocktails on the menu are original, balanced and painstakingly prepared. Think ingredients like watermelon cordial, alcohol-free spiced rum, mint and fresh fruits. There's no missing out here. 

This is among our very favourite pubs in the city, one of the only ones we've given a five-star rating in Melbourne. This really is the house of taps, 20 of which pour a roster of delicious froth from all over the world. And there's good news for those who love craft beer but are either in the middle of an alcohol-free stint or have sworn off it for life. The Local Taphouse celebrates beer in all its forms, including alcohol-free, pouring great brews from the likes of Heaps Normal, Hop Nation and a select rotation of European producers, too.

Chris Lucas-led fine diner Society is one of the flashiest new restaurant openings to seduce Melbourne in recent years, not just for its fancy plush interiors, but also its impressive sommelier-designed drinks offerings, weekend lunch feasts, Instagrammable dessert trolleys and more. Don't feel the need to sit out of this high society if you're taking a break from booze, however. A concise yet thoughtful mocktail list celebrates beautiful native Aussie ingredients like strawberry gum, royal gala apples, leatherwood honey and more. 

This classy club is full of every luxury you can think of, and if you're feeling really generous you can even hire your own private booth. So settle in with a mid-strength or non-alcoholic drink before you hit the dancefloor. There's plenty to choose from, including ginless and tonics, virgin Negronis, strawberry and lychee creations and much more. Bottoms up!

Getting the mix of old and new right is a tough balancing act, but at the Lincoln, they’re as sure footed as an acrobat. Which means you’ll be sitting up at an Art Deco bar with the footy on behind you and a steak on the way. Add a quirky alcohol-free drink to the evening's agenda for one more fun twist.

This subterranean cocktail bar is a vision of rustic Victorian style, with brick arched booths, walls cluttered with black-and-white photos, and warm light from candles and low-hanging lamps. On the mocktails front, there's a Negroni, a spiced pinapple Daiquiri, a Winter Paloma and an Americano – all 100% alcohol-free but just as lip-smackingly good. 

Magic Mountain Saloon is an out-there name for an out-there place. An abject Irish theme pub has been no-expense-spared into a tri-level eating and drinking house with no clear delineation between zones save for the DJ on the second-floor mezzanine, spinning the kind of sounds that makes everyone think their mobile phone is ringing. It's also a whole lot of fun! If your crew is going out for drinks here but you're off the sauce, never fear – the saloon's mocktails are just as magic as everything else. Opt for a Passion Punch, a Sober Spritz, a Day Off or a virgin Lychee Martini, all priced at a wallet-friendly $9 each.

This kitsch, cutesy rooftop promises a raucous garden party in the heart of the city, with a tongue-in-cheek drinks list full of alcohol-free options, and easy-to-dance-with party snacks. Try a Borsari's Dash with Lyre's Amaretti, egg white, lemon and sugar, of if you're wanting a bit more sparkle, The Penguine Parade: a juicy Spritz with passionfruit, agave and soda.