A craft beer and spirits writer navigates Dry January

By Katie Coakley

We can thank the Brits for Dry January. According to the infallible Wikipedia, the charity Alcohol Concern conducted the first-ever Dry January campaign in 2013. In 2014, more than 17,000 Britons stopped drinking for the month.

I first heard about Dry January from a friend in Australia about four years ago and my first reaction, honestly, was “why the hell would you do something like that?” Unlike Colorado, it’s hot and sunny in Sydney in January and I couldn’t imagine eschewing a pint or cocktail during the long, luxurious days of summer.

However, this year was different. The terms sober curious and Dry-nuary have become almost as prevalent as the hard seltzers permeating the craft beer scene. I don’t consider myself a hard boozer – I don’t drink at home and, since I live at the top of a mountain, winding-roads and all, my evenings of après indulgence and walking home have been severely curtailed.

On the other end of the stick, I write about craft beer and spirits for a living. It’s my job to check out new breweries and distilleries and sample the latest barrel-aged brew or small-batch whiskey. Isn’t it?

I’m a sucker for a challenge. So, when the new year rolled around, I thought, “Why not? New decade, new you” and all that jazz. I could abstain for a month. Sure. It would be easy.

I’m now halfway through the month and let me tell you, Dry January is both easy … and hard as hell. I’ve come to some very enlightening conclusions about myself in the past two weeks, not least of which is that apparently, I’m am very susceptible to peer pressure. And not the “hey, it’s one drink, what does it matter?” kind of peer pressure. It’s the “everyone else sure is enjoying that pint of newly released Belgian strong, what kind of beer writer are you? Why aren’t you trying it?” kind of internal peer pressure.

I’m being bullied by my internal monologue.

But I’m also what my mother calls “a hard-head Mutispauw.” The Mutispauws grew up with my granddad and one of their kids carried the moniker “Hard-Head” for his entire life. I met him when he was about 84 — he, of course, introduced himself as Hard-Head. Anyway, I’ve signed up for Dry January and dang it, I’m going to finish it out.

But I don’t have to spend it holed up at home, sipping my La Croix and putting off all social engagements until February. Options for abstainers are popping up at watering holes around the city. Here are a few to check out in January and beyond.

The recently opened Honey Elixir Bar in RiNo combines hospitality and wellness with a range of naturally derived potions, like the Unicorn Heart Song, made with house-made coconut mylk (vegan), vanilla butterfly pea flower and pearl powder (served warm). Or, the Dream Serum: an infusion of peppermint, chamomile, skullcap, mugwort, damiana, Rosemary, rose elderflower tonic and lavender honey. Other options include cacao (a coffee alternative) and jun, which is described as kombucha’s cousin.

Another RiNo fave, Barcelona Wine Bar, is known for its extensive tapas menu and – you guessed it – wine. But the team has responded to requests for lower or non-alcohol cocktails with Bees & Bays, their first alcohol-free cocktail: a sweet, spicy and citrusy sipper with lime, salted honey syrup and warming cardamom. Tumbled with ice and topped with sparkling water, it’s garnished with two smoky bay leaves. You get all the complexity with none of the booze.

If you think you can’t bowl without beer, both Denver Punch Bowl Social locations are willing to prove you wrong with a variety of zero-proof cocktails. Expect fizzes and zero proof cocktails such as The Florist’s Tonic, a refreshing mix of Seedlip Garden 108 Distilled Non-Alcoholic Spirit, lavender syrup, fresh lime juice and Q Mixers Elderflower tonic. And check out the Cilantro Fizz, concocted with fresh cilantro, house-made jalapeno and cucumber syrup, and aquafaba (a vegan alternative to egg white).

For those who are brewery-bound, the proliferation of kombucha is a welcome addition. Many breweries now save a tap for the fermented tea; you can also visit kombucha taprooms like Happy Leaf in Edgewater or Trubucha in Lone Tree. Looking for something more exotic? Try kava, a non-alcoholic traditional drink from the South Pacific Islands; Kavasutra has two locations on Colfax Avenue.

As for me, I’ll endure the questions from friends and slightly bemused looks from my favorite bartender as I order water instead of wine for the next few weeks. Will I continue to abstain in February? Maybe. But it’s been fun to find that I can have my festive drink (sans alcohol!) and drink it, too.