“Gen Z isn’t drinking anymore,” a bartender at Smoke Door- Lake Tahoe Saryo in Kings Beach says. And it’s true, ever since I wrote my first article about Tahoe’s best mocktails for this magazine back in 2022, nonalcoholic cocktails and N/A beer selections at local restaurants have been on the rise, just getting better in taste and quality. Whether it’s a fancy drink that could be spiked with alcohol or one that has a zero-proof liquor in it, here are the best mocktails that give a sober buzz without the hangover:
The Twenty 49 at The Edge, Edgewood Tahoe, Stateline
Called “a fancy pants n/a cuba libre”, the Twenty 49 is made of non-alcoholic rum, Mexican Cola, Kabosu (a semi-tart Japanese fruit), Cherry, and Vanilla Foam. I remember Tahoe Magazine editor Laney Griffo at The Edge’s grand reopening party last summer describing this as tasting like an upscale rum and coke. At that moment, I noticed that not only are their cocktails delicious but the making and presentation of them is exquisite. I had a jasmine white tea cocktail that took five minutes to make, involving an aquarium tube to make the foam.
N/A Cocktail of the Week, Sylva, Tahoe City
https://www.sylvatahoe.com/menu
Andrew Shimer grew up in Tahoe City and returned to his roots as an adult after attending a high-end culinary school. He worked at other local fine dining restaurants before opening Sylva in fall of 2024 in the space that was previously the Pioneer Cocktail Club.
At its five-seater bar facing Lake Tahoe, the person next to me who drove over from Incline Village affirmed that the light pink rose on Sylva’s extensive wine list paired well with his Crispy Tequenos dish (made of duck confit, cotija, wonton, and chimichurri aioli). Although everyone was drinking wine around me, I had my eye on the N/A list. Non-alcoholic beers include a Field Work Headliner IPA and a Phony Negroni, as well as a made-from-scratch lemonade always available.
However, its craft cocktail makers always have a mocktail choice that rotates based on the ingredients they have on hand.
When I was there, I had an N/A Wagon Spritz made with a savory blackberry/thyme syrup topped with soda water and a thyme sprig. Owner Andrew Shimer said that the following week they would be introducing a N/A Creamsicle cocktail with a mix he just made that morning of OJ, cream, and fresh vanilla bean.
The Cup of Comfort, RMU Truckee, Truckee
This always-happening food/beverage/retail shop is all about selling gear to people to give them the best time on the slopes and then providing a place for adults to hang out after the chairlifts stop spinning. On a warm summer day as people were playing cornhole and eating on the courtyard between the ski/mountain bike shop and restaurant, inside the bar was packed with people listening to live music and hoping that the train would come by (since RMU pours $4 shots every time that happens).
As a barback pulled a Best Day electro-lime NA beer out of the fridge to re-hydrate himself before the dinner rush, (“Those things are so good,” the bartender comments) I checked out their N/A cocktail menu.
They switch out their cocktail menus every six months and the three that were on the menu when I visited were equally split in popularity depending on how warm or cold it was outside. For instance, the Zero Pear-cent and Sober Shandy were big hits when it was T-shirt weather, while people veered towards the steaming hot Cup of Comfort when it was raining or a blizzard.
Since I work at a chilly art gallery (even on the warmer days) a few doors down from RMU, I walked over and got the steaming hot Cup of Comfort when my shift ended for the day. All the mocktails staff come up with are based off the current cocktails menu. The Sober Shandy was based off the “Drop the Beet” cocktail, the Zero Pear-cent was based off the “Spice & Slice” cocktail, and The Cup of Comfort was based off the “Miso Cozy” alcoholic version.
The Cup of Comfort, made with a miso-infused butter and described as a hot buttered rum without the rum, tasted like sucking on a miso-infused Werther’s candy, except in liquid form and warming the belly.
Shiso Daiquiri, Smoke Door- Lake Tahoe Saryo, Kings Beach
Arguably Tahoe’s best kept secret, in my opinion, there are fine dining restaurants and then there’s Smoke Door. Every time I’ve visited, I’ve felt the quality of customer service, food/drinks, and ambiance of the place is rated a 13/10. I don’t know how this restaurant isn’t Michelin starred already.
So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they were one of the first restaurants I checked to see if they had a non-alcoholic menu. Of course, they do, always filled with authentic, unique drinks that you can’t find anywhere else.
The evening I visited, there was a Warm Hojicha with Honey, Shiso Daiquiri, Raspberry Shrub, and sparkling or still Matcha Lemonade on the N/A menu (and Smoke Door always has an N/A Sapporo and Athletic IPNAs.
Based on the bartender recommendation, I ordered the Shiso Daiquiri, and it did not disappoint. “The Shiso Daiquiri is really nice and most unique for us,” Greg said before precisely putting together a drink that reminded me of watching an artist do a live painting demonstration.
Shiso is a Japanese mint that was a large lemony-tasting leaf topping the drink along with a maraschino cherry, but it was also in the syrup to balance out the sweetness (as well as a hint of lime juice). The drink is so refreshing; sweet but not too sweet, a lemonade-like taste. It’s made with housemade coconut/pineapple whip that has the consistency of ice cream and is combined with a sparkling soda that tastes a notch above regular club soda. The chilled pineapple whip sinking to the bottom really made it feel like summer.
If you’re going just for cocktails and a bite or two, I highly recommend sitting at the bar to see the care that goes into making the food and drinks. Sipping on my Shiso Daiquiri, I watched Greg make the Rice Blossom. Made with amazake (a non-alcoholic Japanese fermented rice drink), simple syrup, thyme water, and yuzu juice, Smoke Door’s host gestured to Greg making the drink and said, “See what care we put into our cocktails? The Rice Blossom takes five days to make.” When I looked up, Greg was pouring the amazake through a large sieve while mashing it with a pestle-like tool.
At Smoke Door, it’s more common for people to spike a special mocktail—like adding rum to the Shiso Daiquiri or vodka to the matcha lemonade. “That speaks to what a good drink it is,” says Greg.
Notable Mentions:
- Tahoe Tavern & Grill, Stateline- At this bar/restaurant/gaming establishment just a few blocks up from the main road on Kingsbury Grade, Tahoe Tavern has delicious food, bottomless mimosas during football season, and a rather good mocktail menu. The tavern’s most popular mocktail is the Orange Julius, with the Wildberry Bliss a close second.
“We do sell a lot of mocktails, and the age range is all over the place. We have gaming, dining, and a bar so we appeal to a bunch of different kinds of groups. When families come in, teenagers do tend to order mocktails,” says bartender Janette. The Orange Julius tasted just like the original I got at the Mt. Shasta Mall when I was 14 years old. I downed it.
- Wolfdale’s, Tahoe City- Around since 1978, this family-owned business has kept a high level of consistency in its Asian/European/California spirit-infused fare since its start. Its mocktail menu includes: the Lavender Nojito (muddled mint, lime, lavender syrup & soda water- add Bacardi Rum for $5); the Tessie’s Tonic (lime, homemade jalapeño syrup, shoga ginger syrup & tonic- add 400 Conejos Mezcal for $5); the Pineapple Paradise (pineapple juice, lime & shoga ginger syrup- add Coconut Rum for $5); and the MatchaJoe (matcha, homemade jalapeño syrup, sweet & sour with a tajin rim- add Ringside Vodka for $5).
- River Ranch Lodge, Tahoe City- This historic establishment still has the Roy Rogers and Shirley Temple on its menu for around $5, as well as offers a blood orange lemonade and mango lemonade to quench your thirst after a day of rafting or tubing the Truckee.
- Champagne & Chocolate at the Heavenly Village, South Lake Tahoe- For those who want to take part in a mimosa brunch but still have to drive, Champagne & Chocolate can substitute Mionetto NA Prosecco or Pierre Signature NA Sparkling wine into a drink.