Macon spot hosts ‘sober social’ with a creative menu. Are the drinks as good as cocktails?

A downtown Macon bar recently added an alcohol-free alternative to the Macon social scene.

JBA, located on Cherry Street, created its weekly “Sober Social” to offer a night out to a new crowd. It features a slate of mocktails that rotate each week, with popular drinks occasionally returning. To go with the alcohol-free libations, JBA hosts trivia and bingo.

Chris Casey, the bar’s manager, said the Sober Social takes place every Wednesday and started in January as a way to attract customers and create a safe space during “Dry January” — a popular way to reset at the start of the new year by abstaining from alcohol for the month.

The first Sober Social was a hit, and JBA stayed busy through a month many bars dread.

“The first Sober Social was really popular, it was almost overwhelming,” Casey said. “There’s been a lot more people than we anticipated.”

When January ended, JBA’s staff and owner decided to make the Sober Social a permanent part of the bar’s event calendar. Casey said that since starting the Sober Social, JBA has accumulated a group of sober regulars who come just for the mocktails, which Casey said can be requested even outside of Wednesday nights.

In addition to being a chance for people to socialize in a sober-friendly setting, Casey said it’s been an opportunity as a bartender to get creative behind the counter.

He started with creating non-alcoholic versions of JBA’s existing cocktails using non-alcoholic spirits, soda and flavored syrups, but soon ventured into creating mocktails that were wholly new.

“I’ve kind of learned that instead of always trying to match a cocktail, it’s fun to just find flavors and create something with those flavors,” Casey said. “Just kind of making your own thing.”

The most recent Sober Social’s mocktail menu featured a lineup that included everything from a shot to an espresso martini.

The “Hot Turtle Shot” is a sober-friendly riff on a traditional shot, made with pickle juice, hot sauce and a non-alcoholic spirit. While its ingredient list may intimidate some, the shot makes it worthwhile with a salty and savory flavor paired with a kick from the hot sauce that lingers in your mouth.

If you’re looking for a more traditional drink, the non-alcoholic Moscow mule with lime juice, Seedlip non-acoholic spirit, soda water and house-made ginger syrup offers a cold, refreshing sip with a spicy and subtly sweet taste.

“Snow Beach” — a drink concocted from coconut cream, lime and pineapple juice and Seedlip non-alcholic spirit with nutmeg and cinnamon grated on top — brings summer a few months early with a texture as light as a cloud alongside a creamy tropical flavor.

Finally, “C10,” which is named for a JBA regular, is a non-alcoholic espresso “martini” made with black sesame orgeat, Village Coffee cold brew and non-alcoholic spirit. It offers a rich and bitter coffee flavor with a touch of sweetness that is sure to keep you going.

This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 11:32 AM.