Sober October: 10 Glasgow bars with excellent alcohol-free options

With Sober October upon us - the month which encourages people to go alcohol-free while raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support - it seems as though staying off the booze isn’t just reserved for one month a year anymore.

People opting for booze-free options on nights out is becoming increasingly popula, as they become more aware of their physical and mental health as well as finances.

Drinkaware recently revealed the extent of this after discovering Gen-Zers are going teetotal in the UK’s largest study of drinking behaviours. Results showed that, in 2019, 16-to-25-year-olds were the most likely to be opting for a sober life, with 26% not drinking.

So, if you’re cutting down on alcohol, taking part in Sober October or even thinking ahead to Dry January, we’ve rounded up 10 bars across Glasgow that offer great alcohol-free options to ensure you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go the morning after.

Hillhead Bookclub

Where? 17 Vinicombe Street, West End

What’s on the menu? The bar, situated right off Byres Road, has a full mocktail menu with drinks priced from just £4.95.

On the menu, you’ll find Aper0%l spritz, elderflower spritz, mocha espresso martini, virgin passion, no-jito, French martini and alcohol-free beer. They can even knock up a signature perfect serve G&T made with Atopia citrus, London Essence tonic and fresh bespoke garnish.

Revolution

Where? 84 Mitchell Street or 67-69 Renfield Street (both City Centre)

What’s on the menu? Priced at just £3.75, Revolution offers strawberry lemonade (lemon, strawberry, sugar syrup, mint and soda), noo woo (strawberry, passion fruit, grenadine and cranberry juice), saintly pornstar (passion fruit, caramel, orange juice and soda) or a tropical fizz, made using RedBull tropical edition, grenadine, passionfruit and lime.

The Duke’s Umbrella

Where? 363 Argyle Street (City Centre)

What’s on the menu? Glasgow’s newest gastropub opened in May 2021. Replacing the former Trader’s bar, it’s come roaring onto the city’s food and drink scene, offering Sunday roasts, brunches as well as a mouth-watering fish and chips. They also have a pretty impressive mocktail menu with drinks starting from a fiver.

On the menu, you’ll find the cucumb-here often? mocktail (apple juice, fresh cucumber, elderflower cordial, lemon juice and soda water), smokey bee (pineapple juice, pink grapefruit juice, heather honey, whisky smoked salt and Fevertree tonic water), winter cooler (cranberry juice, orange and clove syrup, lime juice and rose lemonade) or a spiced spritzer, made using lemongrass and kaffir lime syrup, fresh ginger, lime juice and apple juice. They also do flavoured sodas, just as for their flavours.

The Horseshoe Bar

Where? 17-19 Drury Street (City Centre)

What’s on the menu? Going sober at one of Glasgow’s most historic bars is easier than you think. Sip on a Tanqueray 0.0 alcohol-free gin or, for a mix of refreshing and fruity flavours, opt for one of their favoured house sodas. The bar also has booze-free beer and ciders covered with Peroni 0.0, Heineken 0.0, Brewdog Punk AF and Rekorderlig Strawberry and Lime 0.0 all on offer too.

Thundercat Pub + Diner

Where? 86 Miller Street (City Centre)

What’s on the menu? Starting from £3, you can enjoy a whole menu full of mouth-watering mocktails along with deep-dish pizza pies and other American staples. The venue has daily drinks promos as well as a funk DJ at the weekends, the perfect place to start a night out.

The mocktail menu consists of the rumble (pineapple, grapefruit, lime, Ting), passionfruit faux-jito (passionfruit, lime, mint, sugar and soda), pineapple Sunday service (pineapple, mango, ginger and lime), TC virgin Mary (tomato, hot sauce, pickle juice, lemon, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper), hurrican’t (pineapple, passionfruit, orange, lime and grenadine) and the wee Shirley mocktail, made using Irn-Bru, grenadine and lime. If you want to steer clear of mocktails, there are booze-free ciders and beer available too.

Oasis Lounge

Where? 111 Nelson Street (Tradeston)

What’s on the menu? Opened in 2015, Oasis quickly carved a name for itself as being one of Scotland’s most exclusive and stylish shisha lounges. Open ‘til late and completely alcohol-free, the venue has an extensive mocktail, milkshake and dessert menu, all in a bar and club-like atmosphere. We highly recommend the coconut dream mocktail and the elderflower and apple mojito. The only thinking you’ll be staggering out here with is a sugar high.

The Butchershop Bar & Grill

Where? 1055 Sauchiehall Street (West End)

What’s on the menu? If you’re feeling up to a fancier night out, one of Glasgow’s top steakhouses is the place to be. Starting from £6, their mocktails include the pomegranate punch (pineapple, fresh lime, grenadine, and ginger ale), raspberry and elderflower smash (raspberry, elderflower, lime and cranberry) or a wonderland mojito 1055, made using lemonade, infused tea and agave.

The Tiki Bar & Kitsch Inn

Where? 214 Bath Street (City Centre)

What’s on the menu? The bar has over a dozen cocktails on its menu which also highlights a mocktail offering starting from £4. All you have to do is let the staff know what you’re after. We recommend picking one of the 13 cocktails they already available and just ask for a no-booze version.

BrewDog

Where? 99 Hutcheson Street (Merchant City) and 1397 Argyle Street (West End)

What’s on the menu? If mocktails aren’t your thing, Glasgow is expanding on its non-alcoholic beer options too. Head to the Scottish pub chain for the Punk IPA alcohol-free or Lost alcohol-free beers. Having become the world’s first carbon-negative brewery in 2020, BrewDog is the ideal place for the conscious drinker.

Bar Soba

Where? 11 Mitchell Lane (City Centre), 79 Albion Street (Merchant City) and Byres Road (West End)

What’s on the menu? Starting from £4, grab a Thai lemonade made with lime, coconut, pineapple, lemongrass, coriander and ginger beer, or you can opt for their twist on a mojito, concocted using lime, mint, sugar and soda.

If you want to change the way you drink or learn more about alcohol-related health and well-being, visit Drinkaware.