Dry January: How to celebrate ‘sober-curiosity’ in DC
“I’ve never done a dry January … I had to quit entirely,” said Booze Free in DC founder Laura Silverman.
Founded in 2019, Booze Free in DC combines Silverman’s “love of traveling to new places with my passion for sobriety and wellness.” Silverman herself has been sober since 2007.
The organization aims to help those who are “sober-curious” and help them explore the city from a different and healthier perspective.
The history of dry January has roots in the U.K. Dry January began in 2013 with at least 175,000 people signed up, thanks to the grassroots organization Alcohol Change UK. The monthlong event spread to the U.S. just before the pandemic, Silverman said. Since then, it has become more and more popular each year.
She said the rise in the trend’s popularity is due to the increase in options for those seeking a nonalcoholic lifestyle, such as nonalcoholic products, as well as pop-ups and other events.
One such event is the return of Mindful Drinking Fest on Jan. 26 to 28. Dubbed “the largest mindful drinking event in America,” the festival at D.C.’s Union Market will offer nonalcoholic wines, beers, spirits and cocktails, along with seminars, bars, brand activations and a nonalcoholic rave.
For those who may not be able to attend the festival, Silverman has other recommendations with help from the locally created Guide to Imbibe, including Kramers in Dupont Circle, Metrobar on Rhode Island Avenue NE, The Hamilton in downtown D.C., Summer House Santa Monica in North Bethesda, Maryland, and Colada Shop, which has various locations.
One bar that WTOP explored is Binge Bar, the very first alcohol-free bar in the District. Located in the H Street neighborhood, the cozy, underground bar offers a variety of spirit-free cocktails, wines and nibbles to guests. Since its opening in 2023, Binge Bar founder and owner Vergie “Gigi” Arandid said it offers a place to gather without any pressure.
“I am going into seven years of sobriety in June, so dry January for me is just another month to pretty much welcome and expand others’ horizon as to what the alcohol-free industry actually has to offer,” Arandid said.
Arandid demonstrated how to make two of her alcohol-free cocktails for WTOP. The cocktails include their juicy and spicy Drink of the Month, which is called “Refreshed Beginnings,” which is loaded with floral notes and Lion’s Mane mushrooms, as well as muddled jalapeños. The other cocktail is one of the most popular drinks on the menu — the “Espresso Martini Raspadura” topped with orange zest.
“There are just so many options available out there, and if someone doesn’t know where to start, there are nonalcoholic bottle shops that have e-commerce sites that people can discover new things,” Silverman said.
For more alcohol-free discovery, Silverman also recommends apps, such as Better Without and BuzzCutt.