In Saudi Arabia, where it’s not just January that’s dry, mocktails are all the rage – from a ‘no-groni’ to non-alcoholic spritzes

Why serve drinks in chilled cocktail glasses in teetotal Saudi Arabia? Provocative presentations of non-alcoholic concoctions are gaining acceptance in kingdom

Ever more innovative mocktails presented like the real thing are gaining traction as the Saudi crown prince seeks to make the kingdom more foreigner-friendly

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In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a pop-up bar is offering non-alcoholic Bellinis and spritzes. The mocktail bar’s success highlights the growing acceptance of more daring alcohol-free drinks even as alcoholic ones remain strictly off-limits in the Gulf kingdom. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:15pm, 25 Jan 2024Updated: 8:41am, 27 Jan 2024

The concept was controversial: a pop-up bar offering Bellinis and spritzes that, while non-alcoholic, were served in chilled cocktail glasses in the capital of teetotal Saudi Arabia.

But although customers were initially wary of the experiment – which coincided with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting and forbearance – the bar ended up doing brisk business.

Its success highlights the growing acceptance of more daring non-alcoholic drinks even as alcohol itself remains strictly off-limits in the Gulf kingdom, home to Islam’s holiest sites.

“To be honest, we were sceptical about it, but at the end of the day it worked out,” said Evans Kahindi, brand manager for Blended by Lyre’s, which organised the pop-up.

Lebanese bartender Hadi Ghassan prepares a drink behind the counter at a pop-up bar offering non-alcoholic Bellinis and spritzes. Photo: AFP

In Saudi Arabia’s main cities, upscale restaurants are unveiling extensive virgin drink menus and seasoned mixologists are relocating from more freewheeling places like Dubai and Berlin to pour for deep-pocketed customers, as mocktail mania takes root.