Maine Mocktails Set a Delicious Standard

In Maine, thoughtful craft has never depended on excess. It’s shaped by thoughtfulness, by locally sourced ingredients and by knowing when to add and when to let something stand on its own. That sensibility is now defining one of the state’s most quietly confident culinary movements: mocktails that don’t ask to be compared to cocktails (because they don’t need to be). Whether you consider yourself a Dry January devotee, a sober-curious sipper or just someone who prefers to pass on the alcohol, some of Maine’s best bars are making sure everyone at the table gets a real drink—one worth savoring.

Vena’s Fizz House: A Flavor Purveyor

At the heart of that shift is Vena’s Fizz House, the Portland-born brand that was doing non-alcoholic drinks long before zero-proof cocktails became popular. “Mocktails and cocktails are created equally. It has nothing to do with the alcohol. It has to do with the flavors,” says Dan Cisowski, who co-owns Vena’s Fizz House with his wife, Stefanie. “Bitters are to cocktails and mocktails what seasoning is to food—you wouldn’t cook without them,” he says. 

Photo credit (left and right): Cam Held

The brand began as a mocktail bar in the Old Port in 2013, where it quickly gained national attention for its inventive alcohol-free cocktails and house-made bitters, all originally crafted by founders Steve and Johanna Corman. The bar was named for Johanna’s great-grandmother Irvina, nicknamed Vena, a leader in Portland’s temperance movement during the 1920s.

The Old Port bar didn’t survive the pandemic, but its influence did. Today, it’s hard to find a restaurant or bar downtown without at least one thoughtfully made mocktail on the menu. In the meantime, Vena’s Fizz House has evolved into a primarily e-commerce business. “When we started, craft mocktails with bold, complex flavors were something new,” Dan says. “Now they’re mainstream. We were ahead of our time, and now we’re focused on what’s next.”

The Vena’s Fizz House workspace is part mad-scientist’s lab, part shipping facility, far removed from its former life as a bar. Stainless steel worktables are surrounded by industrial shelving stacked with vats of dark liquids, each hand-labeled in masking tape: Maine Pine Bitters, Pineapple 11/26, Orange 11/11. Here, Dan and Stefanie, with ongoing creative support from Steve and Johanna, handcraft 12 bitters and 12 infusion kits, each designed to become either a cocktail or mocktail with the simple addition of liquid.

Dan demonstrates with their Campfire infusion, soaked in water instead of spirits. On its own, it’s citrusy and warm, with vanilla rounding the edges. A few drops of Smoke Bitters deepen the profile. Woodland Bitters add oak. A final dash of Orange Old Fashioned brings structure and lift. The result is layered, savory, and unmistakably adult, no alcohol required.

“[It’s] as small as you can get: literally handmade, small batch, good ingredients,” Dan says. “When you say something is Maine-made, it means something.”

That same ethos is showing up across the state.

Mocktails on the Menu

Start in Portland, where you’ll find a bevy of buzz-free drinks. At Cuties, an all-day cafe that seamlessly slips into bar mode at night, groovy ’70s lounge energy meets sun-washed tropical escapism. The vibe doesn’t take itself too seriously, but the drinks absolutely do—even the nonalcoholic ones. Sip on a Pea & T, a booze-free nod to the botanical splendor of a gin and tonic, blending house-made snap pea syrup, lime juice, ginger syrup, Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic and a fragrant mint bouquet. Over at Cocktail Mary, an LGBTQ+ staple, inclusive menus mean mocktails like the N/A-Americano are treated with the same care and swagger as anything boozy. And Five of Clubs, tucked into the Longfellow Hotel, offers a Chicory Espresso Martini built around house-made non-alcoholic amaro and chicory “coffee”—proof that depth and decadence don’t require alcohol to feel indulgent.

Photo credit (left and right): Cam Held

In Bangor, Barliman’s leans fully into the moment with a dedicated “sober-curious” section, featuring playful, well-balanced drinks like the Uptown Fizz made with house shrub syrups. 

Apéro in Biddeford brings irreverent charm with mocktails like Apple Bottom Jeans—an apple cider-forward nod to Maine apple orchards with cocktail-bar polish. 

At The Abbey, an eclectic coffee shop meets experimental cocktail bar in Brunswick, raise your spirits with spirit-free sips like the Spaghett Zero (Corona Zero, Ritual NA aperitif and lemon) or The Pathfinder’s Tea: a spiced concoction of Pathfinder NA amaro, house-made chai, pineapple, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg.

What ties all of this together isn’t trendiness. It’s intention. Maine’s mocktail movement mirrors the local culinary scene itself: grounded, inclusive and shaped by craft rather than spectacle. These drinks don’t shout. They invite. And everyone gets a seat at the bar.

Make a Mocktail at Home

Want to bring the bar home—minus the buzz? Vena’s Fizz House makes it easy (and genuinely fun) to level up your at-home drinks. Their mixology classes, offered both in person and virtually, cover the art and science of crafting standout drinks with or without alcohol, with deep dives into bitters, balance, and a little temperance-era history along the way. There’s even a kid-friendly class that turns muddling, shaking, and stirring with fresh fruits and herbs into hands-on play—proof that good drink-making starts with curiosity, not proof.

Recipe: At-Home N/A Espresso Martini

Ingredients

3 oz Vena’s Espresso Martini Mixer, hot-water infused for at least 48 hours, then chilled

4 dashes Vena’s Coffee Bitters

1 oz chilled seltzer

1 large, clear ice cube

Instructions

Infuse the Espresso Martini Mixer with hot water for a minimum of 48 hours. Once infused, strain and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Add the chilled mixer and Coffee Bitters to a chilled mixing glass. Stir gently for 10–15 seconds to integrate and lightly aerate. Strain into a rocks glass over a large, clear ice cube. Top with chilled seltzer and give a brief final stir.

Optional Garnish

Express an orange peel over the glass and discard

Or add three coffee beans for a classic finishing touch

This story was written by Cam Held, co-editor of Maine the Way, whose work documents the people, places and details that define life in Maine.