Three Tips For Getting the Most Out of Dry January in Portland

Author

Myles Faulkner
January 02, 2024

Did you know that 92% of people who buy NA drinks also buy alcohol? The majority of people who read this newsletter aren’t necessarily sober, but instead are looking for great NA drink alternatives to cut down their weekly alcohol intake. 

So if you are planning on doing Dry January this year, why not also sample some of the hundreds of NA drink options on the market? That way, when February 1 comes around you’ll have some fabulous tasty NA options to take you into the rest of 2024. 

 A 2-for-1, as it were!

 In this Portland Dry January guide: 

  • Where do I buy NA drinks ion Portland?

  • How do I find bars and restaurants in Portland that sell NA drinks?

  • Which drinks do I start with?

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Read time: 4 mins 46 secs

John’s MarketPlace - SE Powell

WHERE DO I BUY NA DRINKS IN PORTLAND?

The last four years have seen an explosion of growth in the NA drinks movement. New drinks emerge on a weekly basis and as more folks reassess their relationship with alcohol, breweries, wineries and distilleries are dedicating more resources to service a fast-growing NA customer base.

Retailers have had to reevaluate how much shelf space to dedicate to this emerging market and to the sheer volume of drinks options coming their way.

Locating these drinks can be a labor of love, especially if you want to go beyond the most popular brands. So here are some pointers on how to find these drinks in your local Portland stores.

Bottle Shops with NA Options

Local bottle shop chain, John’s Marketplace, has by far the strongest NA inventory in all categories. So definitely check them out if you want to dive a little deeper than what your local supermarket offers.

Each of their three stores offer a deep inventory of craft NA beers, a solid selection of spirits and a decent collection of RTD cocktails and wines.

You can also buy singles of most beers and RTD cocktails, which means you can try each drink without committing to a 6-pack of something you may end up not liking. 

John’s Marketplace can be found at:

Supermarkets

Unsurprisingly, these outlets mostly play it safe and will have a somewhat limited selection. For instance, you will find larger breweries like Bud 0, Heineken 0 and Corona Zero at a conventional supermarket. A higher-end market will be dipping their toes into craft beer options. Along with Athletic Brewing you may also find Guinness 0 and depending on your location, some products from regional breweries. Wine and spirits options will be reasonable but again pretty limited.

  • Best selection: Market of Choice (Cedar Mill)

  • Notable mention: Fred Meyer (Hollywood)

  • Other options: Wholefoods, New Seasons, Zupans.

Specialty Food Markets

This is a great option to pick up harder-to-find wines, spirits and RTD cocktails. There are drinks available at these outlets that I have not found even at John’s Marketplace. They do tend to be a bit pricey though, and fall into the “treat” category for me. Well worth visiting both of these stores.

Total Wine

Big-Box Stores

Places like Total Wine and BevMo have surprisingly good selections of NA drinks. My local Total Wine has a large selection of beer (a mix of big breweries and craft), a decent selection of spirits and probably the best selection of NA wines in the area. 

Online Stores

I haven’t used online stores that much as I’ve found the physical stores around me offering a tremendous selection, albeit from multiple locations.

However there are some great online options like Boisson (who also have brick and mortar stores around the country), Drisly, The Zero Proof, No & Low and Better Rhodes.

One area these outlets excel is NA wine. Their selections are unbeatable.

Also you can buy most products directly from the breweries and distilleries. So that’s always a good option too as they usually offer a discount on your first order.

Buy Local!

Oregon is fortunate to be home a number of companies that produce NA drinks. I would strongly recommend supporting them when you can. We have some fantastic drinks right on our doorstep!

HOW DO I FIND BARS AND RESTAURANTS THAT SELL NA DRINKS?

One of the hardest things about Dry January is going out and meeting friends at a bar or restaurant and not having anything interesting to drink. It’s one thing abstaining from alcohol when you are at home, it’s quite another when you are out in a social setting.

Well look no further than Olivia and Sarah Sear’s BuzzCutt, a fantastic free app that locates bars and restaurants that sell nonalcoholic drinks. The GPS locator on your phone will pull up establishments nearby or you can search for any city in the U.S.

So let’s say you are flying to Chicago for work and you want to meet some friends or family for dinner. You can check which restaurant has NA drinks and boom you aren’t stuck with drinking water!

I met some friends before the holidays in Multnomah Village and was able to check the bar we had agreed to meet at served NA beer. It took seconds to find on the app and I had a lovely evening sipping a couple of Best Day IPAs.

You can also search for NA drinks at grocery stores, bottle shops, convenience stores, sports bars, venues and much more. 

BuzzCutt is a super cool app and a great way to go out and enjoy a couple of drinks during Dry January without feeling like you are missing out. 

Get it free at the Apple App store or the Google Play store

WHICH DRINKS DO I START WITH?

There are now hundreds of nonalcoholic drinks available to the public in the U.S. These stretch out across beer, wine, spirits and RTD (ready-to-drink) cocktails. For instance there are over 100 NA beers available in the States right now.

The Modern Substitute newsletter aims to help people find great NA drinks. Rather than having to wade through a website with hundreds of options, each Saturday morning I recommend just three drinks I think you will like, in a five-minute newsletter.

You’ll find out where to buy these great drinks, how much they cost, flavor profiles and how the manufacturer describes them. 

So if you are stuck where to start and overwhelmed by the choices out there, take a look through the website at the various newsletter posts and I guarantee you will find something you like.

If you are interested in signing up for the free weekly newsletter, you can do that here.

Here are some links to get your Dry January going:

  • Drink suggestions to get you started in each category (link)

  • The first 36 drinks I recommended (link)

Lastly, reach out if you have any questions. Just DM me on LinkedIn or Instagram and I’ll do what I can to help you.

This post was originally written for the kind folks over at The Water Project. 

You can visit The Water Project at thewaterproject.org

The Water Project, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization unlocking human potential by providing reliable water projects to communities in sub-Saharan Africa who suffer needlessly from a lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation.

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