Boston's First Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Bar Is Here

"The smoked old fashioned at Beyond Proof, the new nonalcoholic bar in Jamaica Plain, pleasantly burns down the throat, just like a traditional old fashioned should, with orange bitters and orange peel for those sweet citrus notes. Owner Krista Kranyak is at the bar of the dawn-hued space that used to be her former restaurant, Ten Tables, adding a blend of hickory and walnut wood chips to a small smoker over the rocks glass for the drink's finishing touch."

""I just take this over to the table and people love it," she says, lighting the chips on fire with a handheld torch. Smoke curls down into the glass. "Why shouldn't you be able to have a beautiful, sophisticated drink and feel like you're drinking bourbon and getting the same kind of smoked effect, just without the alcohol?""

"Since opening in April, she's been hearing from customers that the drinks are so delicious that they forget there's no alcohol involved. "And I'm like, aren't we supposed to be drinking for the taste and not the effect?" she says with a laugh. Even after the smoke twirls, the taste lingers in the drink, boosting the peppery kick of the Nkd bourbon."

"Customers-whether sober, sober-curious, or just taking a zero-proof break before a nightcap elsewhere-are taking notice. The concept has its detractors, of course. Online, some were quick to comment about how selling "$16 m"

Beyond Proof occupies the former Ten Tables space in Jamaica Plain and serves Mediterranean mezze alongside nonalcoholic cocktails. A signature smoked old fashioned is finished with hickory and walnut wood chips heated in a small smoker over the rocks glass, producing smoke that curls into the drink. The beverage includes orange bitters and orange peel for sweet citrus notes and a burn-down-the-throat finish similar to a traditional old fashioned. Owner Krista Kranyak emphasizes that zero-proof drinks can still be sophisticated and crafted for taste rather than alcohol effects. Customers report that the drinks are so flavorful they forget there is no alcohol, attracting sober, sober-curious, and break-taking patrons.

Read at Boston Magazine