The Oregon Nonalcoholic Spirits Fueling Portland’s Mocktails

At Victoria, the patio-lined cocktail bar on North Albina, the alcohol-free drink program began simply enough: teas, CBD sodas, and a few nonalcoholic beers. Bartenders were also happy to mix something without alcohol, often by omitting the liquor in drinks like the Florin, a spritzy highball of strawberry and basil. But by 2018, the team realized they needed something more in line with the focus they placed on their mixed drinks.

Today, a third of the cocktail menu is devoted to NA concoctions: a botanical, bittersweet sipper called the Real Charmer, a summery pineapple-coconut spritz with a touch of juniper and orange called Sid’s Song, and the bright, sweet-tart Steps & Numbers. And Victoria’s not alone: Bars like the Uncanny, Sousòl, Pacific Standard, and even whiskey-heavy spots like Scotch Lodge all sport lengthy lists of nonalcoholic cocktails. The foundation of many of them: new, Oregon-made, alcohol-free spirits, developed with the same nerdy meticulousness that has defined our food and drink scene.

Portland has long been a leader within the broader beverage world, with nationally celebrated coffee, wine, and even whiskey. And as interest in temperance has grown, bartenders and distillers have been experimenting with replicating craft spirits, sans alcohol. In late 2019, Oregon got its first locally crafted nonalcoholic gin when Dhōs Gin Free hit shelves, alongside a nonalcoholic orange liqueur and a red liqueur in the vein of Aperol. Soon after, in 2020, Hood River brand Wilderton released its Lustre and Earthen at liquor stores and groceries, a line of ultra-botanical, alcohol-free spirits that intentionally avoid comparisons to specific liquors. And outside the world of spirits, For Bitter For Worse’s playful and complex bottled mocktails joined them on shelves the same year.

Dhōs is an offshoot of Ransom Spirits, one of Oregon’s oldest and most lauded distilleries. Founded in 1997, Ransom is famous for its revival of the Old Tom gin style, a sweeter, sometimes barrel-aged gin often made from malt. Dhōs president Ari Walker worked in spirits for decades—he started a distribution and import company 25 years ago, and met Ransom founder Tad Seestedt through the industry. The two became friends, and eventually, Walker took over Ransom and Seestedt retired. But Walker has been sober for 12 years; developing a nonalcoholic spirit was personal. “It felt like if you weren’t drinking, you were sitting at the little kid’s table,” he says. “Mostly, I just wanted to have a serious beverage instead of something treacly and gross.” 

So, before Seestedt retired, Walker established the nonalcoholic brand with him and Ransom master distiller Matt Cechovic. Dhōs began with spirits that were easier to replicate—gin, with its recognizable juniper, orange liqueur sweetened with monk fruit, and a bittersweet red liqueur, defined by its botanicals more than flavors derived from alcohol. 

While Dhōs was working on its take on nonalcoholic spirits, Wilderton founder Brad Whiting was trying to find the perfect partner. He had previously worked with distilleries like Clear Creek and Hood River before he decided to tackle the zero-proof market, but first he needed someone who could craft a nonalcoholic spirit. Most distillers he met were uninterested until he came across Seth O’Malley, who had previously worked at Townshend’s Tea. He started in its tea shops before he became the head distiller for the now-closed Townshend’s Distillery, where he turned kombucha into fernet, gin, and alpine liqueurs. 

O’Malley was intrigued by Whiting’s proposal, but had his own approach: while creating analogues to existing spirits may be easier to communicate to consumers, it was never his goal. “My work is with botanicals, so I wasn’t going to make a nonalcoholic whiskey or tequila, because I’m absolutely the wrong person for that,” he says. Instead, as Wilderton’s head distiller, O’Malley focused on compelling blends of herbs, teas, and aromatics. The brand released its flagship products, Earthen and Lustre, in the fall of 2020. While neither has a precisely equivalent liquor, the Earthen is rich with warm spices and often stands in for darker spirits in drinks, while the Lustre is bright and crisp, appearing in spritzes and faux-gronis. In August 2022, the brand released a more analogous product with the Bittersweet, another take on the bittersweet red liqueur category dominated by Campari. 

Both brands were initially met with some confusion, as distributors, retail, and consumers grappled with the idea of a spirit sans booze. “The truth is I probably drank more than I sold the first few years,” Walker says. But sales started to see serious growth for Wilderton by January of 2022, and Dhōs by early 2023. Coming out of the pandemic was a factor, as many Oregonians had increased their alcohol consumption during the stressful, isolating early days of COVID lockdowns. And as bartenders across Portland grew their mocktail menus, they had these new products to play with. 

One such bartender is Katsumi Manabe, bar manager of the lauded and whiskey-soaked cocktail bar Scotch Lodge. While its menu spans the globe, with Japanese gin drinks and plenty of Scotch-based cocktails, Manabe and his team decided to look nearby for nonalcoholic offerings. “You’re constantly getting samples and offers [of nonalcoholic products], but we wanted to stay local,” says Manabe. The goal was to provide nondrinkers with options that were as thoughtfully crafted and presented as the boozier drinks. The Disappearing Act plays up the spices of Wilderton’s Earthen with cherrywood smoke, while the NA Painkiller uses Dhōs Gin Free in place of Scotch. The latter actually outsells the classic Painkiller on the menu. 

Victoria serves four cocktails using Dhōs, and the team has the same ethos around nonalcoholic drinks as Manabe. “I love a canned Phony Negroni, but we are a full-service cocktail bar,” says Victoria’s general manager George Milliken. “Why would we just open a can and pour it over ice?” On any given night, between 10 and 20 percent of the mixed drinks Victoria sells come from the spirit-free menu, according to Milliken; from what he’s seen, they’re especially popular with younger crowds and people who left the service industry—and drinking—behind in 2020. 

Beyond bar shelves and wells, Dhōs, Wilderton, and other nonalcoholic products have begun to appear at grocery and liquor stores with more regularity. Still, artist Ariel Dunitz-Johnson wants to go further. Their vision is Ever AFter, a bottle shop, bar, event space, art gallery, and dedicated third place that is entirely free from alcohol. They want Ever AFter to be a place where everyone can feel safe, including those in recovery who might be avoiding bars altogether, regardless of their NA selection. For now, Ever AFter has a residency at Northeast Portland’s plant shop Colibri, mixing nonalcoholic spirits—including Dhōs and Wilderton—with other local products like For Bitter For Worse, as well as their own syrups and infusions. 

Dunitz-Johnson appreciates the local focus of Dhōs and Wilderton, too. “The Pacific Northwest is such a unique space, with our connection to local products, foraged goods, and knowing where our food comes from,” they say. “What I think is unique about the products based in Oregon is that they carry that through. It’s so mindful and intentional.”

Dhōs is currently finishing up a vodka and a tequila-style product, which will hit shelves this fall and winter. Wilderton is also deep in R&D, chipping away at spirits inspired by Italian flavors (currently, details are scarce). Soon enough, full cocktail menus may end up with nonalcoholic doppelgängers—none fit for the kids table.

Where to find more:

At this time, the best way to sample Wilderton products is at its Hood River tasting room, and visitors can taste Dhōs products at Ransom Distillery in Sheridan. Find both at EverAFter at Colibri, as well as the nonalcoholic cocktail pop-up Wayward Sailor, which pops up at coffee shops and music festivals.