Updated June 2026. Facts, pour sizes, hours, and sources checked against current NIAAA labeling notes.
Say the words “no alcohol” and name the mixer. The safest 0.0 orders are soda water + lime, cola, ginger ale, lemonade, iced tea, coffee, or a named mocktail with no spirit and no liqueur. A “soda and lime” is not a vodka soda unless they pour vodka. Hard seltzer is alcoholic. Some NA beer and NA wine print up to about 0.5% ABV — ask and read the can.
Specs for the alcoholic versions we are skipping: IBA cocktail recipes, shots to order. NA bottles: NA beer, what NA beer is, NA sparkling, NA IPA, NA rum.
What to say
| Say this | Ethanol | Do not assume |
|---|---|---|
| “Soda water, lime, no alcohol” | 0.0 | That the gun is only soda |
| “Shirley Temple” / “Roy Rogers” | 0.0 | A house “mocktail” that includes bitters (bitters are alcoholic) |
| “Virgin Paloma, no tequila, no liqueur” | 0.0 | A Paloma automatically comes without tequila |
| “NA beer — show me the can” | 0.0 to ~0.5% | That NA means 0.0 |
| Hard seltzer | Alcoholic | That “seltzer” means virgin |
Angostura-class bitters are spirits. A dash is small but not zerodash of bitters. If you are the driver, 0.0 is the line. NIAAA binge pattern applies to the alcoholic pours, not the soda.
Sources
- NIAAA standard drink (December 2025).
- US NA beer/wine may be labeled up to ~0.5% ABV. — read the can.
- Bitters are alcoholic; a dash is not a free pour. No invented 15-drink ranking.