Sans Bar STL is an alcohol-free cocktail pop-up in St. Louis

Looking for a social escape and night out while abstaining from alcohol? Sans Bar STL is here for you. Powered by PreventEd – a local nonprofit organization focused on preventing the harms of alcohol and other drug use through education, intervention and advocacy – Sans Bar STL, with their “get wild not wasted” and “shaken not slurred” ethos, has been quietly popping up all over the city with ticketed, alcohol-free events since 2019.

“Drinkers and non-drinkers have existed at two ends of the spectrum in a very black-and-white world: You are either a drinker or a non-drinker,” said Annie O’Donoghue, the mastermind behind Sans Bar STL. According to O’Donoghue, the NA sector’s growth has created a space for everyone to be themselves, regardless of their relationship to alcohol. “It has allowed adults to see that you can have a night out on the town, unwind at home, etc. and have it be a nice time,” she continued. “Our society, for the most part, links fun [and] adult sophistication with booze. That shouldn’t be the case.”

2023 looks bright for this young organization with an ambitious monthly pop-up calendar currently in the works. One of the first alcohol-free events of 2023 is a partnership with WellBeing Brewing and will be held at the Schlafly Tap Room on Saturday, Jan. 21. Tickets include NA beverages, snacks and joyous camaraderie and can be purchased through their website.