Dinner at a 12-seat Michelin-star restaurant is an occasional blowout. So, you’re going hard, you’re getting the full wine flight, and then a shot of something strong in your espresso for dessert. But things are changing. The New York Times noted recently that fewer people are drinking wine. Restaurants earn their highest profit margin with plonk, so novel alternatives are filling the vacuum. At Evelyn’s this summer, there’s a special alcohol-free food and wine menu. Think: south-coast omakase (spring greens and seafood) paired with Passing Clouds Muri sparkling wine (giving bright acidity, fruits, honey, flowers, and absolutely no headache whatsoever).

Soho, London (throughout summer)

theblueposts.co.uk

We know that drinking habits have changed, but we’re still learning how to have a good time without booze. See: the marketing for most alcohol-free parties, which sounds like your newly sober mate constantly reminding you how totally mental they still are. The itinerant booze-free pop-up Listen Bar is a bit different. They don’t preach. The buzz around it (it’s been featured in Vice and The New York Times) achieves a certain Fomo feeling. And, apparently, Snoop Dogg asked them to name a drink after him. With “frozen drinks that raise the bar for AF cocktails” (according to owner Ms Morgan Ribera) and a free copy of their new magazine, this party, the exact location of which will be revealed in their newsletter, is worth a look.

New York (mid-July)

listen.bar

Figlia is the sober person’s answer to a Campari or Aperol-like aperitif. A spritz for people who like to stay in control. If you’re drinking this (and fewer negronis), you probably prefer to move more, too. But doing exercise can often mean drizzly mornings with just your Strava app for company. Do better. Hit the centre of the coolest sporting and hospitality Venn diagram and go for a run with the communities of adidas and The Hoxton in Williamsburg. And afterwards: drink red, satisfyingly bitter “cocktails” to your heart’s content (and feel fresh enough for another run the day after.)

Williamsburg, New York (22 June)

thehoxton.com

Founded by Ms Laura Willoughby in the spirit of changing attitudes towards alcohol, Club Soda has been a driving force in the booze-free conversation in the UK over the past decade. Once a social impact organisation, it now has a bricks-and-mortar bottle shop-cum-event space in Covent Garden, London. It does regular online events, as well as cocktail clubs and beer and wine nights. If you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community and sober (or thinking about it), you might appreciate something a little more targeted to your interests. It’s monthly, so if you’re lacking Dutch courage, there’ll be a strong regular crowd to welcome you.

Covent Garden, London (20 July)

joinclubsoda.com

Anyone who has given up the beer but still likes the taste will have sunk a Lucky Saint. Alcohol-free ales can vary in quality, but this one mimics the hard stuff so well many people report a tipsy psychosomatic buzz after a pint or two. Why not make a night of it at the pub run by the alcohol-free giants? You can call in any day of the week and have one of their famous ploughman’s or get a ticket for this evening of music in collaboration with Sofar Sounds. They don’t reveal the artists until the last minute, but they’ve worked with Ms Billie Eilish, Mr Leon Bridges and Wolf Alice in the past, so you can assume it’ll be a good one.

Marylebone, London (1 August)

sofarsounds.com

The New Bar is a booze-free bottle shop and community based in Venice, California, with a reputation as the coolest designated driver around (last year, it was Coachella’s first alcohol-free pop-up partner). But if you’ve given up drinking, festivals may be out, too, so a wine and cheese night could be more your thing. Don’t worry, The New Bar assures us the wine will be as good as the real thing. “Just like traditional winemaking, grapes are fermented, vinified, and created into a fully alcoholic product,” founder Ms Brianda Gonzalez says. “The alcohol is then removed, typically through vacuum distillation and reverse osmosis. [The wines] have all the subtleties and complexities you’d find in regular wine.” In terms of the cheese, you’ll be in the capable hands of cheesemonger and Food Network producer Ms Hilary Kinzler.

Venice, California (August)

thenewbar.com

You may balk at the marketing or the mission statements, but, if you’re going sober this summer and you’re worried about losing the freedom you find six drinks deep on a dance floor with your friends and a bunch of strangers, Daybreaker’s mass yoga and dance events could scratch that itch. It’s celebrating its 10-year anniversary, and has organised events in 28 cities across the globe so far, so they must be doing something right. All you need to do is pay for your ticket. The (0.0 per cent) drinks, food and #positivevibes are completely free.

Waterline Square Park, New York (28 June)

daybreaker.com

If you have experienced The Pig already, it was probably in the form of a lovely hotel in an even lovelier location. There are now 10 properties in some of the sleepiest corners of England. What you may not know is they also put on a festival called Smoked & Uncut. The warm and cosy vibe carries through, of course. It’s set in the New Forest and Kelis is headlining, so Glastonbury or Burning Man this is not. But you’re sober now and gone are the days of looking for the afters in a field at 8.00am. Don’t worry – there’s a rather thoughtful alcohol-free drinks menu, supplied by Pentire, which includes a margarita cocktail and a soda and seaweed. Which is the only experimental plant you’re likely to indulge in here.

Lyndhurst, New Forest (8 July) and Canterbury, Kent (12 August)

smokedanduncut.com