Soft Bar — A Girl's Guide to Drinking Alone

200 Banker St btw Meserole and Norman Aves, Greenpoint

The Place: A nonalcoholic bar and cafe that’s owned by a star of one of the few reality shows I don’t watch: “Summer House.”

The Time: Sunday April 26, 6pm. I’ve been trying to get out of my neighborhood more often, now that the sun sets later than 4pm. So I decide to hop on the G up to Greenpoint and take a stroll. I’m trying to drink a little less (shocking I know) and I read about Soft Bar when it opened last year.

The Vibe: Beautiful, enormous, and completely empty. Nearby there is a humongous line (a BDL, as it were) around the block for Caffe Panna, so I don’t think it’s for lack of people in the neighborhood. It’s a coffee shop in the front that leads to a long green bar with soft cushy bar stools. There’s exposed brick, super high, rounded ceilings–it feels very LA. Since it’s just me and the bartender, I ask her if they’re still open, and she says they close at 7. A bar that closes at 7?! It’s true, it feels much more like a big, chill cafe than a nightlife spot. Though the back bar really showcases the leaps and bounds that nonalcoholic spirits have taken in the last five years. The fact that you can now fill a back bar entirely with NA spirits is amazing.

A handful of people come in looking for coffee, but they’ve stopped serving coffee for the day. A couple stop in and look around, then sit down and begin asking the bartender a lot of questions. From the sound bites I manage to get, it seems like they know some of the same people? But then the couple ask about “the watch parties,” and I feel like something bigger is happening here. That’s when I discover that the owner is on the Bravo show Summer House, and the bar hosts watch parties every Tuesday. I watch a lot of reality TV, but I haven’t dipped my toes in the Bravo cinematic universe (except for Top Chef). I guess it’s a guaranteed customer base for them, which frankly, I’m glad they have.

The Bartender: Kendra, my main gal, the only person to talk to. She’s wearing a great cream-colored sweater (brave) and big hoop earrings (even braver, IMO). Pretty quickly after I sit down, she asks if I “know the concept.” She says that a lot of people ask if they have anything alcoholic, and she has to be like “no, that’s the soft part.” I can’t imagine how annoying this must be. She also gives me some Summer House tea once I reveal that I’m a novice, and there’s nothing I love more than other people’s gossip.

The Drank: The menu is made up entirely of nonalcoholic cocktails, all which contain an “active ingredient” and describe what effects the drink will have, theoretically. This is the kind of shit I have a hard time getting behind–just make delicious drinks, I don’t need you to promise me that my mocktail will “boost focus and cognition.” But I guess they have to justify charging $16 for cocktails without alcohol somehow. I ask Kendra her thoughts, and she recommends the Golden Hour. The base is Everleaf Marine, an NA aperitif I haven’t heard of, with pink peppercorn shrub, apple soda, and sparkling nonalc wine. It also apparently contains saffron and B12 and is for “energy, mood boost, cognitive support.” Sure! It’s yummy, citrusy, bubbly, a little thin but it doesn’t have that bizarre aftertaste that a lot of NA spirits still have, so overall I’m satisfied.

Was I Hit On? / Did I Make Friends?: Kendra and I are pals, for sure. But I fear for my new friend when several people come in around 6:30 and Kendra has to serve them but also inform them they need to leave in half an hour. That’s like the opposite of hitting on people and I do not envy her. Again, why do they close at 7pm!?

Should You Drink Here Alone?: For a lovely, albeit pricey, nonalcoholic drink that feels like a real cocktail, check out Soft Bar. And certainly if you’re a Summer House fan, I’m sure you’ll find kindred spirits to talk to about all that Kyle and Amanda drama. (I guess he wants to be a DJ? Yikes!)

PS. I’d also recommend following up your drink(s) with a meal at Rule of Thirds across the street, and if you are imbibing, I think they might have the best sake selection in Brooklyn.