Nutmeg Bar and Market: Craft Cocktails Without the Booze Come to East Passyunk

WHEN BRIAN ROTHBART GOT SOBER in 2017, he also changed careers. A hospitality veteran and former winemaker who owned a wine bar in Jersey City, Rothbart tried other industries before deciding his heart belonged to beverages. So he decided to get back into the bar business—the nonalcoholic bar business. In April, he opened Nutmeg Bar & Market on East Passyunk Avenue. It’s got everything you want in a bar—vibes, music, socializing, craft cocktails—minus the alcohol. “Just because you don’t drink alcohol doesn’t mean you should be relegated to club soda and coffee,” says Rothbart.

But Nutmeg is more than a watering hole. Rothbart sees the venue as a place to normalize socializing without alcohol. So he’s hosting comedy nights and art shows at Nutmeg as a way to bring people together around something besides booze.

Rothbart thinks the nonalcoholic bar is an idea whose time has come. “Young people don’t want to drink as much as my generation did, and there’s a much bigger emphasis on mental health than there used to be,” he says. Plus, the nonalcoholic drinks industry is booming, with complex and satisfying no-alcohol beers, wines, and spirits. “It’s a great time to be able to normalize going out and being social, and not having alcohol being part of it.”

This summer, watch for Nutmeg’s seasonal spritz menu. Rothbart will be mixing amaro-type elixirs and fresh mixers with Töst nonalcoholic bubbly. Whether you’re looking to have an alcohol-free night out or just nix the booze in your pre-dinner drink, you’ll have refreshing options.

Nutmeg Bar & Market
1835 E. Passyunk Ave.
415.407.7511
nutmegbarandmarket.com