First alcohol-free pub opens in Dublin

Ireland has once again defied the stereotypes when they opened what’s claimed to be Europe’s very first no-alcohol pub last Friday. The Virgin Mary bar opened its doors at 2pm sharp on Capel Street with pub operating hours and a pub vibe, but with absolutely no alcohol on the premises.

Beers, wines, and cocktails will be on sale, but each of them will only be the 0% kind.

“When I mention this concept to friends, the first thing they do is laugh and ask why I’d do this in one of the bar capitals of Europe,” said the owner Vaughan Yates. “From birth to death, baptism to funeral, Ireland has a drinking culture. It’s part of the lifestyle. But Ireland is changing.”

Recent stats reveal that about 25% of Irish adults do not drink alcohol and Yates believes that this doesn’t mean they don’t want to go out for a traditional night out.

“By nine, 10 o’clock in a bar it’s very loud; there can be noise and chaos,” he says. “Here you can still be having a conversation at 10 o’clock and still be making sense.”

Yates knows that going to the place perhaps best known for its drinking and opening an alcohol free bar means he is going to have to offer something else, and said the trick may lie in the range of cocktails devised by bar manager, Anna Walsh. The signature Virgin Mary is hot and spicy; Cedar’s Spritz comprises non-alcoholic gin and sparkling wine; and Chilled Raven Nitro Coffee (a coffee charged with nitrogen) will be poured from a stout tap to mimic the texture and appearance of Guinness.

On the streets, the feedback has been mixed, with one punter Noel Donegan telling the Financial Times: “Even Jesus had the good sense to turn water into wine…I’ve never ever understood the concept of non-alcoholic drinks. Why bother?”

But Anita Buckley told the same publication: “It’s a good idea because not everybody drinks. I wouldn’t be a great drinker.”

Yates continued: “Dublin is an incredibly diverse city with an increasingly discerning population. So people are looking for a place where they can sit down with friends and really connect in a lively yet mindful drinking environment.”

Only time will tell if he is right.

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