Poll: Would you go to an alcohol-free pub?

Pub openings in Dublin are usually greeted with a long night of music and Guiness, but not in The Virgin Mary - the first alcohol-free bar in the Irish capital.
The alcohol-free bar has opened in Dublin (Photo: Shutterstock)The alcohol-free bar has opened in Dublin (Photo: Shutterstock)
The alcohol-free bar has opened in Dublin (Photo: Shutterstock)

The bar, run by Burton-on-Trent man Vaughn Yates, is a refurbished furniture shop in Dublin, seats 30, and offers a selection of non-alcoholic cocktails, beers and wines, reported The Irish Times.

The concept has been tried elsewhere, with DRY, a pop-up booze-free bar opening in Edinburgh in 2017, but it was only in operation for two months.

‘Get tipsy on the atmosphere’

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Mr Yates and his business partner Oisin Davis are well-known figures in the drinks industry, having created a premium Irish tonic water called Poachers.

They were inspired to create The Virgin Mary after noticing an increased appetite and market for alcohol-free drinks and a gap in the market for an alcohol-free bar.

The establishment will adhere to traditional pub opening hours, between 4pm and 11pm

Mr Yates told The Telegraph, “We don’t serve tea and coffee because we don’t want people to think we’re in a café, and to come and sit in front of their computers.

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“We want people to treat it as they would a pub. We had a preview evening this week and guests were feeling tipsy on the atmosphere, with a bit of a buzz – chatting away and laughing despite having drunk absolutely no alcohol. It got quite boisterous.”

What will the pub serve?

The pub will serve non-alcoholic cocktails designed to taste like the real thing, with a Cedar Spritz replacing a typical gin and tonic, made from non-alcoholic gin and sparkling wine.

There will also be a range of non-alcoholic beers, including Mikkeller’s Drink in the Sun.

Perhaps most unusually, the pub will serve chilled coffee on tap. The coffee will be poured from a stout tap and is meant to mimic the texture and appearance of Guiness when served cold.

Would you go to an alcohol-free pub?

Do you think an booze-free bar is a good idea? Take part in our poll and have your say.