Richmond's newest pop-up bar skips the alcohol

State of play: Founder Liz Baranowicz spent about a decade bartending in Wisconsin, and briefly in Florida, before choosing to be sober three years ago. She never stopped loving bar culture.

• She began missing the community aspect of it. The regulars, chit-chatting with strangers, learning "some bizarre lore" about someone after knowing them for an hour.
• So she decided to create an alcohol-free version last fall, because "If alcohol was the biggest reason why people went to bars, then they wouldn't go to bars. They'd drink at home," she told Axios.

The latest: Now, after business classes, mentorship and a tech layoff that pushed her to go all in, Baranowicz is launching her first sober nightlife pop-up at Studio One Twenty in Northside.

What to expect: The ticketed event will feature unlimited zero-proof cocktails (the bitters are alcohol-free, too), non-alcoholic beer and wine, and Soft Times Lounge merch.

On the menu: A hibiscus margarita with NA tequila, house-made syrup, and a hibiscus-lime salt rim.

• A lavender-and-Early Grey cocktail in a coupe glass.
• A pineapple-miso drink with NA gin and a tahini rim.
• A lychee-ginger spritz topped with sparkling NA wine.

Fun fact: Baranowicz worked with Alissa McCutcheon, who helps develop Little Nickel's seasonal cocktail menus, to finalize the recipes.

If you go: The Wednesday pop-up is at 120 W. Brookland Park Blvd. 6:30-9:30pm. $44.52.

What's next: Monthly pop-ups and themed events to start, with a permanent brick-and-mortar space as the longer-term goal.

• If all goes well, Baranowicz said a permanent space could be in the works within the next year.