Utah's non-alcoholic cocktails are more grown-up than you think

I finally made my way to Curiosity, Salt Lake City's new non-alcoholic bar and bottle shop, which opened in May at 145 E. 900 South.

• Those of you who know me realize that the phrase "zero proof" is not exactly my siren song.
• But the place was hopping on a Thursday night, and I can't resist a crowd!

What I found: A robust menu of mixed drinks, non-alcoholic wines and boozeless beers, in a cafe-like venue.

• Adults were talking about work and relationships, and the servers had tattoos and a bit of friendly sass. Like any other bar.

Details: The cocktails I tried were not syrupy sweet. Do not mistake this for a soda-mixing outfit.

• The Nightcap Old Fashioned was my favorite, with a light herbal taste in the "elixir" and a couple of bitters mixed in.

Cost: $10-$12 per cocktail. I know what you're thinking: "That's as much as an alcoholic cocktail!"

• Yes, but: The ingredients are high-end. The Nightcap elixir runs almost $40 per bottle online, and the fixins (Luxardo cherries, etc.) are in line with any other upscale bar.

Context: Booze-free bars have been around for years in lots of cities, serving lots of target markets — from customers in recovery to wellness enthusiasts to people who would otherwise be in a cafe.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show the name of the non-alcoholic bar is Curiosity, not Curious.