ST CHARLES, Mo. — A new lounge is opening in St. Charles this week, but it’s a bit different from the typical hangout spot. It doesn’t serve alcohol.
The Mocktail Lounge will begin serving up alcohol-free cocktails this Friday at 335 North Main Street.
The jazzy 1940s-themed lounge will feature gold and ostrich feathered centerpieces, framed photos of 1940s Hollywood glamour icons and a 1947 upright baby grand piano.
In addition to mocktails, customers can enjoy charcuterie platters filled with seasonal fruits, cheeses, meats, nuts and crackers. The platters also include jalapeno blackberry jam that is “truly to die for.”
This is the first sober lounge in Missouri, according to owner Brandi Schmidt.
“Other cities, such as New York, have instituted this type of lounge, but we are the first to do it 40s style,” she told 5 On Your Side. “Everyone needs options, this one takes out the alcohol and adds so much more.”
Schmidt said she and co-owner Jessica Lener are both in recovery from alcohol addiction. She said they saw a need for a safe place to socialize where they wouldn’t be “bombarded with alcohol.”
“So, we decided to make one, and thus The Mocktail Lounge was born,” Schmidt said.
A 12-step program brought them together and a "grand friendship was born."
All of the mocktails are stocked full of fresh fruits and juices. Schmidt said her favorite drink is The Love Happy, named after the last Marks Brothers movie that came out in the 40s. The drink includes blackberries, lime and ginger ale. Lener’s favorite drink is the Cary Grant, a faux dirty martini with a bamboo skewer of olives and one giant diamond ice cube.
Guests will also be able to enjoy live music “almost every night” while sipping on their mocktails.
"We hope this lounge will be fun, safe, and a place where everyone is welcomed. If you drink, if you don’t, you are always welcomed at The Mocktail Lounge," Schmidt said.
The lounge will follow the St. Charles health department’s COVID-19 guidelines. All servers will wear masks at all times, tables will be 6 feet apart and they will be cleaned in between uses.
Click here for more information about the lounge or to make a reservation.
