Zero-proof cocktails at Bar Palmina

people are turning away from alcohol in larger numbers no alcohol beverage sales volume in the US Rose 29% from 2022 to 2023 but often when people take a break or stop drinking altogether their social life takes a hit and the holidays can be especially tough but thanks to a new bar in Fishtown everyone has a place to celebrate jaon and sturd the drinks are flowing at bar palmin owner Nikki Graziano mixes mother and makes creative cocktails as well as versions of an old-fashioned all kinds of martinis and more I really like the Uzu nron that one's probably our best seller it has lemon Apper tee shiso and vermouth this is the Dune the one thing you won't find in these creative curated crafted cocktails is alcohol this is a zeroproof cocktail bar in Fishtown the idea for bar Palina was born out of Nikki's traumatic personal journey I started drinking after a sexual salt I just started drinking more and more I drank myself to death over Co um I got a liver transplant in 2022 I mean I was on life support all my muscles had atrophied my core was obviously ripped open like cut into to get the transplant after about eight months of physical therapy that included learning how to walk again Nikki was looking to celebrate her first year of being sober and there was nowhere to go I wanted to celebrate the way that I was used to celebrating which is like going out and having so someone make you a cute little drink so Nikki decided to build her own bar when I realized that there was something a business that was missing that I wanted to be a customer at it kind of just clicked this past August she opened palmina named after her grandmother and bar palmin it seems is not just about providing drinks but providing a safe space of celebratory space for people yeah I actually get really emotional thinking about it because it means a lot to people to have a place to go Nikki says she wants people to sit for as long long as they'd like and talk to her or their fellow customers people will do meetups like sober I think we have like a sober queer community that comes in a few times a month and like I didn't do that they did that all on their own at bar palmin you'll also find movies and trivia night more or less and Nikki has a partnership with a store called Wallace Dry Goods which sells zero proof Spirits you can order from wall drets in armore um you can pick up here bar palmin is hosting a New Year's Eve party as you walked in I was shopping for a spinning disco bow I love that and if you don't make it out to ring in 2025 Nikki hopes you'll belly up to her bar any time of year and I can vouch that is great thank you her drinks are delicious very refes that drink was amazing and don't call Nikki's drinks mocktails she says mocktails are made with juice and soda while she makes zero proof cocktails that are complex less sweet and much more adult by the way she makes her own syrups and even a vegan foer she's open six days a week although this week is a little different because it's a holiday week but she is so cool and her bar is beautiful and she really does serve delicious drinks I love just her her backstory and how she truly turned her life around and and these these places are wonderful for the social part of it right you know just because you stop drinking doesn't mean you want to stop socializing in that way so good to have that I was saying that she's turned her bar into a social Sanctuary it's a really neat place