Alexandra Zauner. Photos: Chris Emeott
The nonalcoholic establishment offers a different way to enjoy the holiday season.
The holiday season arrives each year with a colorful concoction of expectations and cultural norms. And, before Dry January encourages many sober-curious to embrace a different path, alcohol remains a significant character in the festivities.
Alexandra Zauner, a Lake Elmo resident and Stillwater native, has built a thriving business that proposes a different way to connect. Lucille’s Alcohol-Free Social Experiences is a nonalcoholic (NA) establishment in downtown St. Paul that includes all the ingredients for a good time, from ingredients to event hosting.
“I felt like (Alcoholics Anonymous) was exactly what I needed in the early stages of my sobriety,” says Zauner, who has been alcohol-free for 11 years. “But I wanted to create opportunities for people to feel included and really empower people in a nonalcoholic space and beyond.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zauner began hosting alcohol-free workshops and events. As her curiosity and experience grew, she sought out NA beverages at Twin Cities retailers. She laughs at the irony of where she had to find them. “NA drink options were in the back of liquor stores, hidden among alcoholic options,” she says. “It wasn’t triggering for me, but for a lot of people, that’s probably not a great situation.”
Recognizing a need, she launched Lucille’s as a retail pop-up experience in October 2023. By January 2024, Lucille’s was selling products online. A storefront at 24 W. Seventh Place in St. Paul opened later that year, offering NA beer, cocktails, spirits and wine. “I want to get delicious NA products in the hands of people who want more options and don’t even know where to start,” she says. “The intention with what I do is to build a really curated offering, answer questions, provide tasting opportunities and make it special and exciting.”
Today, Lucille’s is expanding beyond retail. With NA beverage options now more widely available in major retailers, Zauner is focusing on hosting alcohol-free social events, including bachelorette parties, corporate gatherings, mixology classes, and wine and cheese nights that bring people together in fun, meaningful ways. “These events are a fun way to make interaction about the people you’re with and less about the drinks, fuzziness and disconnection,” she says. “People tell me they worry it’ll be weird, but it’s only weird if you make it that way.”
Founding Lucille’s has been a reminder to Zauner that she’s not alone in her own sobriety—and others in her community are craving connection too. She adds, “I see that people are just so grateful, whether they are sober or just searching to explore what nights out or social experiences look like without alcohol, [Lucille’s] gives them a way to reconnect with themselves and others.”
Get inspiration for your own sober alternatives to holiday spirits with NA cocktail recipes from Zauner.
Lucille’s Alcohol-Free Social Experiences
Instagram: @lucillesbottleshop
