What to Drink When You Are Not Drinking in Bangalore

Deciding not to drink tonight is the easy part. The harder part is the next four hours, when you need something in your hand at the gig, at the brewery table, at the house party and on the 1am dosa run. Nights out in Bangalore are often built around rounds, and the usual drink for someone who is not drinking is one lime soda followed by another. This guide goes through the other options, place by place.

At a gig

Bars at gig venues are set up to serve people quickly, so your options are usually soft drinks, water and whatever cans they stock. Before you order out of habit, check the menu for a non-alcoholic beer. If your favourite place does not have one, tell them, because venues listen to their regular customers. Venues can talk to us about stocking SOMA on our wholesale page. A non-alcoholic beer works well at a gig. It is cold, it lasts through a set, and you do not have to explain it between songs.

At a brewery or craft-beer bar

It may sound surprising, but beer bars are some of the best places to be when you are not drinking. They have proper glassware, they take flavour seriously, and nobody at a taproom questions anyone's order. Ask what they have under 0.5% ABV. If the answer is "nothing yet", a fresh lime soda from the kitchen with a splash of their house ginger syrup is a good fallback. Again, tell them what you wanted, because menus change when customers ask.

At a house party

Bring your own drinks, because a house party is the one place where you control the fridge. A 6-pack of non-alcoholic beer covers your whole night, and friends who are drinking may want a can or two after midnight, when they start pacing themselves. Our party guide covers hosting in full, including how much to buy. Handing someone a cold can is easier than explaining anything. You can offer one and tell them that it is the kind that does not give you a hangover.

At dinner

Dinner is where a non-alcoholic craft beer is most worth its price, because it goes well with food. A 500ml can of SOMA costs ₹149 at launch. Biryani goes well with a hazy IPA, and momos or anything fried go well with a crisp lager. Dessert goes well with a stout, and a stout with a gulab jamun is a very good pairing. With a beer that suits the food, you are the person at the table who ordered well.

The 1am food run

Late-night food in Bangalore, such as shawarma rolls, a midnight biryani or a 1am dosa, goes very well with a cold can. The person who is still wide awake at 1am gets to pick the place.

What should you drink when you are not drinking?

Choose something you want, rather than something you settle for. A drink you enjoy makes a night without alcohol a good night. Order a specific drink by name, such as a non-alcoholic IPA, and the night is no longer about what you are not having.

All five SOMA beers are under 0.5% ABV, and prices start at ₹99 for a 250ml can. SOMA is taking pre-orders now. Production starts after December 2026, and nothing ships before then. You can pre-order at shop.getsoma.store, or join the Founding Fifty, who will taste SOMA before the rest of the city.