Eat Athens: This Italian restaurant has the largest 'mocktail' menu in town

Though it's currently the most recognizable terminology for bar drinks that don't contain alcohol, "mocktail" has grown to become a reductive way of referring to the creativity involved in making zero-proof beverages.

When your server or bartender offers to remove the alcohol component of a menu item and sell you a weakened version, that's a true mocktail, because the drink is pretending to be something it isn't.

ZZ & Simone's is far from being the only restaurant in Athens with an alcohol-free beverage menu, but in late April, the Italian eatery rolled out the most diverse and comprehensive list of zero-proof drink options that this reporter has so far encountered. When the Banner-Herald stopped in to the bar at ZZ's, we were spoiled for choice with 11 different and interesting libations available to delight our palate.

Eat Athens: We tried all of the mocktails on this bar's 'zero proof' drink menu

Opened in late 2021 by veteran Athens restaurateurs Shae and Ryan Sims, ZZ & Simone's was designed to offer a different dining experience that would complement rather than compete with other local Italian options. Though ZZ's always had a few alcohol-free drinks available, Ryan wanted non-drinking folks to be able to sit with their friends and family and have a similarly plentiful list of beverages to choose from.

"Just drinking a cranberry and soda while everyone else at the table is having cocktails isn't necessarily fun, and can sometimes be a bit embarrassing," Ryan told the Banner-Herald. "I want our non-drinking guests in on just as much of the experience. Alcohol-free drinks shouldn't be an afterthought."

Of the 10 cocktails that ZZ's offers, five of them can be made with alcohol alternatives that have a similar taste. The key ingredient is alcohol-free spirits made by an independent company called Lyre that specializes in replicating gin, bourbon, whiskey, rum, tequila and others traditionally found in bar drinks. In addition to those, ZZ's offers Athletic IPA, Lyre's sparkling wine, and four unique items that were specifically designed as zero-proof cocktails.

When the Banner-Herald visited, we tried several of ZZ & Simone's alcohol-free beverages including a blood orange Gimlet, an orgeat Mai Tai, a margarita and the sparkling wine. Bartender Sara Mason, who worked together with Ryan to come up with the zero proof drink menu, told the Banner-Herald that the margarita and the Sorrento Spritz have been the most popular with customers so far. Ryan's favorite is the Mai Tai, which is made with Lyre's Dark Cane spirit and orgeat syrup.

After looking up the cost of the Lyre spirits, it makes sense that the alcohol-free cocktails at ZZ's are priced at $13 to $14 each, but it's the same as paying for any premium ingredient. Where flavor is concerned, everything we tried was off-the-charts delicious and pushed the boundaries of what we'd previously experienced at other places, particularly the sparkling wine, which was indistinguishable from the real thing. As with ZZ's cuisine, the drinks are a great addition to what else is available in town and further broadens the Athens standard of excellence.

Located at 1540 S. Lumpkin St., ZZ & Simone's is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

More: Have you tried a mocktail yet? Here are the 5 best Athens area places to get one.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Eat Athens: Italian offers impressive mocktail menu