Photos courtesy of Craft NoCo
A dozen-table craft cocktail bar in North Conway has a seat for everyone
“We’re trying to build a little community, trying to build ourselves this little place in the mountains where we can do what we love to do. It’s just two people here trying to make a difference. They’re not customers. They’re guests in our house, you know?” —Neal Lyon, Craft NoCo
WHEN I STOPPED DRINKING ALCOHOL four years ago due to a health condition, I figured my days of lounging in a cozy booth with a thoughtfully crafted drink were over. As I emerged back into the world after a booze-fueled lockdown, with a clearer head and a brewery-size hole in my heart, I noticed nonalcoholic beers on the shelves at the grocery store and scribbled at the end of menus in bars and restaurants around Portland, Maine. It wasn’t that they weren’t ever there, but now that I had joined the alcohol-free world, I caught the tail end of a long period of uninspiring nonalcoholic options.
But this was 2021, and little did I know a shift was starting to pick up speed. According to USA Today, nonalcoholic beverage sales were at 495.5 million in 2022, nearly doubling to 829.2 million in 2024, and are expected to continue growing steadily. A dominant reason for this shift? Health.
At the end of 2022, I moved to the Mount Washington Valley to live with my partner, Nate, and, like many others who have flocked to this area, to be closer to the outdoors. Nate started to taper off his alcohol consumption, citing a want to tackle our outdoor adventures without a headache. For a while, we enjoyed making alcohol-free drinks at our home “bar” setup, throwing herbs and flowers we grew in pots on our porch steps into a shaker, and topping it with brightly flavored seltzers and dried citrus. In early February of this year, Nate relayed some exciting news: “There’s a place coming to downtown North Conway, and they have a full page of spirit-free drinks that look good.”
Sixteen exactly, at Craft NoCo, a craft cocktail bar and kitchen tucked into a side street a couple of blocks from our apartment in North Conway. I rushed to the Internet and saw alcohol-free drinks with thoughtful garnishes, funky glasses, and gorgeous colors that rivaled what my friends delicately sipped (while I clutched a large plastic cup with a straw). I’m content with my alcohol-free life, but there’s always a very human pull to be included, and I wanted my ingredients, vessel, and craft care to reflect that. I would have been happy to continue enjoying time with friends and loved ones with a soda water, splash of bitters, and a lime, but why not have options to order something to be excited about? To be seen?
I stopped into Craft NoCo in mid-March with Nate, grabbing the only free seats in the back on a comfy couch surrounded by at least eight potted plants. It was windy and raw outside, but tucked into the back surrounded by murals of mountains and trees painted by muralist Alexis Wells, we felt shielded and cozy. Blankets were tucked into baskets under our table—someone here was 10 steps ahead. Owners Donna Scott and Neal Lyon whipped around the small space, taking orders and assuming their respective positions food running and bartending.
I was giddy with the drink choices, pairings like passion fruit and hibiscus, and butternut squash and maple. I went for the cucumber and sage with lime and chamomile, and Nate ordered the blueberry and lemon—a subconscious plea from both of us for warmer weather. We didn’t have time for food as we were off to a birthday party, but watching crocks of steaming French onion soup and smash burgers land at nearby tables was enough to put another visit on the calendar.
In that moment, it clicks for me. It’s not a “mocktail” because it’s not a mockery of anything. It exists on its own.
Both of our drinks were delicious and thoughtful—mine well balanced between the drying nature of chamomile, the refreshing cucumber, a bite of sage and some sweetness from what I assumed was simple syrup, Nate’s a punch of blueberry and a little tart citrus. Both had gorgeous garnishes. We sipped our drinks and looked out at the wind whipping the open flag. In that moment, the weather didn’t matter, we were present with our enjoyment. We picked out what we’d order next time, paid our tab (delivered in an antique book, mind you), and went back out into the world, refreshed.
A few days later I was back, sitting on the same couch with proprietors Donna and Neal as passersby cupped their hands around their faces and looked into the window as if hoping the absent open sign was a fluke. Donna was prepping lady fingers for their tiramisu when I came by, and Neal made us some seltzers with fresh lemon juice.
Hailing from Florida and Connecticut, Donna and Neal met by chance on Caps Ridge Trail in October of 2023. By January they were talking about business ideas. In June the Craft NoCo idea was solidified, in August they had the keys to the space, and on February 26 of this year, they opened.
“That day changed my entire life,” Neal says of their meeting on Caps Ridge.
I find out that Donna was responsible for the blankets under the table, and the unique wooden lights hanging from the ceiling were from one of four businesses she had founded. With Donna’s background, Neal’s bartending experience, and their shared passion for creating a place where locals could enjoy a good meal and a thoughtful drink, Craft NoCo was born.
“I knew as soon as we saw the size of this space that it was the perfect spot. It would never hold more than two dozen people. It’s a quality over quantity thing,” Neal says.
I couldn’t help but ask: “Mocktails, they’re not the most lucrative, why have such a big menu?”
But Donna and Neal don’t use the term “mocktail,” and I haven’t since I sat down with them. They prefer the term “spirit-free cocktails,” as opposed to the gimmicky spinoff. In that moment, it clicks for me. It’s not a “mocktail” because it’s not a mockery of anything. It exists on its own.
Steeped in the hiking community, many of Donna and Neal’s friends adhere to a low-alcohol or no-alcohol lifestyle, and they wanted to save a seat at the bar for them. Putting as much thought into their spirit-free cocktails as their “spirit-full cocktails,” Donna and Neal recognize the crowd they’ve built their business among, and the crowd welcomes them with open arms.
“You’ll never walk in here during business hours and not see us here,” says Neal, “We’re trying to build a little community, trying to build ourselves this little place in the mountains where we can do what we love to do. It’s just two people here trying to make a difference. They’re not customers. They’re guests in our house, you know?”
Whatever fills your cup, Craft NoCo’s got it.
