By Katrina Simyab | Photography by Shanna Wolf
For Kristi Tanner, Sober Social isn’t one of the first non-alcoholic bottle shops in Wisconsin. It’s also a welcoming third space for other people just like her.
“I was an alcoholic and had a serious, serious drinking problem,” says Tanner, “and I was a mom with four young children.” Amid an impending divorce, Tanner entered herself into inpatient rehab, and “I got sober on July 6, 2019,” she recalls.
Even after that milestone, there were still social obstacles for Kristi to navigate — which she began to detail on social media via her account @MocktailMommy.
“I felt weird about myself — how do I participate in a society that is drenched in alcohol?” Tanner remembers. A growing desire to de-stigmatize sobriety drove Tanner to open Sober Social, a non-alcoholic bottle shop in downtown Middleton “where people can go be sober — publicly,” she says.
In the sober community, there is a distinction between products that are non-alcoholic versus completely alcohol-free.
“Everything in the store is FDA-approved non-alcoholic, which means that it contains .05% or less [of alcohol],” explains Tanner. “That amount of alcohol is the same that’s in a ripe banana.”
Most non-drinkers are completely comfortable consuming non-alcoholic products. But for religious reasons, medical purposes or just because, “I have products that also [contain] 0% [alcohol],” says Tanner.
A true bottle shop, Sober Social — which opened in May 2024 — doesn’t have a traditional bar or serve any drinks on tap. Customers can get advice on the best products to make nonalcoholic drinks at home and purchase canned beverages to enjoy at a small, in-store seating area.
Tanner also makes an effort to partner with other women-owned companies when curating the beverages the shop carries — only stocking products that she loves or that have come highly recommended and requested by other non-drinkers.
“What you get at Sober Social is an education. I want people to understand why we have these products, and how they can help them,” says Tanner.
Sober Social, 1814 Parameter St, Middleton, WI | sobersocialshop.com
SUPER SIPS
Check out some of Tanner’s favorite beverage options (all from women- owned brands) which can be found on Sober Social’s shelves.
- AMETHYST NON-ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS
Amethyst’s line of spirits and mixers are completely alcohol-free. With flavors like watermelon lime and blueberry ginger mint, Tanner suggests using them as a flavored vodka replacement. amethystnaspirits.com/shop - SAINT EMBER PLANT MAGIC SPIRIT
This nonalcoholic spirit produced by Little Saints is a functional tequila replacement beverage infused with lion’s mane mushrooms to help create what Tanner describes as “a very nice body relaxation.” littlesaints.com - SHE’S LAVISH LAVENDER MARGARITA
Made in California but manufactured in Waunakee at Octopi Brewing, Busty Lush produces three non-alcoholic malt beverages, a canned grapefruit paloma and lavender margarita — one of Tanner’s favorites. bustylush.com
