IT STARTED ON A DARE
Years ago, a friend dared founder Lorelei Bandrovschi to spend a month without drinking. To her surprise, she loved it.
She also craved a place to go out that wasn’t centered around drinking. After building her career consulting for clients like MoMA and YouTube, Bandrovschi set upon a new mission:
To rewrite nightlife beyond alcohol.
In October 2018, Listen Bar first opened its doors as a 5-day proof-of-concept, taking over an empty bar space in South Williamsburg. Its roaring success proved the time was right and Bandrovschi had struck upon a winning formula.
Featured on the Today Show, Good Morning America, the New York Times and more, Listen Bar has built a following among drinkers and non-drinkers alike. With a menu of sophisticated drinks and a crew of musician bartenders, it’s become known as the alc-free that started a movement. H&M tapped them to throw a party together. Snoop Dogg asked to have a drink named after him. Patti Smith’s guitarist got behind the bar.
Rather than settle into a fixed space, Listen Bar has popped up everywhere from basement dives to swanky rooftops, throwing parties all over NYC - and soon, the world.
In addition to their exclusive IRL events and brand collaborations, the team offers virtual classes, as well as menu and business consulting for bars and alc-free companies.
OUR MENU
DRINKS NOT DRAAANKS
Listen Bar’s entirely alcohol-free menu is created by high-profile mixologists, together with experts on herbalism and nutrition. The concept is simple: the best drinks by the best mixologists with the best ingredients, from Seedlip to Kin Euphorics.
In an innovative twist, the menu is also categorized by nutritional preferences, recognizing the often underserved attention to dietary constraints in the bar world.
HEAD MIXOLOGIST Pam Wiznitzer
MENU CREATOR Eamon Rockey
GUEST MIXOLOGIST Jack McGarry
GUEST MIXOLOGIST Julia Momose
GUEST MIXOLOGIST Chockie Tom
GUEST MIXOLOGIST Ivy Mix
GUEST MIXOLOGIST Ashtin Berry
GUEST MIXOLOGIST Iain Griffiths
GUEST MIXOLOGIST Aaron Polsky
GUEST MIXOLOGIST Erin Birmingham
GUEST MIXOLOGIST Darwin Pornel
NUTRITION EXPERT Steph Jensen
HERBALISM EXPERT Arielle Hayat
GUEST MIXOLOGIST Veronica Correa
GUEST MIXOLOGIST Erikx DiSantis
BAR WORLD ALL-STARS
The star-studded mixology team includes director Eamon Rockey - who has now introduced Listen Bar recipes as the new classics for students at the Institute for Culinary Education - and Jack McGarry, the sober owner of the Dead Rabbit aka the ‘Best Bar in the World.’
To cater to different palettes, each cocktail is dedicated to a different muse, like musician Mitski or entrepreneur Zack Sears, all who give a new face to not drinking, whether for a round or as a lifestyle.
While alcohol-free cocktails take the spotlight, Listen Bar often also serves non-alcoholic beer by Athletic Brewing and Pilot Kombucha on tap, as well as bottled drinks like Curious Elixirs and Berlin club staple Club Mate.
MUSICIANS AS BARTENDERS
At Listen Bar, every bartender is a musician, and they curate the playlists with their music, their friends’ music and their influences. Sometimes, established acts like duo Savoir Adore pop in as special guests to dj the night’s playlist and step behind the bar to pour drinks & meet fans.
Always, the tips go straight to the bartenders - and no one else. “I wanted to create a new revenue stream for independent musicians, like an in-person Patreon where you’re not buying merch but sharing a one-on-one experience. A new way to support musicians directly, in-person,” says Bandrovschi.
WHY MUSIC?
When Lorelei saw her musician friends turn to bartending as a flexible gig, she envisioned a bar job that wouldn’t just pay rent, but help advance musicians’ careers - exposing them to new audiences and connecting them to fans in a new, intimate way.
A bar where the ice breaker isn’t “what are you drinking?” but “what’s that song?” And where you get to discover new music over a drink with the artist who wrote it.
“I believe the next revolution in music is experience - and it’s not just arena shows, but intimacy.”
OUR VIBE
We’re a bar not just for non-drinkers, but for everybody. Whether sober or hungover, everybody’s welcome to hang. In fact, two thirds of our guests identify as drinkers.
The one thing all our guests have in common is that they’re down for a different kind of night out. All ages and identities are welcome, and most bars prolly envy our girl-to-guy ratio.
Our guests are also really dedicated. Not only do they regularly sell out our events, more than 600 of them raised over 200% of our goal to open a permanent location. While we have since fully embraced the pop-up model, we celebrate them on our digital wall of fame (and hey, as far as a regular location goes, our motto is never say never).
OUR KINDA FUN
Dominatrix lessons. Sing-your-heart-out karaoke. Sex-toy-truth-or-dare. Custom raps. Astrology readings. Speeddating. A daredevil wheel-of-fortune. And our staple - live tattoos.
Every night brings something different, but there’s always something funky going on. And if it’s something you think you could never do without a few drinks in ya, you might just surprise yourself.
OUR STORIES
Every once in a while, we share stories and learnings from our journey as we create a new kind of nightlife. Like the inspiration behind doing it in the first place. Or what we’ve learned so far. Have a read.