Meet the Founder
I’m Angela Hansen, founder and owner of Mocktails, Vancouver’s first dedicated Alcohol Free Liquor Store.
My journey to Mocktails began with my own decision to step away from alcohol. When I started looking for alternatives for myself, I discovered this incredible world of alcohol-free wines, spirits, aperitifs and cocktails that I really didn’t know existed. The more I discovered, the more curious I became.
But when I actually went looking for these products, I quickly realized how difficult many of them were to find. I remember thinking that if I didn’t know this world existed, how many other people didn’t either? There were beautifully made, sophisticated products out there that completely changed my perception of what alcohol-free drinking could be, yet so few of them were accessible here.
I wanted to change that.
I started researching the category, looking at what was being created around the world and learning everything I could. That curiosity eventually led me beyond traditional alcohol-free alternatives and into the world of functional beverages, adaptogens, nootropics and botanicals. It opened up an entirely new way of thinking about what a drink could be, and I knew I wanted to bring these products, and this whole world of discovery, to Vancouver.
But I wanted Mocktails to be more than somewhere to buy a bottle. I envisioned a unique and welcoming space where you could browse beautiful products, find something new, taste and learn about the category, and feel part of a community. A place where alcohol-free was celebrated, and where people choosing not to drink, to drink less, or simply wanting something different felt considered.
When I couldn’t find that place, I decided to create it.
Mocktails Alcohol Free Liquor Store opened on Commercial Drive in March 2024 with a vision to bring the best of the alcohol-free and functional beverage world together under one roof and give it a space of its own.
As founder, I oversee the curation of everything we carry, but discovering what comes next is very much a team effort. I’m incredibly lucky to work alongside a knowledgeable and passionate team who are constantly tasting, learning, sharing ideas and bringing new discoveries to the table. Together, we seek out exceptional products from Canada and around the world and continue exploring where this category can go next.
For me, Mocktails has never been about simply taking alcohol out of the equation. It’s about everything we can add: discovery, choice, connection, beautiful products and a new way to enjoy the rituals we already love.
Redefining the Ritual.
A drink has never been just about the alcohol.It’s opening a bottle over dinner. Making a cocktail at the end of a long day. Pouring something beautiful into your favourite glass. Raising a toast. Celebrating with friends. Sharing a moment with someone you love. Or simply taking a moment for yourself.
That’s the ritual.
Redefining the Ritual is about celebrating everything we love about these moments: the connection, the experience, the occasion and the simple pleasure of raising a glass. Because what makes a moment meaningful has never been the alcohol. It’s the people we share it with, the memories we create and the moments that stay with us.
Choosing alcohol-free shouldn’t mean settling for less. The drink can still be complex, sophisticated and beautifully made. The bottle can still deserve a place on the table. The cocktail can still have depth, bitterness and bite. And the experience can still feel special.The ritual is still there. We’re simply redefining what it can be.
Angela's Top Picks
With hundreds of products coming through the doors at Mocktails, I taste a lot. These are a few I personally keep coming back to.
My palate leans bitter, botanical and complex. I love drinks with layers, depth and a dry finish, and I’m especially fascinated by functional beverages made with adaptogens, nootropics and botanicals. It’s a category I’ve championed since opening Mocktails, and today we carry the largest selections of functional alcohol-free beverages in Canada!
I’m also drawn to products that go beyond simply recreating alcohol and show just how exciting drinking differently can be.Here are a few of my favourites:
ISH Spritz: I love a bitter aperitivo, so naturally ISH Spritz is a favourite. A take on the classic Aperol Spritz, it delivers that bittersweet citrus character I’m looking for, with just enough sweetness to balance the bitterness. It’s bright, refreshing and sophisticated, and one of those drinks that proves an alcohol-free cocktail can absolutely hold its own.
Melati Classic: Melati is everything I love in a drink: botanical, herbaceous, bitter, functional and beautifully complex. Born in Asia and inspired by centuries-old botanical tonic traditions, Melati Classic layers goji berries, fresh hibiscus and earthy raw cacao with bitter orange and warm Asian spices. The result is full-bodied and balanced, with a long, dry finish that makes it particularly appealing to red wine lovers. I also love the purpose behind the bottle. Melati is ethically made in Indonesia within a circular economy, with each bottle helping to support opportunities for women in the community. For me, it represents what makes the functional category so exciting. It isn’t simply trying to replace alcohol. It’s creating an entirely different drinking experience.
Three Spirit Nightcap: Three Spirit Nightcap is another perfect example of why I became so fascinated by functional drinks. Rich, dark, woody and complex, Nightcap combines botanicals with functional ingredients including ashwagandha and valerian root. Rather than simply recreating a traditional spirit, it was designed around the ritual of winding down at the end of the day. I love it simply poured over ice. It feels sophisticated and intentional, which is exactly what I want from an evening drink.
Noughty Rouge: Alcohol-free red wine can be one of the hardest categories to get right, which is exactly why I love introducing people to Noughty Rouge. It has the dryness, structure and complexity I look for in a red and, most importantly, it feels like wine. It belongs in a beautiful glass, paired with a great meal and shared around the dinner table. For anyone whose idea of alcohol-free red wine is still sweet grape juice, this is one of the bottles I reach for to show them just how far the category has come.
Free Spirits Bourbon: Sometimes I want a proper, spirit-forward cocktail, and Free Spirits Bourbon gives me the depth and warmth I’m looking for. With bourbon-inspired notes of oak, caramel and spice, it has enough character to stand up in a classic cocktail rather than disappearing behind the other ingredients. My favourite way to drink it is in an alcohol-free Old Fashioned. It brings together everything I love about that drink: the glassware, the bitterness, the complexity, the slow sipping and, most importantly, the ritual. And that really is what Mocktails is all about.
Why An Alcohol Free Liquor Store?
It’s one of the questions we hear most often: How can you be a liquor store if you don’t sell alcohol?
Because the word liquor didn’t originally mean alcohol.
Derived from the Latin liquere, meaning “to be fluid,” liquor historically referred to liquid or fluid substances. Its association specifically with alcoholic drinks developed over time, and today, particularly in North America, the word is most commonly associated with distilled alcoholic spirits.
At Mocktails, we love challenging that expectation and reimagining what a liquor store can be.
Walk into our alcohol free liquor store and you’ll find many of the same categories you’d expect from a traditional liquor store: wine, sparkling wine, spirits, aperitifs, beer, cider and ready-to-drink cocktails. But you’ll also discover an entirely new generation of adult beverages made with botanicals, adaptogens, nootropics and other functional ingredients.
It’s the experience of discovering a great bottle, reimagined without the alcohol.
A liquor store, redefined.
