Corrine Coxey is creating a lounge in the back of Bend’s Palate coffee bar. There’s a stage for live music and a patio where she plans to host DJs and speeding-dating events.

But one component that usually takes center stage at a lounge is noticeably absent. Alcohol.

The Dez Lounge is a non-alcoholic cocktail lounge, slated to host its two-night grand opening on Sept. 13 and 14 with DJPK (Pete Kartsounes) on stage the first evening, followed by DJ Preet the next.

It’s designed for those who want to go out without being in the presence of alcohol, said Coxey, who owns raw food bar Salud Live Kitchen on Franklin Avenue in downtown Bend.

The new watering hole features a long list of creatively designed cocktails, rather than several zero-proof drinks included on the menu as an afterthought, she said. It will serve nonalcoholic beer and wine alongside medicinal elixirs, charcuterie and desserts.

And it’s not just for those who are sober.

“Maybe you want to go somewhere and celebrate something, and you want to have a fun, beautiful, herbal drink, but you want to wake up the next day and you don’t want to feel hungover,” Coxey said. “It’s a place for people to come together and hang out and have meaningful connections because they’re not altered by alcohol.”

Medicinal elixirs

Coxey hired herbalist Madeline Wettig of Pine Willow Wildcraft to develop syrups and bitters with local herbs for the menu’s medicinal section. Wettig created a pine needle syrup for the Pine Drop Pondo Soda, mixing it with sparkling water and an herbal tincture by Apothekáry.

“It literally tastes like you’re drinking the forest,” Coxey said, adding that pine needles are naturally high in vitamin C and other medicinal properties.

When Coxey imbibes, it’s usually a spicy margarita. Hence, her favorite cocktail is The Dez’s Spicy Piñarita with Free Spirits non-alcoholic tequila, pineapple chili mix and a Tajín-seasoned rim.

“(It) smells like a margarita, it tastes like a margarita, it warms your belly like a margarita, but you’re not going to wake up hungover because there’s no alcohol in it,” she said.

Some of the lounge’s drinks, like the Kava Limónjito, include mind-altering ingredients. Kava, a crop native to the Pacific Islands, has long been used for its sedative effects and has an intense, generally unpleasant taste.

Coxey mixes KavaHaven spirit with Myth coconut nonalcoholic spirit, housemade honey syrup, lemon, lime, mint, and sparkling water to make the mojito more palatable.

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Hosmer bar

Earlier this summer, Hosmer bar opened in the lobby of the Waypoint Hotel with a zero-proof forward drink menu.

All of its cocktails are designed to be enjoyed sans booze, but it also serves both nonalcoholic and alcoholic gin, rye and whiskey, zero-proof chardonnay and cabernet by Fre Wines and nonalcoholic beer such as Crux Fermentation Project’s NOMO.

Mike Aldridge, owner of MidCity Smashedburger, created the concept with his brother, Eric. Like the Dez Lounge, the bar provides a gathering space where alcohol isn’t the main focus.

“People don’t want to be hungover because they have things they want to do the next day,” said Bar Manager Stephen Kunkle, referring to the myriad of recreational activities in Central Oregon.

Hosmer bar provides a safe place for those unable to imbibe, such as a group of young women fighting breast cancer for whom Kunkle is designing a mocktail event.

The bar’s bestselling cocktail is Cultus Lake Caipinha ($10) with muddled strawberry and basil and a splash of balsamic-flavored simple syrup.

It tastes mildly sweet and is garnished with a slice of strawberry and a leaf of basil.

Spice lovers interested in a stronger flavor might prefer the Green Lakes Margarita ($14) made with jalapeno, chunks of cucumber and a Tajín-lined rim. It offers a heavy kick, followed by a smooth finish.

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Gigi’s

Gigi’s, a natural wine and Ayurvedic elixir bar, held its soft opening inside The Pantry in late July.

It offers purposeful libations and herbal infusions, such as the Clairvoyant Ya Ya, a mocktail with nonalcoholic gin, passionflower and butterfly pea flower by Anima Mundi Herbals and citrus bitters by Dram Apothecary, according to its Instagram page.

What: The Dez Lounge

When: Grand opening from 5-10 p.m. Sept. 13 and 14

Where: Palate coffee bar, 643 NW Colorado Ave., Bend

Contact: thedezbend.com

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What: Hosmer Bar

When: 4-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday

Where: Waypoint Hotel lobby, 1415 NE Third St., Bend

Contact: hosmerbar.com

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What: Gigi’s

When: 3-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Where: The Pantry, 1124 NW Newport Ave., Bend

Contact: @gigisbend on Instagram