How Little Saints is leading a revolution in cocktail culture—one pour at a time
There's a particular alchemy that happens at the best bars. It's not just the drink itself, but the theater of it all: the confident shake, the precise strain, the careful placement of a garnish that transforms a good cocktail into an actual ritual. For too long, non-alcoholic cocktails existed outside this conversation—relegated to afterthoughts, juice-forward concoctions that felt more apology than art. That era is over.
The sophistication of non-alcoholic cocktails has undergone nothing short of a renaissance, and Little Saints has positioned itself at the vanguard. Founded by Megan Klein in 2021 with a radical premise—that you could honor the evening cocktail ritual without the alcohol—the brand has become synonymous with a new category of drinking: intentional, elevated, and unapologetically delicious.
"We're not making drinks for people who've stopped drinking," says Klein. "We're making drinks for people who love cocktails and want more from them."
It's a distinction that matters. And it's why, on January 13th, Little Saints chose Charleston, South Carolina, a city steeped in history and hospitality, to host its first-ever NA Bartending Competition. The venue couldn't have been more fitting. Vintage Lounge, named the most beautiful bar in South Carolina by Architectural Digest, occupies a beautifully renovated historic building on King Street. The bar has long offered serious cocktails—NA included—alongside local craft beer, and was the perfect setting for four of Charleston's most talented bartenders to gather and prove what those in the know already suspected: non-alcoholic mixology has arrived.
Though the competition was all fun and games, Durst Payne came out on top with the winning cocktail: Cinnanym. The winning cocktail was a masterclass in balance. Payne combined both St. Ember and St. Oak—a bold move—then built around them with cinnamon-spiked Demerara, fresh citrus, and a cascade of wonder foam that gave the drink an almost dessert-like plushness.
“I focused all my attention on the drink,” says Payne, who started tinkering with his cocktail recipe about a month ago, which is served in a coupe with a rosemary sprig. “It’s delicious, approachable, and you want to drink more than one.”
Here’s the breakdown of the competition and the recipes you can recreate at home.
The Competition
Using Little Saints' lineup of non-alcoholic spirits—St. Ember, St. Juniper, and St. Oak—each bartender was tasked with creating an original cocktail that demonstrated both technical prowess and creative vision. The results were nothing short of revelatory.
Vaya Verde
by Nigel Phinney, Bar 167 @not_a_thornberry
A verdant stunner that marries St. Ember (or St. Juniper) with ceremonial-grade matcha, brightened by lime and fresh mint. The surprise? A dropper of za'atar olive oil, shaken vigorously to emulsify into silky richness, then finished with a za'atar ice cube that slowly releases its earthy complexity as it melts.
The Recipe:
1.5 oz Saint Ember or St. Juniper
1.5oz Matcha
.75 oz Simple Syrup
.5 oz lime juice
1 dropper of foaming bitter
1 dropper of Za’atar olive oil
3-4 Mint Leaves
Build in a shaker tin, shake extra well (to incorporate the olive oil), and strain into a rocks glass
Garnish with Za’atar ice cube.
Blacker the Berry
by Steve George Lakeman, La Cave @drinkswithsteve
Deep, brooding, and deceptively refreshing. Lakeman built this around St. Ember's woody warmth, layering in a house-made raspberry-blackberry shrub for tangy depth. Demerara syrup adds molasses notes while a pinch of salt amplifies every flavor. Topped with soda for lift and garnished with three perfect blackberries, it's the kind of drink that demands contemplation.
The Recipe:
2oz St. Ember
.75oz raspberry blackberry shrub
.5oz Demerara Syrup
.5oz lime juice
Pinch of Salt
Top with Soda
Build in a shaker tin, strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass
Garnish with 3 blackberries
Cinnanym (Winner)
by Durst Payne, Rosemary Rose @rosemaryroselounge
The winning cocktail was a masterclass in balance. Payne combined both St. Ember and St. Oak—a bold move—then built around them with cinnamon-spiked Demerara, fresh citrus, and a cascade of wonder foam that gave the drink an almost dessert-like plushness. Best served in a coupe and finished with a rosemary sprig.
The Recipe:
1.5 oz Little Saints St. Ember
1oz Little Saints St. Oak
1 oz Cinnamon Demerara
.75oz Lemon Juice
.5oz Grapefruit Juice
6 Dashes Wonder Foam
Shake & strain. Serve in a couple glass
Garnish with a rosemary sprig
Gilded Crane
by Megan Deschaine, Starlight Motor Inn @meganmakesdrinks
Deschaine showcased St. Oak's bourbon-adjacent warmth alongside ruby-red hibiscus tea, honey-ginger syrup, and fresh tangerine juice. Two dashes of Angostura added spice and structure. The result? A drink that's complex but approachable.
The Recipe:
1.5 oz St. Oak
1 oz Hibiscus Tea
0.75 oz Honey ginger syrup
1 oz Tangerine juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Built in a shaker and strained over fresh ice in a coup glass
Garnished with a tangerine slice
What the evening proved was simple: give talented bartenders good ingredients and they'll make something exceptional—whether there's alcohol in it or not. The za'atar olive oil emulsions, house-made shrubs, and cinnamon Demerara weren't workarounds. They were choices: The kind serious bartenders make when they're actually excited about what's in their well.
For Little Saints founder Megan Klein, who launched the brand in 2021, betting that cocktail lovers would show up for complexity without the hangover, Charleston was validation. Not that she needed it—but it's nice when four bartenders in a beautiful room prove your point for you.
This was just the first competition, with many more cities to come!
