What happens when NA spirits meet a James Beard-recognized bar
Following the success of our kick-off competition in Charleston, Little Saints packed up and headed north to the city where it all started.
In 2021, Megan Klein sold her first cans of Little Saints out of a mint-green vending trailer at outdoor music events in downtown Detroit. Four years later, the brand returned for its second NA Bartending Competition, this time inside one of Detroit's most celebrated cocktail bars.
The Standby, tucked away down the Belt Alley in the heart of downtown, has racked up the kind of accolades that make bartenders bring their best: James Beard Semi-Finalist in 2017 and 2018, and a Regional Top 10 Best American Cocktail Bar in both 2020 and 2024.
The pressure was on, and the bartenders delivered.
Marquez Burns came out on top, representing the host bar itself, with his Paragon Highball: a complex cocktail served long over a Collins cube combining St. Oak and St. Ember with plum oil, calamansi acid, fig tea, and black walnut bitters.
Even before the competition began, Burns posted on his Instagram: “I already won. I’m just showing you how I did it.”
Burns was so confident in his cocktail for many reasons, from the hours he spent tinkering with the recipe to his view of the future of NA cocktails. He believes the industry is poised for an even bigger boom in years to come. Through reading media and first-hand observation in his line of work, he has noticed that—especially with Gen Z patrons—alcohol consumption is down and, now more than ever, people are enjoying their social gatherings without alcohol.
Here's the full 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.
Paragon Highball (Winner)
by Marquez Burns, The Standby @kingyn.q
The winning cocktail was a study in restraint and depth. Burns split the base between St. Oak and St. Ember, then built outward with plum oil, calamansi acid, and a generous pour of fig tea. Black walnut bitters and a touch of saline brought it all into focus. Served tall over a single Collins cube and garnished with greens, it's sophisticated without being fussy.
The Recipe:
.75 oz St. Oak
.75 oz St. Ember
.75 oz plum oil
.25 oz calamansi acid
3 oz fig tea
2 dashes saline
2 dashes black walnut bitters
Build in a highball glass, stir with a Collins ice cube
Garnish with greens
Winter in Manistee
by James Hodge, Candy Bar @hodgapotamus
Hodge went full Michigan with this one: It’s practically a love letter to the state's pine-scented winters. The drink is built around a house-made pine needle tea concentrate and layered with St. Juniper and lime. Garnished with a bouquet of citrus peel, rosemary, and juniper berries, it's as aromatic as it is beautiful.
The Recipe:
1 oz St. Juniper
3 oz pine needle tea concentrate (see below)
.25 oz fresh lime juice
Build in a highball glass with ice
Garnish with citrus peel bouquet, rosemary sprig, and juniper berries
Tea Concentrate: 8g pine needles · 4g rosemary · .3g gentian · .5g grains of paradise · .5g lemon verbena · 3g juniper berries · 2g lime leaf · 4g dried orange peel · 1 star anise · 1 green cardamom pod · 2 fresh lemon peels · 3 fresh lime peels Combine all ingredients except fresh citrus peels with 16 oz water, bring to boil. Lower to a simmer, add fresh citrus peel, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cool 10 minutes, and strain.
Alchemist's Dream
Connery McDowell, The Royce @connerywithoutthesean
Golden, creamy, and unexpectedly complex, McDowell cocktail is built around St. Ember and enriched with turmeric-infused orgeat and coconut cream. It’s brightened with lime and finished with mole bitters and served in a coupe and topped with an edible orchid.
The Recipe:
2 oz St. Ember
.5 oz turmeric-infused orgeat
.5 oz coconut cream
.75 oz fresh lime juice
2 dashes mole bitters
Shake over ice, strain into a coupe
Garnish with an edible orchid
Coconut No-jito
by David Bommarito, Sardine Room @dbomm5
A riff on the classic that earns its place at the table, Bommarito’s cocktail swapped rum for St. Juniper and added coconut puree and vanilla syrup for tropical richness. Shaken, double-strained, and topped with soda, it's refreshing without being simple. Garnish with a mint sprig and three cranberries for color.
The Recipe:
1.5 oz St. Juniper
.5 oz lime juice
1 oz coconut puree
.75 oz vanilla syrup
8 mint leaves
Shake and double strain into a Collins glass, top with soda
Garnish with a mint sprig and 3 cranberries
After Hours, Before Regret
by Matt Bey, Ebenezer @matthew_bey5
The name says it all. Bey leaned into St. Oak's whiskey-adjacent warmth, pairing it with grapefruit, lime, and orgeat for a drink that splits the difference between tiki and old-fashioned. Fee Brothers cardamom bitters on top add an aromatic punch, while the garnish—a thin slice of lion's mane mushroom and a dehydrated lime wheel—nods to Little Saints' functional roots.
The Recipe:
2 oz St. Oak
1 oz grapefruit juice
.5 oz lime juice
.5 oz orgeat almond syrup
Shake and strain into a Nick & Nora glass
Float 1/8 oz Fee Brothers cardamom bitters
Garnish with a thin lion's mane slice and a dehydrated lime wheel on a pick
Lavish Bloom
by Infinity Coleman, Detroit Shipping Co @_undefinable1
Bright, fruit-forward, and party-ready, this cocktail is built around St. Ember, strawberry puree, lemon, and simple syrup. If you’re going low-alcohol, Coleman suggests an optional top off with champagne. Served over fresh ice with a lemon twist, it's the kind of drink that disappears fast.
The Recipe:
3 oz St. Ember
1 oz strawberry puree
.5 oz lemon juice
.5 oz simple syrup
Optional: top with 1 oz of champagne
Shake, strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass
Garnish with a lemon twist
Stay tuned for a bartender competition coming to a city near you!
