By Ebony L. Morman

Casey Dolan, owner of Roaring Social. Photo courtesy of Alchemist Weddings

When Casey Dolan relocated to Mooresville from upstate New York in 2021, she noticed there was a void in the Charlotte area that needed to be filled. Fueled with the desire to normalize an alcohol-free lifestyle, Dolan founded The Roaring Social, an alcohol-free social experience. 

“I wanted to give everyone a space to go where there wasn’t any alcohol,” Dolan says. “I wanted to remove that element completely, so that it wasn’t even an option.” 

The inclination to start the business stemmed from her decision to slow down on drinking in preparation to run a half marathon last fall. After realizing the effects of drinking — slower movement and cramps — she wanted to make a change. When she couldn’t find many activities that didn’t include alcohol, she launched Roaring Social.

Since last January, Dolan and her team have curated social experiences — sans alcohol — at private and pop-up events throughout the Charlotte area. If you’ve visited Camden Commons, Front Porch Sundays, or Nebel’s Alley Night Market, you may have seen The Roaring Social serving up aperitifs, mixers, spirits, beer, wine, and more while educating customers about how to enjoy socializing without having to endure the effects of alcohol. 

While people are excited to have an alternative for various reasons, for Dolan, The Roaring Social goes beyond providing an option to drinking — it’s also about overall wellness, she says. Some of the bottled options from Botanical Brewing Company — which are top sellers — include CBD, Kanna, Delta 8, and Delta 9, which have medical benefits. 

“The thing that’s great about the drinks that we have is that a lot of them are made with ingredients that will help you relieve stress, like Kava or Delta,” Dolan says. “So you’re not just getting a drink that’s a fun drink.” 

Creating intentional recipes with a focus on quality and making a well-rounded drink beyond only removing the alcohol is important, which is why Dolan is collaborating with a couple of local restaurants to help with education and development. “I think having that distinction is huge because when you say it’s zero proof cocktail, it needs to be made with alcohol that’s zero proof,” she says. “That way if you have someone recovering or sober, they know they can drink.”

Following an increase in awareness around alcohol consumption, Dolan seeks to change the narrative with upcoming events like Sober Trivia Night and Zero Proof Yoga & Cocktails. She’s also looking to expand reach by joining the Matthews, Uptown, South End, and Rock Hill farmers markets in the spring and fall and shifting to bottling beverages to sell at pop-up events. The plan is to serve craft cocktails at events where there’s access to a bar. 

Some of the most popular cocktails at private events include an espresso martini and the Evelyn, which has Ritual zero proof gin and house made syrups topped with sparkling rose lemonade.

“It’s really hard at pop ups to make drinks on site when you don’t have access to the proper sanitation,” she says. “I’m aware of the things that can happen if you don’t maintain the proper level of refrigeration, so it’s hard especially when it’s so hot. So we’ve developed a couple of recipes that will fit into these incredibly awesome eco-friendly bottles.”

Dolan’s looking forward to participating in this year’s Taste of Charlotte as the non-alcoholic beverage vendor, as well as participating in the Charlotte StrEATs Festival in April. In addition to a number of yoga events over the next couple of months, there are also plans to partner with a mental health therapist to host a mental health seminar with retreat days. “It ties directly into what we sell because a lot of the drinks that we sell have adaptogens in them, which are natural products, plants, and herbs that help your body relieve stress and anxiety.”

Future plans also include combining her two passions — baking and promoting an alcohol-free lifestyle — and opening a non-alcoholic dessert bar. 

Since launching the business, one of the most rewarding aspects has been being able to offer people other options, such as zero proof cocktails and non-alcoholic champagne for people of all ages. 

“If you have your daughter or your son with you and they want to drink, they can get a drink from me,” she says. “It’s nice that we have something for everybody.”