Samaritan Inns hosted its inaugural Zero Proof Soirée & Battle of the Mocktails at The Capital Turnaround in honor of Alcohol Awareness Month in April.
More than 200 people were in attendance and helped to raise nearly $100,000 to work toward Samaritan Inns’ addiction treatment and recovery services for the homeless and at-risk.
The main event was the Battle of the Mocktails, where mixologists from eight popular DC-area restaurants and bars created a signature non-alcoholic drink to compete for the BEST MOCKTAIL IN DC along with the evening’s theme, ‘DC Goes Tiki.’
The audience — as judges — gave accolades to Brienne Francois from Maryland Live Casino (third place), Solomon Paul from Get Plated (second place), and JR Rena from Dirty Habit DC (winner)! Rena’s mocktail, the Fictitious Friend contained shiso shrub, yuzu, pomegranate, cardamom, and soda.
Among those in attendance to enjoy the mocktails and support the cause were ABC7’s Leon Harris (emcee), Chuck Todd, moderator of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” and Martelis Thomas, a building manager with Samaritan Inns for more than 20 years and in his 28th year of recovery thanks to the support of Samaritan Inns.
