I really sympathize with you here. If I mention I'm pretty much done with alcohol I get sideways looks from pretty much everyone. As though I'm accusing them of something. *Ahem* okay on to suggestions. Let me tell you, Rooibos Tea is so amazing, I was able to (temporarily) quit coffee. Make it hot or as iced tea. And get the hand-harvested stuff so it does not cause rainforest destruction. Numi Honeybush (honeybush = rooibos) or Republic of Tea Rooibos are good choices.

I've used sparkling apple cider as well, although it has tons of sugar.

For something simple and refreshing at any bar or restaurant - seltzer with a splash of cranberry.

Cucumber water with mint is great in the summer! You can serve an alcoholic version alongside it made with cucumber vodka if you want.

Iced hibiscus tea ('jamaica flower tea'). You can make it as sweet as you like. 101 cookbooks has a recipe for it, but it's just jamaica flowers, water and sugar.

I use to be able to get the White Jasmine Tea that is pictured at WHole Foods,but they don't carry it anymore.. any ideas where to find it in SF now?

Target sells Italian sodas under their house brand...Archer Farms I think. Good stuff.

There are also some excellent non-alcoholic beers and wines out there...not just your run-of-the-mill Sharp's or Fre.

This isn't something I'd expect my friends (or a bar) to have lying around, but you can serve it at home, at least: half iced tea (regular or decaf as you prefer) and half pomegranate juice is surprisingly similar to red wine. I mean, it doesn't really taste the same but it has the same tannic mouth feel, isn't sweet in a winy way, and goes quite well with lots of different meals. (Not to imply that every nonalcoholic drink has to simulate an alcoholic one, but this one's great for when you're in the mood for wine but don't want the alcohol.)

All kinds of iced teas, (homemade.) Learn how to make simple syrup. Make your own ginger ale. I use tags in my google reader to save non alcoholic drink recipes all the time. Also lots of the craft type cocktail recipes lend themselves nicely to non alcoholic executions - again using simple syrups, fresh herbs, lime and lemon juice, fruit juices (in moderation) and seltzer. My go to for a burger and fries was always an Arnold Palmer - more ice tea equals less calories in that drink. For parties make iced tea with lemon zinger, red zinger and martinelllis' apple juice - google ina garten and you can find this recipe. You can make tons of cool, funky, crafty bevvies to stay festive. As far as the comments and sideways glances; after a few months, you won't even notice them. I've been there! Good luck!

Here are some great ideas from my favourite tea shop in town (Victoria, BC - Canada): http://silkroadtea.com/tea_recipes.htm

Kombucha. Sparkling = fun.

I brew my iced tea without sugar and then serve with a simple syrup on the side so people can sweeten it to their liking.

Our supermaket also used to sell this great italian sparkling flavoured water with almost no sugar or sweetener added. There was a mandarin flavour which was great and only 80c/bottle (in Australia at that!). I haven't seen it for a long time though.

A big glass jug of iced tea with matching slices of fruit in it is a lovely sight.

@Daigan- I'm a buyer here in SF, and unfortunately Golden Star went out of business last year. We haven't been able to find anything quite like it!

Muddle fresh mint with fresh squeezed lime juice. Add agave syrup to sweeten. Top with laCroix grapefruit flavored sparkling water.

I enjoy ginger ale & cranberry juice on ice. It's quite refreshing . hope ya enjoy :) .

I'm a classic Pellegrino fan. Its not "fun" but i still love it.

@Emmi: Don't worry about rooibos and rainforests ... I live in the region that produces rooibos and there are no rainforests anywhere near here (rooibos comes from the far, far south of Africa - in South Africa near Clanwilliam). All rooibos is rainforest-friendly ... but it does take quite a bit of carbon to package it up and send it over to the US.

What you might like to try with your rooibos is to add orange juice while it's still hot. It makes a great drink when it's a bit chilly (as it is in the northern hemisphere at present!). I also make an iced tea using mint, ginger, lemon zest and lemon grass with a sweetener such as honey ... yum!!

I like jazzed up ice tea. The plum thyme ice tea recipe from none other than The Kitchn is delicious. Here's the link to it and a few others.

http://www.thekitchn.com/beyond-mint-lemon-5-ways-to-pu-124612

There are also plenty of punch recipes floating around on Pinterest if you have an account there.

My favorite is cranberry juice and Pellegrino with a slice of lime. Ocean Spray makes cranberry juice with lime now, and that's even better. I make up big pitchers of iced fruit tea and lemonade in the summer. If I'm at dinner and we've ordered a bottle of wine, I'll have soda water with a splash of white wine and a slice of lemon.

I second the kombucha recommendation. It's my go-to to bring with me to get-togethers where my boyfriend and our friends are all drinking beer (as much as I love beer, I can't tolerate gluten and I also am taking a break from alcohol)--fizzy, most varieties have no sugar, insanely good for you, and delish. It's a little expensive, but you could always make your own.

@Mushielle thank you! Good information - I figured no rainforest there but I worried other areas like around Congo could be deforested if Rooibos was grown as a monoculture crop. Good to know it is not. Wonderful!

Had not thought of lemongrass or mint - yum!

Club Soda with a splash of bitters is a great, interesting take on a nearly alcohol free drink. A lot of bars with solid cocktail programs now make their own bitters too.

second the suggestion of hisbiscus tea. Also, watered-down mango juice with plenty of lime is very tasty and refreshing.

A bit of hesitation on the kombucha though-- if you have indeed "given up drinking" in that you are in a recovery program, note that kombucha can (even in commercially packaged bottles that unlabeled as such) low-levels of alcohol. Products sold in stores are allowed a threshold of 0.5% alc or less to be sold as non-alcoholic, which still may be an issue depending on your situation. And for homebrew kombucha, if it undergoes secondary, anaerobic fermentation, it might even be around 2%. Depending on your situation, that may be an issue.

Buh, really poorly edited comment, sorry. Hopefully it's semi-intelligible.

Is there anywhere in NYC/Jersey/Philly where I can get this white sparkling jasmine tea?