Mighty Good Coffee, a quaint cafe with a mean Mocha Sea Salt latte, has added another Ann Arbor location as of August. This is particularly good news for Muslims and the non-drinking lot because shop owners have been known to host alcohol-free shindigs once a month in the cafe.
Husband and wife team, David Myers and Nic Sims, have taken the helm in establishing a dry bar pop-up, called Brillig Dry Bar, in which people come out to enjoy non-alcoholic drinks, socializing, and "conversation and connection" at their Main Street location. The 'bar' takes over the space when Mighty Good closes at 6 p.m.
In her own words Sim explains how the idea came about for the alcohol-free event: "I haven't had a drink in 20 years, and I know a lot of people who don't drink. I love to go out on a weekend, but not in a bar. I wanted a bar-like convivial atmosphere, with snacks and drinks and conversation, without it being a bar.
At the moment the Brillig Dry Bar is only operating as a pop-up at Mighty Good Coffee cafe downtown, but Sims has hinted that if the public shows enough interest that fact could change.
"We know we would like to run it at least once a month. The question is if demand is there, should we do it more frequently? People are familiar with the pop-up concept, so we'll start with that. We’re testing the water – testing our ability to support it and the interest in the community. We don’t want to start something and fall short of our ideal, so I am looking at this as planting a seed."
Though some detractors have accused Sims of being anti-alcohol, the bar’s opening night Friday, December 5th, was packed. According to BuzzFeed,
“Brillig’s first customers included former drinkers, pregnant women, Muslims, teenagers, and college kids.”
In its new location formerly held by Glassbox Cafe - Juice and Coffee, the Brillig Dry Bar menu features delectable sounding treats such as Brooklyn Egg Creams, Pomegranate-Rosemary Sodas, and Vegan Pumpkin Chillers, as well as snack plates with meats, cheeses, and cookies.
Since it is currently uncertain when the next pop-up 'dry bar' will occur, the Brillig webpage invites visitors to "join the revolution" for updates. They also are active on Twitter at the handle @brilligdrybar.
