While I can’t envision my eight-year-old self gravitating towards the Sedano, an herbaceous, almost savory combination of celery, black pepper, lemon juice, and vinegar, it certainly caters to my love of Cynar (an artichoke-flavored amaro) now. Similarly, the Ciligeia functions as a fancy cherry coke, with a punch of cinnamon and lime juice alongside Summer’s homemade cherry soda syrup.

“We choose to offer sodas because [they are] the perfect balance between a ‘regular’ non-alcoholic soda you find in a restaurant and a cocktail you can drink in a bar,” explains Charly Aguinsky, beverage director at New York City’s buzzy new Peruvian spot Papa San, which offers two unique house sodas that couldn’t be more refreshing. My personal favorite, the so-called Trash Soda, mimics a classic Sprite or 7-Up by making use of leftover lemons, limes, and oranges from the bar and combining them with seasonal berries and soda water.

As if the humble house soda doesn’t pull its weight on the menu enough (looking at you, little gem salad), there’s also the math of it all. Especially in major dining cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, a nonalcoholic cocktail will run you about the same as its boozy counterpart. That means if you view abstaining from alcohol as more of a financial choice, the fancy soda is the answer.