Day Trip: Joshua James, Ocean Beach Café

After decades as a career bartender, from Hawai’i to Alaska, New York, and Los Angeles, Joshua James quit drinking and decided to explore a new side of hospitality. He opened Ocean Beach Café in January 2021, one block from the beach and two blocks from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. And while the café does indeed serve lattes and sandwiches, the raison d’être for James is his expansive selection of alcohol-free beverages, from NA beers and wines to functional elixirs and mixers. James gives us a look inside his day evangelizing for the spirit-free category.

7 a.m.

My body naturally wakes up around 7 or 7:30 every day. We have the best coffee roasters in San Francisco, so I grind some beans and make a pour over. That takes me right to my computer. Answering email is kind of my trauma place, but with the help of AI, I can tackle it pretty well. For almost three years, I was the open-to-close business owner; it was super gnarly, but an important time of my life. But I finally have my business to a place where I don’t have to be there. I have an amazingly talented team—about 16 people now.

10 a.m.

I come down and work on my laptop sometimes, but I inevitably get distracted because there’s always curious people coming in. We call it “getting caféd.” But people are just visibly curious and excited when they come in, so I like to sample them on things and make them drinks. Participating in that interactive experience is by far the most fulfilling part as more people are drinking less. They’re wanting to feel better or have more wellness in their lives—nobody can smash on that.

Noon

We do a ton of events, collaborations with other bars, and pop-ups with restaurants. We did an event for Asian American Pacific Islander Cocktail Week and served 800 cocktails. We spent eight hours prepping for it—juicing honeydew melon and Asian pears. We partnered with Aplós, which is a brand I love because it’s functional with hemp and adaptogens. It’s super aromatic and inspiring to make a cocktail with, so we infused seaweed into one of the expressions and did a coconut oil wash on the other. Events are my way of getting out and letting people know what’s going on in the category. 

2 p.m.

A lot of brands reach out to us, and I try many new things. Currently, we carry around 60 brands, many with multiple expressions. When I started exploring in 2020, there wasn’t much on the market. Coming from a career of geeking out on spirits and beer and wine, I was really particular. So we have a big selection, but it’s very curated. These days, I really want something that has some function to it, and I think that’s indicative of what we’ll be drinking in two years: adaptogens, nootropics, nervines—things that de-stress the system or help with cognitive function. Give me some lion’s mane, or some rhodiola, something that has benefits for my body and isn’t just trying to copy alcohol. That’s also where the biggest need is for education and awareness among bartenders. But I always have options for everybody. I want products that tick all of those boxes, and I can make it into a two-ingredient cocktail. That way, when people buy from a retail bottle shop, they know exactly how to use it when they get home.

5 p.m.

We hit a turning point in the late afternoon. People get off work and come shop for bottles or to have a drink. As a bartender, I wanted a nonalcoholic bar, but it doesn’t look like a traditional bar. It’s definitely heavy on the café vibe and I’m okay with that because cafés are great social spaces. But we also have the bottle shop, and then in the back I have my full bar. It’s set up like a regular bar with wells, glass-front refrigerators, and a really cool back bar display. It has four seats and that’s where we make all the cocktails. I devoted my life to drinks and hospitality, and my favorite thing is getting to blow people’s minds and show them an amazing time. Now I get to do that exact same thing, but in a brand new way.