Dry January
THIS IS HOW YOU KEEP IT UP
The nice thing about writing something on Amayzine is that you have support when you're going to do something. I've ignited a swarm of slightly alcoholic types with my enthusiastic initiative, which helps when you're in the mood for a cozy glass. Then I think of Jet, Daan, Joep, Simone, Coen, Kiki, my beloved, Anouk Smulders and all those other people who say they are living alcohol-free.
We can complain together about how uninviting it is and that there seems to be an immense social pressure to have a drink when you go out to eat. Everyone also asks me (I've suddenly been bombarded as an alcohol-free expert) what they should drink to still have a bit of a fun feeling. Well folks, let me chop this wood more often, so here we go.
The waitress who keeps asking if you really don't want anything
else to drink
Pregnant is a legitimate excuse, but otherwise it’s actually not accepted that you don’t order a Pinot Grigio with your fish.
My tip: don’t resist it. Order a glass, put it in front of you and let it sit there. Then you hear no one. Not even your company. It’s very funny, but it works like that.
So what do I drink?
At some point, you’re done with that ginger tea. Especially now on the weekend you want something festive in the glass. With ice cubes and all. Buy small bottles of Crodino, an Italian aperitif that is sweet and bitter at the same time. It comes in small, cheerful bottles that quickly give you a look-at-me-having-fun feeling. But you wake up without a hangover.
Another option is vodka lime, but without the vodka. Grab a nice glass, scoop in some ice cubes and a generous splash of lime, et voilà, your mocktail is born. It’s also handy if you want others to think you’re drinking, but secretly you’ve become a teetotaler.
Another secret of the trade is Takkie Takkie. And no, I’m not talking about the little dog from Jip and Janneke, but about the premix from Gall & Gall that you use to make Bloody Marys. But then you save the vodka for later.
I really need wine. What now?
No panic. There’s a solution for this too. Eisberg is really a delicious alcohol-free wine and at the Amstel Hotel they serve an alcohol-free champagne. That’s win-win-win. And you’re out, and you have a champagne experience, and you don’t have a nagging waitress at your table.
Someone sends you an email that makes your stomach turn. There are seven people in CC and the long story boils down to someone wanting to dump all the misery in your garden...
