It’s party time everywhere – work, home, best friends, new friends, family, neighbours… you may feel inclined to accept that celebratory champagne, or your busy Christmas calendar has you double booked on the weekend and a few more nights during the week, or you drop eye contact with your glass for one second and that overly generous waiter sneaks in another top-up… It’s a time of year that overindulging can catch up with you, undoing the hard yards you have put in during the year, affecting your sleep, digestion and overall health. We have put together some tips to help you manage your alcohol intake over the festive season, including a delicious summery drink to help you get the party started.
• Alternate you alcoholic beverage with a glass of water each time to keep yourself hydrated and reduce the amount of alcohol over the evening.
• Fill your glass with ice to reduce the amount of alcohol in the glass for spirits and ciders. Frozen grapes could be added to white and sparkling wines to keep them cool, take up more volume in the glass, and will not dilute the flavour as ice would as it melts.
• Pick 3 to 4 alcohol free days every week and stick to them
• Give yourself a limit to the number of glasses of alcohol you will consume in total during the week. For example, you may decide to allow yourself 6 glasses which you could have these all in one day or spread them out across your alcohol allowed days.
• Opt for white spirits with soda water as this tends to be lower in sugar content.
• Consider whether a glass of alcohol when you get home at night has become part of your routine. Try to opt for a herbal tea or sparkling mineral water with lemon, lime, mint or berries. Pour yourself a drink in a “special glass” that may create a feeling of ceremony, celebration or a special moment for yourself. Often it is the ritual of pouring an alcoholic drink that people associate with “me time” and relaxation. Swapping this ritual for another healthier alternative can still feel special and satisfy the “me time” you are craving at the end of a busy day.
Summertime Spritzer
¼ watermelon, cubed
¼ cup mint leaves
1.25L bottle soda water, chilled
Juice of ½ lime
2 cups seedless grapes, frozen
Ice as desired
Instructions:
1. Place the watermelon and mint leaves in a blender and process until it just becomes liquid (less if you like some texture, more if you prefer your drinks completely smooth).
2. Pour the watermelon and mint juice into a chilled glass jug and top with soda water and the lime juice.
3. Add the frozen grapes when ready to serve to keep the Spritzer cool without diluting the flavour. Feel free to also use crushed ice.
4. Serve in chilled glasses and garnish with extra slices of lime, mint leaves and watermelon slices.
