This probably sounds a bit counter-intuitive to my avocation of writing about cocktail preparation, but my husband and I decided to do Dry February this year. We’d been hearing that Dry January is a thing, but we weren’t quite ready to become teetotalers so soon after the holidays- and February is two days shorter than January (this year). So since February 1st, neither of us has touched a drop of alcohol. The struggle is real, my friends.
It’s not like we normally sit around every night and get wasted, but I SO look forward to that boozy cocktail after work and my hellish commute. So it hasn’t been easy. The worst is on Fridays, when I really feel like celebrating the end of the work week, and I end up with a Polar cranberry lime seltzer water. For the 10th night in a row.
One thing of note- people who have gone dry for a month have told me that they felt so much better after their detox. I have noticed NOTHING different physically. I am lucky to be very healthy and normally feel pretty darn good most days, so it would be pretty amazing if I felt any better. But I don’t. That’s okay, but it’s making me question why I wanted to torture myself in this way for 29 days. It’s not making me feel like Wonder Woman and not improving my sleep patterns (those were fine too). When you come down to it, the reason we went dry for a month is just to prove that we could. Which I thought was a valid reason, and still do. But I am really, really, really looking forward to March 1st.
In the meantime, I still enjoy throwing a few ingredients together when I get home from work, so I thought I ought to try a few mocktails. If you ever plan to challenge yourself to a dry period, give the three below non-alcoholic beverages a try!
Pour all ingredients in a glass with ice. Garnish with blackberries and a lemon wedge if desired.
Fruity Extravaganza
Pour all ingredients in a glass with ice. Garnish with mint leaves if desired.
Cherry Peach Sparkler
Pour all ingredients in a glass with ice. Add a wedge of lime and mint leaves if desired.
Those sound really good. I just went to a nutritionist who told me I should cut down on the 3 or four meager half glasses of wine I have a week because of the pre-diabetes I’ve been told I have. Know what? The hell with that. I’d rather drink wine and walk five miles than give it up. I know exactly what you mean about the after work drink. Enjoy March!!!!
I agree Fran- wine and walks sound like the perfect plan for longevity!
The only reason I’ve given up drinking for extended periods of time is to lose weight. And you don’t need to do that either. Cheers to you this Sunday, my friend!
Thanks Charlene- that Sunday cocktail was divine, not gonna lie. I actually gained weight in February due to eating extra sweets in place of drinking. Another reason not to try this again!