A New Style of Drinking and Entertaining
A toast to high sobriety and to the kind of festive spirits that simply can’t be poured from a bottle! People coast to coast are raising their glasses to their own well-being and to a style of social drinking that emphasizes the flow of lively conversation rather than the flow of alcohol. They’ve sampled the wide variety of sophisticated bottled waters now available, and their demand for heady tastes without the heaviness of alcohol has made the “mocktail” and alcohol-free “wine” a must on the menus of many restaurants-from neighborhood pubs to the finest eating establishments.
And now, at last, here is the mixing guide that enables you to drink to the alcohol-free life-style in the most intimate, appropriate setting of all-your own home. Celebrate all of your special occasions, whether a romantic Valentine’s Day a deux, a rousing Octoberfest, or a warm, welcoming open-house to ring in the holiday season, with a variety of flavorful alcohol-free libations that will give your guests an occasion they can -and will-remember.
Here’s Looking at You
Good friends and good times-these are the mixers that special events are truly made of. But how does the blend differ when alcohol, long believed to be an ice breaker and a social lubricant, is not an integral part of your recipe for a good party?
Professional caterers and bartenders agree-if you want your guests to stay longer, to mix more freely, and to get beyond the polite small talk, make your next get together alcohol-free! Unspiked delights keep energy levels high and minds sharp, encouraging movement, mingling, and meaningful conversation. So celebrate those people who add a special kick to your life by mixing up a convivial cup that stimulates rather than dulls the senses, that energizes rather than depletes the mind and body. And don’t be surprised if they-and your party-last well beyond the stroke of midnight.
To Your Health
Drinks without alcohol are blends of pure ingredients -flavorful, healthful meldings of fresh flavors and textures, free of the heavy “bite” that numbs the senses as well as the taste buds. Drinks without alcohol are also drinks without ethanol, a depressant much like ether. (Now you know why that slow and steady alcohol induced inertia is known as “getting stiff!”) Ethanol, the active ingredient in all alcoholic drinks, clouds the mind, slows the reflexes, and dulls perception while flooding the body with empty carbohydrate calories, ultimately ushering in that fuzzy, headachy period known as the morning after.
The result? A party you barely remember followed by a day you’d rather forget.
Celebrate the alcohol-free life-style and both you and your guests will feel better for it before, during, and after the last snifter or punch cup is put away. The nonalcoholic kick is a flavor kick that stimulates the appetite for good food and lively conversation. Sample our Catawba Royal or our White Grape Juice Sangria and you’ll wake up energized, alert, ready to raise your glass again to the health and well-being of those special people who add spirit to all the occasions of your life.
And a special note to those who work out or get their highs from sports: while all of our recipes, from the sophisticated spritzers to the exotic quenchers, are bursting with flavor as well as vitamins, you’ll want to lift a few of our energy-powered bracers (page 76) to recharge after your exercise program. These apres-workout revivers are specially formulated to deliciously nourish and replenish the body you’ve trimmed and toned, without adding excess calories.
Skoal! Prosit! A Taste of the Melting Pot
Fill your glasses with the lushest treasures of the world-heady, exotic flavors and the richest of textures -and your taste buds will demand that you drink them “straight!” Whether you choose to quench the heat of your best curry with a creamy rosewater-spiked Indian lassi or warm up a poolside crowd with tropical coolers, the most unusual taste sensations are no farther away than your favorite market or health food shop.
Complement your favorite ethnic dishes with exotic alcohol-free potables to savor the unique and subtle tastes of the world to the fullest. Or intoxicate your senses by sampling these spirited international delights at an around-the-world-in-one-evening tasting party. But whether you choose the kiwi or passion fruit of the tropics, the “dry” varietal grape juices coaxed from the finest grapes, or the aromatic herbs and spices of the East, a cornucopia of exciting new tastes is within your reach.
A Toast to Your Creativity!
Is there a secret to the perfectly balanced nonalcoholic drink? You bet there is, and we’re going to share it with you. Once you plug your own favorite taste sensations into our “flavor principle,” you’ll soon be blending, mixing, and shaking up the kind of punchy beverages sure to shake up any crowd. You’ll find your own creativity will be the key ingredient in mixing up elegant, energizing alcohol-free nips and coolers that are as limitless as your imagination.
So start to celebrate the times of your life now-with elegant slushes, stylish spritzers, and very adult coolers -all alcohol-free. And be merry-the “proof” of truly festive spirits was never an alcohol content.