Let’s face it: Sometimes boozing it up on a weeknight can get exhausting—and impractical.
Maybe your New Year’s resolutions include spending less money or dropping a few pounds. Perhaps you’ve decided to dedicate your evenings to your creative hobbies instead of SVU marathons and Chardonnay. Or maybe you’re a soon-to-be parent or otherwise under doctor’s orders. Sometimes, it’s just a good idea to lay off the sauce.
But just because you won’t be paying $25 for a couple of weak cocktails doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a delicious beverage.
You may not be drinking, but if you still want to sip something that’s fun, tasty, and a bit more imaginative than a Diet Coke, give these concoctions a try.
Childhood Throwbacks
Examples: Lime Rickey, Shirley Temple
What it says about you: I am so confident in my maturity that I am comfortable ordering a drink that I may have consumed before my feet could touch the floor from this barstool. I am a paradox.
Sports-Themed Drinks
Example: Arnold Palmer (iced tea and lemonade)
What it says about you: I know about sports legends and their beverages of choice. I could be an athlete myself, heading to my 24-hour gym after happy hour.
Morning-After Drinks
Examples: Virgin Mary, Homemade Ginger Ale (bitters, sprite, splash of coke)
What it says about you: I am either hung over or pregnant. I am a woman of mystery.
Spritzers
Example: Cranberry and Club Soda
What it says about you: To me, being refreshed is just as satisfying as being intoxicated. I might withdraw to the veranda at any moment.
Drinks to Avoid
Childhood throwbacks that go too far back: Milk. Apple juice.
Energy drinks: There’s nothing worse than being sober and jumpy at a happy hour.
Non-alcoholic beer: Because beer isn’t that tasty to begin with.