The Aperitif Guy

I am one of those people who like to keep Lent. Not just a bit of dieting disguised as piety, but making a serious attempt to address imbalances in my life, my attitude to others and my spiritual relationships. Usually, this involves trying to reign in instincts I have realised I indulge, or pushing harder against my habitual torpor. It might outwardly look like "giving something up," but it has a higher purpose and deeper meaning for me. This year, having become concerned about my relationship to alcohol, I have decided to lay off drinking for the six weeks of Lent. As well as giving my liver time to rest and renew, it will - I hope - allow me to develop a more disciplined approach to my use of alcohol and find strategies to support that discipline. A few weeks ago, I was introduced to Janet Hadley, a sober coach. The purpose of our meeting was professional - she was due to come on my radio show and we were meeting for an introductory chat. During the conversation, I became ...

Image: Everleaf Drinks When I first wrote about alcohol-free drinking in 2018, the range of drinks available was very limited. I updated that post a year later with some additional suggestions. The range of drinks now available is enormous, but you wouldn't know it from the bar of your local Punchspoons Pub Co., or in the aisles of  Waitbury's and Aldl. The most recent accurate figures for UK (ONS 2018) show that around 20% of adults do not drink alcohol at all. The figure is higher for the under-25s - 23%. You'd think, then, that one beer in every five would be an alcohol-free one, that pubs would carry more than one alcohol-free wine and that you could choose from several 'spirit' drinks. Smaller, craft breweries seem to be leading the way in the field of low-alcohol beer. Perhaps this is the reason you don't see many in the big chains. The breweries seem to be waking up to this challenge, and we have seen big companies like Guinness and Heineken launch 0% bre...

In these days of social distancing, widespread home-working and self-isolation, there is a real danger that loneliness or boredom will affect us more deeply than we're ready for. We can't always manage our feelings, but what we can do is manage our activities to ensure they affect us as positively as possible. Any number of people are posting some brilliant suggestions to help us. Here are a few from me. Structure your day Drifting through an unstructured day is a recipe for boredom and procrastination. So set your alarm clock and get up at a regular time. Establish a few little rituals to mark the passing of the day: a morning walk, time to work, an online chat & coffee with a friend, early evening music. Whatever it is that you enjoy doing, give yourself bursts of that at the same time every day. Eat well Start the day with a good breakfast and space your meals out as part of your daily rituals. You will need some treats to keep you going, as well as the hea...

I posted early last year about alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks. At the time, there were very few alcohol-free drinks available in the UK that were intended specifically for aperitif drinking. How things change in a year! What follows is an update of that post, with some new products reviewed. Our neighbour has commented that, as a non-drinker, she often feels infantilised by the choices offered when she goes out with others. While friends drink wines, spirits and beers to suit the adult palate, more often than not she is offered pop or fruit juice. No wonder she generally drinks water! I made it my mission to find some grown-up drinks that don’t compromise on alcohol. We start with tonic water. One of the markers of the adult palate is that it tolerates bitterness much more than a child’s does. Tonic may be sweet and fizzy but it’s unmistakably adult. It’s also fresh and stimulates the appetite, so it works well as an aperitif. Try mixing it with grapefruit or orange juice (...

With so many friends trying to keep a dry January (or at least a drier-than-most-months), now seems a good time to think about providing aperitif drinks for guests who do not drink alcohol, are that night’s designated driver or who simply want to take it easy for a night. L to R: San Bitter, Crodino, bitters & soda Our neighbour commented to me just before Christmas that as a non-drinker she often feels infantilised by the choices offered when she goes out with others. While others drink wines, spirits and beers to suit the adult palate, more often than not she is offered pop or fruit juice. No wonder she generally drinks water! I made it my mission to find some grown-up drinks that don’t compromise on alcohol. Let’s start with tonic water. One of the markers of the adult palate is that it tolerates bitterness much more than a child’s does. Tonic may be sweet and fizzy but it’s unmistakably adult. It’s also fresh and stimulates the appetite so works well as an ...

Since the Beloved and I have been together, we’ve always had formal dinner parties around Christmastime. Most years, we will entertain my stepchildren and their partners the weekend between Christmas and New Year. We’ve also had friends over for dinner on New Year’s Eve a couple of times, and often have people to lunch on New Year’s Day. It’s a busy time of year, but surrounding oneself with friends and family is the very essence of Christmas for me. My Godfather once said of my Mum and her family, “they make love to you with food.” It’s a gene I’m happy to have inherited! I love a nice table! Although it’s a great stand-by, I think it’s possible to get a little champagned-out at this time of year. I do serve it before Christmas lunch and open a bottle to let the New Year in, but I usually look to other aperitif drinks for my dinner parties. One drink I learnt to love in my twenties is the Trinity cocktail. I was living and working in a Jesuit retreat house in Merseysid...