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More Hangover Cures

October 1st, 2009

 

If you are the type of person who goes beyond the norm, you might want to try something different from the standard hangover cures. Next time you find yourself with a throbbing headache and after-party discomfort, try these possible remedies to get you back on track.

1. Eat foods that are rich in minerals. This includes canned fish and pickles. If you cannot eat anything, try drinking pickle juice, as they do in Poland.

2. Consume thiamine or Vitamin B. Thiamine prevents glutamate from accumulating in the brain (may cause hangover headaches), and you may need to replenish your depleted B vitamins after drinking alcohol.

3. Jump into the shower and alternate between cold and hot water.

4. Add a spoon of baking soda to water and drink away.

5. Raise your metabolic rate with exercise. It will help clear the toxins linked to metabolizing alcohol by delivering oxygen to your cells.

6. Try some Alka Seltzer Morning Relief. This may work for you, but make sure you do not take aspirin, ibuprofen, and Tylenol when you have a hangover, as they can cause more damage than good.

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How to Taste Whisky

September 16th, 2009

 

Many different factors go into whisky tasting. In order to get the best results, you need to make sure that you are using the right type of glass. The best glass for this purpose is shaped like a tulip, so that the aromas do not escape.

To start, pour around a half to one ounce of whisky in your glass. Hold the glass to light and take note of the color, which depends on the whisky’s age and cask used for maturation. Next, swirl the drink in the glass to release aromas, and take a few short sniffs. Take note of what you smell. Then, add a little water to the glass. This causes more aromas to come forth. Determine if the aromas have changed.

After the smelling, comes the actual tasting. Take a large sip and let the whisky fill your mouth and roll over your tongue. Note the primary taste. Determine if the taste compares with the aromas you noted earlier. Next, put the glass aside and consider the finish of the whisky. Note if the aftertaste lingers for a while and if it is pleasant.

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Fresh Fruit Cocktails

August 19th, 2009

 

If you want a refreshing drink to relieve yourself from the summer heat, you can try a fresh fruit cocktail. Not only does it look cool and inviting, but it also tastes delicious. Pineapples, strawberries, citrus fruits, and other goodies make great accompaniments to the liquor.

In order to make the ultimate fruit cocktails, make sure that you wash the fruit first and keep it cold on a bed of ice. When it comes to the alcohol, go for quality. You might think that the flavor of the fruit and other ingredients would mask the taste of the low-quality liquor, but there is nothing like using quality, full-flavored spirits. Further, while making the cocktails, make sure to add alcohol to the glass before adding fruit juice. Keep a small supply of fresh lemons and limes around. A simple squeeze can totally liven up some concoctions.

Fresh fruit cocktails can be deceiving. The rich fruit flavors can make one forget about the alcohol content of the drinks. Remember that there is typically around a couple of ounces of alcohol in each glass. Therefore, go easy on the refills!

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Summertime Pitcher Drinks

August 6th, 2009

 

Pitcher drinks make summertime parties a lot easier—for the host and guests. Cocktails in pitchers look inviting, and they are super simple to put together. In fact, sangria can be made a day in advance, as it usually needs to mull for at least eight hours. Other drinks suitable for the pitcher include the kamikaze, Manhattan, margarita, mojito, and caipirinha.

To make sure that your pitcher drink hits the right spot, make sure that it is light and refreshing, not overpowering. Strike the right balance between fruit juices and liquors. Do not put ice in the pitcher; put it in the glasses instead to avoid the watered down effect. Before pouring the drink into glasses, stir its contents, as some ingredients will separate. In the case of pre-mixed drinks, store them in closed containers in the refrigerator in order to keep the flavors up to par. Garnishes are always appealing. You can go quite bold when it comes to a big pitcher drink—think skewers of pineapples and sprigs of lemon verbena!

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Drinking Games: Pass the Pitcher

July 22nd, 2009

 

As long as you have a group of people, a pitcher, and a flow of alcohol, you can play this simple drinking game. Pass the Pitcher can be quite fun. It provides great entertainment at parties or bars (if allowed).

The best way to play the game is with all players sitting around a table. The person who buys the first pitcher starts the game by drinking as much or as little from the pitcher as desired. The point is that the drinker can only take one breath and cannot take his or her lips off the pitcher during the turn. Once the first player is done, he or she passes the pitcher to the next player on the left. The game continues until the alcohol is all done. The person who is last to drink is the winner of the game; the person who drank before this person is the loser of the game. The loser must go to the bar and buy the next pitcher for the next round. One of the entertaining aspects of the game is when players examine the contents of the pitcher to decide if they should take a small sip or gulp it all down.

Beer is the usual drink used for Pass the Pitcher, but margaritas, sangrias, punches, and other pitcher drinks work well, too.

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About Kegs

July 8th, 2009

For many people, a keg is the symbol of parties, picnics, and other gatherings. Summertime is the perfect season to use the metal container that can store and dispense pressurized liquids like beer. Kegs, however, are around all year long.

Standard kegs come in a variety of sizes; they can typically hold from five to 15.5 gallons. There is a hole on the top of the keg; a two-way valve allows beer to be filled into or removed from the container. You need a draft system, which uses compressed gas to dispense the beer.

Kegs are pieces of bar equipment that need some attention while in use. If you are transporting one, you need to give it time (about an hour) to settle down when you reach your destination; if not, you will experience excess foaming as you tap it. Since keg beer isn’t pasteurized, it needs to be refrigerated to stay fresh. Therefore, you need keg insulators. If kept cold, the beer will stay fresh for up to around 30 to 45 days after it’s been tapped. However, if a keg is tapped with a hand pump, instead of a CO2 dispenser, the beer should be consumed within a day. Happy tapping!

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Calories in Alcoholic Drinks

June 24th, 2009

 

Even though many drinkers conveniently forget that alcohol contains calories, a growing beer belly exposes the truth. When it comes to alcohol, calorie counting is easy. As a rule of thumb, the higher the alcoholic content, the higher the calorie count of a beverage. Alcohol content is reflective of the percentage alcohol content by volume. Liquors and liqueurs can have alcohol content from 14% to 40% and beer from 0.05% to 10%. Sugar is also responsible for upping the calories in drinks like liqueurs.

If you’re trying to keep in shape while indulging in a little alcohol, try replacing the regular colas in cocktails with diet colas, or try lite beers. Drinking a bottle of lite beer instead of a regular one can save you around 50 calories. Here’s an idea of what you’re drinking:

12 oz beer, regular: 153 calories

12 oz beer, lite: 103 calories

5 oz champagne: 70 calories

1 oz gin, 80 proof: 64 calories

1 oz rum, 80 proof: 64 calories

1 oz scotch, 80 proof: 64 calories

1 oz tequila, 80 proof: 65 calories

1 oz vodka, 80 proof: 64 calories

1 oz whiskey, 80 proof: 64 calories

5 oz wine, red: 105 calories

5 oz wine, white: 97-135 calories

 

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Cocktails for Father’s Day

June 11th, 2009

 

If you want to treat your dad to a complete Father’s Day celebration, don’t skip the cocktails! This is the perfect time to bring some of the more masculine drinks out. Fathers typically like tradition, and that’s what our list is all about. Simple and unexaggerated, these cocktails are ideal for the occasion. Here’s to our dads!

Kamikaze: Made of triple sec, vodka, and limejuice, serve it in a highball glass or in a lowball glass on the rocks.

Vodka Martini: Combine vodka and vermouth, and you get this drink that makes a statement.

Sidecar: This classic cocktail is made with cognac, orange liqueur, and lemon juice.

Whiskey Sour: With Bourbon whiskey, sugar, and lemon juice, this drink is shaken and served on the rocks or straight.

Manhattan: Containing vermouth and whiskey, this cocktail is usually stirred with ice and strained into a glass.

Long Island Iced Tea: This classic drink, which contains gin, rum, tequila, triple sec, gin, vodka, sweet and sour, and cola, is a favorite.

Godfather: The name of this drink made of Scotch and amaretto says it all.

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Alcohol Party Pops

May 28th, 2009

 

Summertime is just around the corner! With the warming of the weather comes the desire for all things frozen and ice-cold. If you want to spruce your parties up, try some alcohol pops this summer. The margarita, pina colada, Cosmopolitan, mojita, mai tai, and mimosa do wonders while frozen on a popsicle stick.

Most people think that you cannot make popsicles with alcohol because alcohol freezes at a very low temperature—much lower than what is possible with a freezer at home. The truth is that you can still make the treats with alcohol if you use a small amount of it mixed with other ingredients. The other ingredients will freeze completely, and the alcohol will be suspended within the molecules of the other substances. Because of the low alcohol content, you can have three or four frozen treats without much effect. If you want more liquor, you can soak pieces of fruit in alcohol before using them in the alcohol party pops recipes.

Do not be afraid to think outside the box. With the margarita pops, you can get a little creative by dipping them in coarse salt. You can add chunks of alcohol-soaked pineapples or coconuts to your pina colada treats. Therefore, if you are thinking about having a summertime party, impress your guests with alcohol party pops.

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Top Three Hangover Cures

May 21st, 2009

 

Some people are just more prone to hangovers. Women and Asian people are among them, because they have lower levels of the enzyme that breaks down alcohol. Everyone, however, is capable of getting drunk. If you want to know how to reduce the after-effects of alcohol, you’ve come to the right place. Follow these tips and you will cure your dreadful hangover.

Water: Alcohol dehydrates. This explains the headache that comes after heavy consumption. Therefore, in order to help prevent a hangover, drink a glass of water with each cocktail or beer you consume. You will be hydrated and it might even help you drink less booze.  

Sports drinks: When your body breaks down alcohol, it pumps out lactic acid and other substances that hinder the production of electrolytes and glucose. That’s why you feel weak when you have a hangover. Sports drinks like Gatorade will help restore the electrolytes and glucose in your system.

Food: Heavy alcohol consumption is not good for your gastrointestinal tract. Eating as you drink helps because the food coats the lining of your intestines. Choose bland foods. You wouldn’t want to go spicy—for obvious reasons.

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