I got some bloodwork done recently that showed some high liver numbers. I'm still getting that checked out, but I decided that it would be a good idea to dial back alcohol consumption to special occasions only, at least for now.
Fortunately, non-alcoholic beer is actually pretty good these days. Athletic's Golden Ale and Lager variations are basically as good as a mid-tier alcoholic beer, and it lets me have something at board game nights that doesn't make me feel out of place.
I also grabbed a copy of Julia Bainbridge's book Good Drinks. She traveled to a bunch of bars and restaurants across the country collecting recipes for non-alcoholic drinks that fit into the same space as cocktails. They tend to be a little fussy or to require ingredients you might need to special order, but that's part of the fun!
Of the recipes I've tried so far, I have two favorites (both images above are from the book): The Pea Flower Lemonade has a fun theatricality to it. Ahead of time, you toast some coriander seeds and grind them up, and then make a tea from Butterfly Pea Flowers. The tea comes out a really intense blue color. You mix the warm tea, coriander, and some sugar, then strain the mixture and chill it. When you serve it over ice, you add some fresh lemon juice, which turns the drink this pinkish-purplish color. It's fun to watch!
The other one I particularly liked is called "Cherry and Smoke" and it's very simple: 3 oz tart cherry juice, 3 oz lapsang souchong tea, and a twist of lemon, served warm. The flavors complement each other well. The first time I tried was not great because the cherry juice was cold straight from my fridge, so the final product came out lukewarm. But tonight I put the juice in the microwave for a bit while the tea brewed, and it tastes great.
I like having something new and fun to drink while I'm avoiding alcohol, and this book has a lot of directions to explore.
