Ahh the elusive art of successful day drinking. When it comes to festivals, BBQs, work parties, or any other soiree in the sun involving alcohol, holding your drink and keeping your buzz becomes a fine balancing act from which even the most seasoned party-goers can slip. To get you through the busy months of Champagne brunches, breakfast beers and long lunches, we’ve put together some expert tips for how to be the last man standing, sans the red wine stain on your favourite t-shirt.
Water Is Your Friend
There’s a reason fancy cocktail bars give you water before they serve you your drink, and they are not only signaling a free, salty snack might be on its way. They care about you. They want you to be able to enjoy as many of their $28 cocktails as possible, and the way to ensure that is to keep you relatively sober. There is definitely something to be said for drinking one glass of water between alcoholic beverages, but for many people this will result in that uncomfortable, bloated feeling. Just do yourself a solid and always keep a glass of water within arms reach that is topped up – it will make the world of difference.
Drink Spirits
This fact is a surprise to many, but if you’re drinking out, spirits are actually a less boozy option than wine and beer. This is because 30ml of a standard spirit is one standard drink – and you have the country’s strict alcohol laws to thank for making sure your CC and dry has no more than 30ml of whisky. Wine and beer, on the other hand, add up to about 1.2 standard drinks. So, order a spirit in a tall glass with not much ice, and sip on it for longer to control your pace. If you are drinking at someone’s house, invest in a jigger so you can measure your pours.
Eat Before You Get There
It’s easy to skip breakfast on the way to your friend’s barbeque, but this is a sure fire way to speed up the intoxication process. Your body absorbs alcohol much faster on an empty stomach, and Doritos and salsa do not qualify as a substantial meal. Eat something light but decent before you go, preferably containing bread. (Sorry, gluten-frees.)
Switch Up Your Poison
We’ve all been there; you’re two bottles of wine or a six-pack deep and you’re starting to feel a bit funny. It might not just be the alcohol – you could already be suffering from a sugar hangover. The best thing to do at this point is take a break, go for a walk, and stick to the waters for the next twenty minutes (at least). Then, if you still want to continue the day with a drink in your hand, switch it up and drink something else. Remember, if you’ve been sticking to sugary options, that sweet white powder is a drug in itself and it comes with its own negative health effects that are sure to make tomorrow’s inevitable hangover worse. The healthiest sprits to drink are vodka and gin – paired with soda water and some citrus.
NO SHOTS
Okay, maybe one. But after that, DEFINITELY NO SHOTS.