Dry January, not as bad as it sounds

Well, it is week three of Dry January and I am feeling like a million bucks. This is my third DJ and my sixth or seventh 30-day period of 0% alcohol consumption. I am a committed imbiber, so you would think that this might be hard for me. Surprisingly, it is not. I now need precisely eight hours of sleep and my productivity off the charts. Other than that, I don’t really feel much of a difference.

Like last year, I have been drinking 0.0% beers and wines. Since COVID has put a pinch in my beer budget, I have taken to generic brands of alcohol-free lagers. I add a slice of citrus for a refreshing sip while I cook dinner or add a splash of my homemade shrub, now that is pure ambrosia! Brands like Albert Heijn’ s Brouwers 0.0% or LIDL’s Kordaat 0.0% have the fewest calories and their flavor is just as lagery as the best of them.

 I am also obsessed with Viverty alcohol-free sparkling white wine from Germany. It’s available at Albert Heijn. This wine is so soft and tasty that you hardly miss the booze. Another one of my tricks, if you want  a relaxing elixir, is to make a cocktail from a nighttime tea containing Valarian Root. I make a concentrated steep, let it cool and mix it in equal parts with sparkling water, add a dash of red berry juice, ice cubes and top with a lemon slice. It’s a perfect mocktail after a hard day’s Zoom.

I’d love to hear about your Dry January! How is it going? What are you drinking? Has anyone tried those fancy alcohol-free botanicals?