The Gin Sour went without incident. A Sour is a drink that can be made with any of the major spirits (vodka, whisky, rum). You can purchase sour mix but it is very simple to make from scratch with fresh lemons and fresh mix tastes much better.
Since the Gin Sour was delicious and without incident, I thought I’d take some time to talk about the health issues associated with this mixology undertaking.
Moderate drinking is considered one drink a day for women; 2 drinks a day for men. This is based partly on the assumption that men are larger than women, so one may want to base this more on weight. Also, different ethnicities respond differently to alcohol. What medication you are taking may increase the effects of alcohol. How old you are (believe me, once I hit 30 I discovered that this is a FACT), genetics, how quickly you consume the beverage, are all contributing factors to the effects of alcohol on your health.
In the U.S. a drink is considered a 12 ounce beer, a 5 ounce glass of wine, or a 1.5 ounce shot of liquor. Most of the cocktails I’ve made so far contain 1 to 2 ounces of alcohol. This is why I’ve limited cocktail hour to 1 drink per person – frankly, I’m warm as freshly buttered toast after 2 ounces of gin anyway, so this is fine by me. The cocktails are delicious and I feel that something like a martini is meant to be savored over the course of a pleasant discussion with a pleasant companion.
Of course, one should drink responsibly and never operate heavy machinery for awhile after drinking. For how long, I’m not sure, but I am most definitely not able to drive, balance a centrifuge, or use a chainsaw after 1.5 ounces of gin. In fact, even the manual salad spinner is now off-limits (after an incident with some spinach, beet greens, the cat, and the ceiling). One should also talk responsibly after consuming 1.5 ounces of gin. For instance, perhaps one should not go into a long diatribe on how great the book Dealing with People You Can’t Stand is when your cocktail companion is your boss. It is safest to share cocktail hour with trusted friends or to make that cocktail last the whole hour if you are sipping it with your boss, co-workers, or persons of potential love-interest.
The average “classic” cocktail contains about 200 calories. By “classic cocktail” I mean a spirit mixed with a tonic. I do not mean the super-duper-marguerita that has 5 straws in it and could nourish an entire college dorm for 2 days. So, in addition to pickling your organs and brain, and potentially squashing your chances of promotion, alcohol can also make you fat. Once again, keeping it to one drink, hopefully controls the caloric ramifications of cocktail hour.
Now, the benefits of alcohol. First of all, most of us would not be able to make it through work parties or family gatherings without it, so that is positive. There is some evidence that moderate consumption of alcohol may increase circulation and be good for the heart, may protect against type 2 diabetes and maybe even prevent gallstones. Much has been reported about red wine having positive health benefits due to other qualities. However, drinking too much destroys the liver, heart, and one’s mental health – as it can be extremely addictive. Alcohol probably harms more people than it helps (read this interesting article for more info).
I’m hoping that limiting myself to one cocktail a night negates the negative risk of this mixology experiment on my health. On the positive side, it gives me something fun (and involving pretty glassware and paper umbrellas) to do when I get home at night. Mixing fancy drinks takes my mind off the work-day and helps me begin relaxing at home. Additionally, Hubby and I have been having a nice cocktail and chatting in the evenings before dinner, which is a lovely way to reconnect after the work-day. Every couple should do something like this – with or without the cocktail. It is fun experimenting with new tastes, and it also offers an open invitation to friends, like Ms. Keith, to drop by for an evening tete-a-tete.