suggestions for non-alcoholic beverage

[mkevenson]

Well guys after 59 yrs and about 39 of those consuming an alcoholic beverage pretty much every day. Actually more than one and occasionally many more, too much for me. I tend to fall asleep early based on the drinks, I think, I also occasionally wake up a bit hung over, yuch.

So at any rate I have decided to take a break from my usual routine. My problem, One of them, is finding a substitute drink. Obviously when visiting friends one of the first questions is, "like a beer?" After work I like relaxing with a drink.

So my usuall selection in order of importance was, white wine, Gin & Tonic, Brandy in my coffee, beer.

I have done the tonic with lemon and lime, still adding the olives and that is good. I have tried non=alcoholic beer but doesn't taste very good. Haven't tried the alcohol free wine.

Mark

Any suggestios would be great. Oh, I am Diabetic so no sugar stuff.

 

[BCatl]

I am a diabetic myself, and that makes me a bit tired at night in itself, so I can relate.

Try a diet soft drink and a half to a whole caffine pill. That's what I do. Like No Doz or one of the store brands. Kroger for instance has an excellent cheap caffine pill.

The caffine gives you a little buzz going in the other direction from alcohol, but you feel good. My suggestion should not be followed if you have poorly controlled high blood pressure. It's not something to be doing every day, but it works well at a party.

 

[cvac]

Some of the non-alcoholic beers aren't bad. The best one I've tried is Saint Pauli Girl N.A.

Other than that I drink a lot of diet soda and sugar free sports drinks. Sprite Zero, Propel, etc.

 

[RayH]

As an ex-drinker I can relate. I think a good recommendation would be iced tea sweetened with splenda or xylitol or stevia.

 

[Doc4]

If I'm not having booze, it's usually just plain old water for me, or else chocolate milk. Or a nice cuppa tea.

Oh, I am Diabetic so no sugar stuff.

Pardon what may be a silly question, but would that exclude orange juice? I was going to suggest OJ, a few dashes of bitters, and ice.

... or you could do the same with Clamatto or other veggie-blend drinks & the dash of bitters.

 

[mkevenson]

If I'm not having booze, it's usually just plain old water for me, or else chocolate milk. Or a nice cuppa tea.



Pardon what may be a silly question, but would that exclude orange juice? I was going to suggest OJ, a few dashes of bitters, and ice.

... or you could do the same with Clamatto or other veggie-blend drinks & the dash of bitters.

Thanks for the suggestion. OJ is just like soda, turns to glucose fast. I have never had bitters,but will look into that. I did find some diet Tonic water and have added lime juice and a bit of splenda. Pretty nice highball style drink.

 

[falkon]

This very moment I am having a(old fashioned) glass with club soda, a couple dashes of bitters (Peychauds), ice, maraschino cherry. The bitters does turn the soda pink but rest assured, it is not a girly sweet drink.

I also will occasionally have half a glass of sour mix and half a glass of OJ. You'll swear you can taste the whiskey and amaretto just like it was a stone sour.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I usually get in a beer or two every day, but aside from that, I almost always choose water. Easily found and the price is right, too. If you don't have a water bottle, pick up one of the nice stainless or aluminum ones that are popular these days. I have one that I refill with tapwater and take almost everywhere with me. It really cuts down on money spent on beverages.

When I occasionally drink something other than beer, I always go with the Greyhound. It's vodka and grapefruit juice. Always refreshing and can be found at any bar.

 

[Luc]

I'm a fan of lime juice with fizzy water. Fizzy water by itself.

Another good one, smiliar to iced tea but different. Tamarind and water.

 

[SRock]

or else chocolate milk.

I knew you were a sophisticated gentleman!

My son and I love to imbibe in the occasional glass of chocolate milk!

 

[cvac]

I would definitely give the iced tea a shot. Pretty easy to make a big jug of it and keep it in the fridge. Then you can add lemon and Splenda or whatever you like.

If you want to try a hot drink, tea could keep you busy for awhile. Most grocery stores sell quite a variety of different types of tea. There are also high end or exotic teas. I think there is a group of guys here who are into special tea from China.

Some herbal teas are also pretty good. I usually go for mint, chamomile or some kind of citrus flavor now that I've cut out caffeine.

 

[Alacrity59]

Club soda is what I usually have when flying to keep hydrated. I've been liking the diet green tea ginger ale from Canada Dry lately. I think I recall that diabetics can have caffeine in moderation.

 

[Jim B.]

Martinelli Sparkling Cider.

 

[mkevenson]

Martinelli Sparkling Cider.

Thanks, but way toooo sweet.

 

[BEAR DEN]

Club soda with a slice of lime.

 

[Improbable]

Now that winter's finally ending, I can start making my big jug of sun tea every weekend. It's iced tea, but instead of brewing it like normal you just leave a glass jar with some tea bags out in the sun all day. Anyone from the South will tell you it's got a much better flavor that way.

 

[Doc4]

Thanks for the suggestion. OJ is just like soda, turns to glucose fast. I have never had bitters,but will look into that. I did find some diet Tonic water and have added lime juice and a bit of splenda. Pretty nice highball style drink.

Ahh ... wasn't sure about the OJ. Bummer.

You'll probably like bitters; there's lots of different varieties, but just a dash will do ... very flavourful (and usually with some alcohol content, but you won't be able to drink enough to make a difference. )

I knew you were a sophisticated gentleman!

My son and I love to imbibe in the occasional glass of chocolate milk!

As a college student I spent many summers working at a local dairy plant, and got used to drinking milk straight out of the machine ... so fresh that the stuff in the stores I can't stomach unless it's flavoured with the chocolate. (Imagine how much wasabi you'd need for week-old sashimi.)

 

[BCatl]

Once you cut drastically back on the alcohol for a year, you can then drink alcohol in moderation. That has been my experience at least (may not apply to all). I can actually drink one glass of wine now and be satisfied. I don't have wine every night, but when I do, I enjoy it.

At one time I would have laughed at that because I drank wine like water.

When you first cut back on your alcohol, your craving for sugar will probably go up. I solved my problems with Nips candy, which does have sugar but not a huge amount. Be careful with the Nips if you get them because they can take the caps off your teeth if you don't suck them (if you have caps of course). Of course, this all has to be tailored to your own situation.

Good luck with what you're trying to do. Unfortunately, nothing really tastes like alcohol but alcohol.

 

[DFrancis]

For something beer-like that is not as horrid, you may want to try the alcohol free ones that the sell at Middle-eastern groceries, though they may have sugar in them so give the label a read.

 

[mkevenson]

Once you cut drastically back on the alcohol for a year, you can then drink alcohol in moderation. That has been my experience at least (may not apply to all). I can actually drink one glass of wine now and be satisfied. I don't have wine every night, but when I do, I enjoy it.

At one time I would have laughed at that because I drank wine like water.

When you first cut back on your alcohol, your craving for sugar will probably go up. I solved my problems with Nips candy, which does have sugar but not a huge amount. Be careful with the Nips if you get them because they can take the caps off your teeth if you don't suck them (if you have caps of course). Of course, this all has to be tailored to your own situation.

Good luck with what you're trying to do. Unfortunately, nothing really tastes like alcohol but alcohol.

Funny thing is I didn't drink at all in High school. It was 65-69 and we had other things. In college and after wards I found that since I didn't drink much, any little bit would make me too tipsy. My solution of course after considerable research was to start drinking all the time, well not really, i have maintained a steady job for all these years and don't drink and work, but I figured if I built up a tollerance then the drinks would not affect me so much. Well that worked to a point. As I am now getting older, If have have my usual several glasses of wine I tend to fall asleep by 9pm. So anyway I have decided I've done my fair share of drinking and it's time to take a break. Been at it for a week now with nary a side affect, I think, maybe a little testy at times, but no shakes or stuff. So on with life, without the habits, well I still saved some for later.
Thanks to all for the input.

Mark