I’ve been pondering my relationship with adult beverages lately. My relationship with booze is not serious anymore (don’t ask me about my twenties), but it feels complicated sometimes.
I rarely drink anymore, and when I do, it’s only one or two. But I tend to feel slightly crummy the next day, and I’m not sure if it’s really even worth it. Feeling good really feels freaking good! I’ve been thinking about quitting, but I’m not sure if I want to go there yet, because I really do love a beautiful wine, Old World style beer, or a classic, premium cocktail every once in a while. I used to work in the restaurant industry, and it’s unbelievably hard to let go of all of that food industry knowledge and passion, even though I know that when it comes down to it, alcohol is technically a poison.
So instead, I’m using a book as my guidepost for now. What Makes a Wine Worth Drinking, by wine importer Terry Thiese, has helped me sort out my dilemma and help me make some rules for drinking in this weird, ‘sober curious’ phase I’m going through.
My master strategy is that my drink has to be beautiful and of quality to drink it. That means no more mediocre tipples. I’m going for quality, not quantity. If I’m going to partake, it’d better be worth a slightly crummy next day.
So, what makes a beverage beautiful–and worth drinking? I’ll explain.
Flavor
First, and foremost, I want a flavor that sparks my imagination. Thiese says he knows he’s found beauty when he ‘can’t help but pause, because in that instant, I want to steep myself in that delight. I luxuriate in it.’ To me, complexity of flavor is luxury: I want bitter, toasty, herbal, bright, citrusy, nutty, and spicy–the stuff that makes your mouth water. And I want to be able to pause and luxuriate in a beverage that primes you for food: For wines, I’ll be turning to bubbles, rieslings, chenin blancs, chinons. For beers, abbey ales and saisons.
Lower alcohol
Too much alcohol in a drink ruins flavor (and can ruin the next day). I’ll go for a citrusy and bitter spritzer with a low-alcohol aperitif. I’ll definitely enjoy a crisp, spicy lager. But a wine with an alcohol by volume above 12.5% is too hot for me (unless I’m eating a crazy rich meal, which is not very often). Any beer above 5% is questionable.
The producer’s story
The producer can tell you a lot about what you’re about to drink. Is it a family-owned, grower-producer, or a small-production, craft label? I love reading tasting notes, or learning about legacies and histories of the label’s process.
What I’m doing while I’m drinking
Finally–and this might be the most important piece–to permit myself a glass of something, I must consider what I’m doing at the moment. Will I have a moment to pause and reflect on my drink? Is it a special occasion? Does the moment feel–as Thiese puts it–‘ceremonial’? Possible scenarios:
- Will I be sitting and watching TV? No fancy drink for me, then. Am I reading? I’ll have some tea instead.
- Will I be in front of a roaring fire? Yes, I’ll have a glass of fuller-bodied Italian red and marvel at how the fruit changes as the glass warms.
- Am I cooking a special dinner? Yes, I’ll have a glass of snappy Gruner Veltliner or something else interesting while I’m swirling and smelling and tasting the food.
Gah. After all of this rule-making, I’m not even sure how my rules will hold up in the real world. But I’m going to try! I’ll be employing the two-drink rule, too: that’s the one where you drink slowly, limit yourself to two, and space out your drinks (I never really enjoy that third drink anyway–in the moment or on the next day). I won’t be forgetting that glass of water before, during and after, either.
Time to edit!
Do you have rules, too? Here are some actionable ideas if you’re tired of the drinks dilemma.
- Find a wine shop, a restaurant, a brewery to help you choose something beautiful
- Read this article about ‘intuitive drinking’, or this one about how to be a ‘one drink wonder’
- Limit drinking to special occasions
- For wine drinking, try bubbles: Champagne, cava, and prosecco tend to be lower in alcohol and they play nicely with a lot of different foods.
Lastly, these rules aren’t for everyone. If you feel like you need help with your relationship with alcohol, and you don’t know what to do, Samhsa.gov is a good place to start.
Cheers! Erica