2008 Woodie Awards
Alcohol substitutes leave no excuse for drunk driving
Emma Petrie-Smith
Issue date: 2/6/08 Section: Features
Contrary to popular belief, sometimes college students need a break from alcohol.
For numerous reasons, usually involving a previous rough night, alcoholic beverages may need to be avoided.
Josh Pfeifer, a freshman business administration major, said he can understand how students may find themselves in this situation.
Luckily, sober folks in these situations can avoid sipping on the personality-lacking bottle of water by experimenting with some fun, yet alcohol-free, drinks.
Everyone can remember (or can still be found) ordering the "virgin" forms of alcoholic drinks at restaurants when they were underage. Chris Siegenthlaer, a manager at Applebee's, 1133 Q St., said these and other drinks are still popular choices.
"Our smoothies and shakes are relatively popular," he said, "along with the flavored lemonades. Sometimes we have nonalcoholic drink specials, but you kind of have limited options when you're working without alcohol."
This may be true on the restaurant scene, but in one's own kitchen, there are tons of choices.
If a party is on the agenda, there are multiple options that are easy to make and even easier to serve to a large number of guests.
A staple at most parties is some variation of punch, and although it is usually made with alcohol, there are a variety of liquor-free recipes out there that taste equally delightful. Mixed-drink.com, a Web site dedicated solely to beverage recipes, offers countless punch recipes and other drink ideas.
A simple punch recipe the Web site recommends is Cowboy Punch. It is simple and fast; just mix together two bottles of white grape juice, one large bottle of club soda and two two-liter bottles of 7UP. Once it's chilled, it's ready to serve. Sixty seconds of work equals a night's worth of drinks.
Punch is a necessity at most gatherings, but the cocktails being served usually set the mood for the night. Choosing the beverages being served should be a decision based on the theme or plans for the night. For a girls' night out, cosmopolitans are usually in the mix. For a relaxing night of pizza and movies, sometimes beer is the classic and satisfying choice.
There are a few drink recipes that sound especially tasty and are also relatively simple to make. First, there is the Georgia Peach Cooler. This blended drink only take a few minutes to whip up and requires just a few ingredients.
To blend this, just put the following into a blender: one tablespoon of honey, one cup of chilled milk, one half of a banana and a one peach, cut into chunks. Blend until the it looks smooth, but not to the point where it's frothy.
To make a batch of cocktails for a small group, the recipe for the Gang Green, a drink served on the rocks, is a fool-proof choice. In a large bowl, mix six ounces of frozen lemonade, twelve ounces of frozen limeade and two cups of water. Right before serving, add two 28-ounce bottles of ginger ale to the concoction and serve over ice.
So many different nonalcoholic drinks are out there, no one should have any trouble finding a beverage for a night free of intoxicants; please drink them irresponsibly.
emmapetrie-smith@dailynebraskan.com
For numerous reasons, usually involving a previous rough night, alcoholic beverages may need to be avoided.
Josh Pfeifer, a freshman business administration major, said he can understand how students may find themselves in this situation.
Luckily, sober folks in these situations can avoid sipping on the personality-lacking bottle of water by experimenting with some fun, yet alcohol-free, drinks.
Everyone can remember (or can still be found) ordering the "virgin" forms of alcoholic drinks at restaurants when they were underage. Chris Siegenthlaer, a manager at Applebee's, 1133 Q St., said these and other drinks are still popular choices.
"Our smoothies and shakes are relatively popular," he said, "along with the flavored lemonades. Sometimes we have nonalcoholic drink specials, but you kind of have limited options when you're working without alcohol."
This may be true on the restaurant scene, but in one's own kitchen, there are tons of choices.
If a party is on the agenda, there are multiple options that are easy to make and even easier to serve to a large number of guests.
A staple at most parties is some variation of punch, and although it is usually made with alcohol, there are a variety of liquor-free recipes out there that taste equally delightful. Mixed-drink.com, a Web site dedicated solely to beverage recipes, offers countless punch recipes and other drink ideas.
A simple punch recipe the Web site recommends is Cowboy Punch. It is simple and fast; just mix together two bottles of white grape juice, one large bottle of club soda and two two-liter bottles of 7UP. Once it's chilled, it's ready to serve. Sixty seconds of work equals a night's worth of drinks.
Punch is a necessity at most gatherings, but the cocktails being served usually set the mood for the night. Choosing the beverages being served should be a decision based on the theme or plans for the night. For a girls' night out, cosmopolitans are usually in the mix. For a relaxing night of pizza and movies, sometimes beer is the classic and satisfying choice.
There are a few drink recipes that sound especially tasty and are also relatively simple to make. First, there is the Georgia Peach Cooler. This blended drink only take a few minutes to whip up and requires just a few ingredients.
To blend this, just put the following into a blender: one tablespoon of honey, one cup of chilled milk, one half of a banana and a one peach, cut into chunks. Blend until the it looks smooth, but not to the point where it's frothy.
To make a batch of cocktails for a small group, the recipe for the Gang Green, a drink served on the rocks, is a fool-proof choice. In a large bowl, mix six ounces of frozen lemonade, twelve ounces of frozen limeade and two cups of water. Right before serving, add two 28-ounce bottles of ginger ale to the concoction and serve over ice.
So many different nonalcoholic drinks are out there, no one should have any trouble finding a beverage for a night free of intoxicants; please drink them irresponsibly.
emmapetrie-smith@dailynebraskan.com
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