Monday 27 April 2015

Three Cheers for Ginger Beer

I was at a friend's 40th birthday party at the weekend. A good friend that I would now be happy to tell the truth about why I no longer drink but, I decided her big party was not the place to do so.
I had planned to drive and leave it at that, should anyone ask.

We had been asked to bring any specific drinks we wanted and were advised there would be cocktails a-plenty.
Pushing the boat out, I decided to have a break from sparkling water and took along some cans of ginger beer.

Ginger beer was one of my first substitute drinks when I first stopped having alcohol. It has a lovely strong flavour, a distinctly spicy aftertaste and feels like a good sturdy drink. A splash of lime cordial to sweeten it doesn't go amiss either.
Despite being called 'beer' or 'ale' it has no alcohol content.
Anyway, although I don't feel the need to have a drink that looks alcoholic, I was surprised to find that mine did!
The host had prepared pitchers of Moscow Mules. Unbeknown to me, these consist of lots of vodka and...wait for it....ginger beer!
The result was that the drinkers' small glasses of cloudy cocktail looked identical to my much larger tumbler full of ginger beer.
 I drank my first drink really quickly and immediately poured myself another, smiling as a guest I did not know remarked 'Gosh you are really going for it tonight aren't you?!'

Can you tell which is which?

7 comments :

  1. Dear Rachel,
    Ginger beer is yummy!
    xo
    wendy

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  2. Ha Ha! If only she knew! I bet you were the only one without a sore head the next day! A x

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  3. Must try this ginger beer. Ordered ur new book : )

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    Replies
    1. thank you Kats. Bit nervous now wondering if people will enjoy...

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  4. Is it something you buy (if so, what brand) or do you make your own giger beer ? Thank you :)

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  5. Hi, yes, it's a soft fizzy drink (or soda to the US) that you can buy in cans or plastic bottles. My favourite brand is Old Jamaican Spicy (I know it sounds like a rum but it's not, honest!) which also comes as a sugar free variety.
    Supermarkets in the UK do their own brand version. I've never had it in a pub or restaurant- don't know if anyone else has? Does schweppes do it in little cans? Is ginger ale the same?

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  6. Hi Rachel ! How are you? I was wondering, what kind of soft drinks could you order in a pub? Because I like drinking sparkling water with a lime wedge (basic tonic and lime) but it seems that in the UK, tonic and lime is sparkling water with yellow syrup added to it...

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Go on, spill.

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