DrinkedIn Trends

It is March, and you are already thinking about that summer holiday. If it is a good time you are looking for, why not culture yourself with a craft beer holiday. We’ve put together a quick guide to the best beer destinations you should consider this year. Take a look!

Dublin, Ireland

Never mind your usual golf trip to Ireland, it’s time to hit the pubs and experience Ireland’s famous drinking culture. Dublin is notorious for its pub culture and is unquestionably one of the best destinations to travel to enjoy a few pints. Guinness is Ireland’s most famous export and if you are visiting Dublin, we recommend you take a tour of the Guinness Storehouse and Brewery; you even get a free pint of the black stuff when you reach the gravity bar at the end of the tour. Dublin’s city streets are lined with traditional pubs that serve exclusive beers. Most famous is probably the Porterhouse in the city’s Temple Bar; they serve up nine of their very own exclusive beers. You should also include Dawson’s Lounge, the Long Hall, the Stag’s Head and Solas on your pub crawl, we’re sure you’ll find a few more establishments on your way too. Although Dublin pub prices average a bit higher than their European counterparts with pint prices averaging at €4.50, but hey, we say it’s okay when they taste so good.

Munich, Germany

If it’s beer you’re looking for, surely there’s nowhere better to go than Germany? Munich is home to the famous annual Oktoberfest event that attracts thousands of visitors every year. So, where are the best places to drink when vacating in Munich and what should you indulge in? Savour a classic Munich Helles pale lager in one of the city’s six main breweries. The world’s oldest brewery, Weihenstephan dates from the 11th century and should be on top of your must visit attractions. You should definitely experience the traditional beer garden traditions of the city. There are several locations that are ideal for summer drinking in the city including The Chinese Tower Beer Garden and The English Garden. This is the perfect place to hit up this summer, beer, beer, beer!

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Amsterdam is home to some of the world’s most famous beers including Heineken, Amstel and Grolsh. If that isn’t reason enough to be one of the best beering spots in Europe, than what is? You must pay a trip to the Cracked Kettle, it is a shop that stocks over 500 hundred types of beer, yes five hundred! If you’re want to relax, sit down and enjoy a few drinks, you have to visit Cafe Gollem, offering over 200 varieties. The price of a drink averages at three quid here; we give that the thumbs up.

There you go, your quick guide to the best beer destinations. Wherever you decide to go, we are confident that you will have a brilliant time. Cheers!

If you’re loving the recent revival of all those much loved retro sweets from your childhood then you’re in luck. Here we have 3 delicious recipes that can each be whipped up in an hour or less… what’s not to love?!

Rhubarb and custard cocktail

Rhubarb and custard is such a fantastically unique British dish and very seasonal at the start of the year. This alternative little take on it with retro sweets really gives it some oomph and is one we really advise trying as a treat.

Prep Time: 10 minutes (20 minutes for cooling).

Total Time: 35 minutes.

Classic cocktails are always great, but today we’ll not going to tell you well-known recipes. We’d like to offer you something new. Want to surprise your guests and don’t sure that your cocktails will be tasty? Just read your list and no doubt that your party will be unforgettable!

Red Wine Berry Spritzer

It’s a refreshing and quite an easy wine cocktail for anyone avoiding calories. Some people like to combine there both red and white wines. If you want more experiments, you can try that.

For this cocktail, you’ll need:

• 1 part red wine
• frozen red fruits (blueberry, strawberry, cherry)
• 3 parts mixed berry sparkling water
• ice cubes

First put some ice cubes at the bottom of the glass, add some berries. Then fill the glass with a wine and complete the drawing with the mixed berries sparkling water.

It’s ready.

What's your type of whiskey? For all walks of life, whiskey is a perfect choice of drink. It is considered as a drink for men, women, any occasion and any season. No wonder why there are varied types of whiskey flavors to suit every need. When you drink, drink good. Pick your best whiskey pal.

Getting ahead in the wine industry takes more than just a fine bouquet and smooth finish. Effective promotional strategies must be used to garner new clients and transform current customers into regulars. With creative and proven techniques, wineries can get ahead of the game and reach out to their community.

Make it Free

Everyone loves free things. Imprint your winery label on promotional products such as custom hats, logo pens or custom mugs, and give them away to customers. Promotional products are a wonderful form of marketing in that they will remain in circulation for years, making them an extremely effective and cost-efficient form of advertising. Your winery can also use promotional items to make a gift basket. When customers come into the winery, they can receive a raffle ticket with each purchase. This increases the perceived product value of the current purchase. For the winning ticket, it also means that a box full of labeled winery merchandise will be distributed into the world.

Offer a Discount

Between chain restaurants and cheap grocery store wines, the wine market has become a little crowded. To get noticed in today's world, a winery should consider advertising special discounts or discount days. Pick the slowest time of the day and offer 5- or 10-percent off to customers. This helps to smooth out sudden rushes and can encourage clients to stop in when they were not planning to. During week days, a special senior day can ensure that at least one weekday is as busy as the weekend.

Host a Team

Local baseball clubs and soccer teams always need a sponsor. Whoever sponsors their team will be able to have the winery's name printed onto their custom t-shirts. To sponsor a team, the winery must normally pay for their uniform or registration fees. Some local restaurants in Sacramento, CA use promotional products by Halo as well as sponsorships to get their name and logo out into the community and draw attention to their establishment. After a rousing match, the sponsored team can be given discounts to ensure that new customers are brought into the winery.

Events

Wineries are great locations for events. Bring-your-dog days, concerts, wine tastings and classes can all bring in extra money to your winery. Each new customer that visits a class or concert will also become more informed about the different wines available. In the future, they will recall their favorite wines and return to make a purchase.

No matter where we go, where we are, what we do, cocktails are definitely one way that has proved itself over and over which can calm us down and relax us. There are so many cocktails today, and each and every one of them is completely unique with its own story, driving us in its world and let us experience the excitement it brings. Now, with so many special tastes, how can we pass on that, that would be such a waste? In order to avoid that, you should try out different cocktails whenever you get a chance, not only you will enjoy, but you will also give yourself the opportunity to experience stuff you couldn't before, you will be able to "travel around the world" on completely different way. Trying out different cocktails is really exciting and it can open us new paths, new understandings and one more way to look at the country cocktail is coming from. Each cocktail with its taste is telling us something, just taste it, relax and the story will begin....

Brandy Crusta

This cocktail was created in 1840s/50s by Joseph Santini. If you ever happen to be in New Orleans, you should definitely try this cocktail, since it has magnificent taste, especially when you order it from its hometown. With this cocktail you will be able to experience the fascinating combination of tastes, just close your eyes and imagine how would sugar syrup, lemon juice, Angostura bitters, cognac and superfine sugar taste together, combined, served in champagne flute for the most exciting experience!

East India House

Another amazing cocktail, with a long history, had a few incarnations since Charles H Baker tried it out in Royal Bombay Yacht Club in year 1932. Today, you can get the best East India House cocktail in hotel in Delphi. Served in martini coupe, you will be able to experience the arousing taste of orange curacao, cognac, maraschino liqueur, Angostura bitters and pineapple syrup.

Conference

Cocktail, created after the work, during one night by bartender Brian Miller. He had combined few of his favourite brown spirits and one of the most popular drinks created by him was finished. This is certainly the incredible combination worth of trying, this is the taste of Hine H cognac, Buffalo Trace bourbon whiskey, Rittenhouse Rye 100 proof whiskey, Busnel VSOP Calvados, Angosture bitters, chocolate bitters and raw brown sugar syrup. You should definitely try this one in New York!

Cocktail Oz

If you ever happen to be in Chicago do not miss under any circumstances the opportunity to try out this cocktail. Lynn M House, the creator of this cocktail has seriously made the amazing thing by combining such the interesting ingredients: Pierre Ferrand Ambre cognac, plum wine, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar gastrique.

A tour of the central region of Europe, to be fair, would take weeks to fully encompass and enjoy the scenic beauty, the wonderful people, the extraordinary food, and some of the finest beers in the world. In a brief five day whirlwind tour in search of some great brews, a few superior examples stand out – partially because of their uniqueness, mostly because of their high quality, but universally because these fine beers are so closely interwoven into the fabric of their places of origin.

DO RE MI FA SO BEERY

Starting from Munich, a visit to Salzburg, Austria, about 90 miles to the east is a must. Considered by many to be one of the most scenic cities in Europe, the Altstadt, or "old town” in Salzburg is a spectacular sight, dominated by baroque towers, church steeples and the famed Mirabell Palace of “Sound of Music” fame. The Stiegl Brewery in Salzburg was established in 1492, and is the largest privately owned brewery in Austria, though all production is at this single location.

Located in a district called the Maxglan, Stiegl uses mostly local ingredients and pristine spring water from the local Untersberg mountain to produce award winning brews. Home to the World of Brewing museum, visitors can experience, and most importantly, taste as many as ten of the beer that keep Stiegl at the top of the Austrian beer consumers’ lists.

BREWERIES IN BAVARIA

A half an hour from Salzburg by train, and back in Germany, is the Bavarian village of Traunstein, home to three local breweries a short walk from the train station.

Dark beer lovers will be in alpine heaven here. The Hofbräuhaus brewery produces outstanding dark beers, but also blends wheat and barly to make one of the best Weiss beers anywhere. Their "Gastro Weiss" is a rich, tasty memorable brew served only at the brewery.

The holidays are here again, and with them come the party planning, recipe exchanges, and of course those fun beverages strictly for the grownups. Whether it's Halloween, Thanksgiving or New Year's Eve, there are an array of alcoholic drinks to make and enjoy. Here is a selection of delightful holiday drinks for you and your friends to try this year and to love every year that follows.

For Halloween

Getting ready to host a killer Halloween party? Don't rule out considering one of these perfectly themed Halloween drinks.

If you are in the mood for something a little morbid, consider raising the dead with a Clementine Corpse Reviver cocktail. Typically garnished with an orange swirl, consider including festive Halloween color liquors to add a bit more visual appeal.

The aptly named R.I.P. features a pumpkin spice flavoring that is just right for fall. Another cocktail option includes the Itsy Bitsy, which is garnished with a raspberry spider. Your Halloween evening wouldn't be complete without a sip of Witch's Brew, perfect for a late night horror movie fest.

Going out to a bar or lounge for a martini is getting expensive! I couldn’t help but notice this the other night when I met my girlfriends for a drink and was slapped with a $25 tab—and that was just for my two cosmopolitans. And that doesn’t even take into consideration cover at the bar, any appetizers you might want, and of course a cab home if you drink a little too much!

The life of a liquor enthusiast really adds up!

However, thanks to some really cool cell phone apps—I’ve found a way to enjoy a few fancy cocktails with my friends without the bill hangover at the end of the evening. The following five cocktail apps will ensure you impress with a hand blender and sizzle with a cocktail shaker. They’ll also provide a full list of drinks you probably haven’t tried, for a fun, cheap night or dinner party in…

1. DrinkedIn (Free – for Android and iPhone)

Welcome to the world’s largest community of all things liquor, wine, and spirits! The DrinkedIn app is kind of like LinkedIn is for professionals—but this app is specifically for lovers of the alcoholic beverage. Here you’ll find all things thirst-quenching and inebriating, over 9,000 cocktail recipes with high resolution photos and also includes listings & reviews for over 150,000 bars and show-stopping drinks from establishments from all around the globe. Plus, a rebellious social network of like-minded imbibers from just about everywhere! Support Android and iPhone/iPad.

Many people drink and enjoy the fact that it gets them drunk.  However some people would like to enjoy the act of drinking, but avoid the drunken feeling that comes with it.  While it is impossible to drink a large amount and not get drunk, it is possible to drink without getting drunk if done the correct way.

Practice Self Control

One of the most important things when drinking is learning how to practice self-control.  The reason people turn into alcoholics is because they cannot effectively set their limits.  Learn how much it takes for you to get drunk and then set your limit to below that.  A rudimentary way to determine how much it will take you to get drunk is to use a Blood Alcohol Level Chart which uses your weight to tell you the level of alcohol that would be in your system after a certain number of drinks.

It also helps to have people around you that will not pressure you into drinking.    If you have friends who will peer pressure you into drinking more, you will become drunk much faster.  Drink with friends who will respect your limits and your attempts at self-control

Eat Before and While Your Drink

Food is a good way to help avoid getting drunk.  When there is food in your stomach, it will help absorb any alcohol that you consume which means less will be absorbed directly into your blood stream.  Make sure to have a full meal before you think about drinking.  Having food in your stomach also means that if you do happen to get drunk and drink past your limit, you will be less likely to get sick.

If you are going out to a restaurant or bar that serves food make sure to get something to eat while you drink.  This will dilute the alcohols effects and leave you more sober.  If you are drunk already, eating will help make you less drunk and possibly every sober after a few hours of not drinking.

With the 180th Oktoberfest set to kick off on September 21st thousands of revellers from across the world will descend on Munich to celebrate German culture (drinking). If you’re looking to expand your cultural horizons through inebriation we’ve compiled a list of country-specific drinking games for you to try. What’s more, for that added authenticity we’ve included international hangover cures to deal with the after-effects. You’ll look really cosmopolitan. Honest.

Germany – Hammerschlagen & Rollmops

Just so you don’t embarrass yourself with your lack of German drinking game knowledge we’ll start with a classic and Oktoberfest-related drinking game: hammerschlagen.

Reportedly started at the very first Oktoberfest in 1810, hammerschlagen involves a group standing around a tree stump and taking turns to hammer their nail into the wood. The first person to achieve this (the nail must be flushed or under the surface of the wood) is rewarded with a shot; the last must buy the next round.

There’s plenty to do when the sun goes down in Atlanta, Georgia. The local nightlife is buzzing across the cities neighborhoods, but what else is expected from a city whose nickname is ‘Hotlanta’. This southern town knows how to enjoy itself, with nostalgic restaurants, swanky clubs and premiere jazz bars, to name just a few of it’s unmatched dining and entertainment options.

Whether you are looking to relax and casually kick back, dance the night away or slowly sip on an exquisite cocktail, Atlanta boasts a wide-variety of bars, nightclubs, lounges and general hangouts to fit any style.

Let’s explore a few of the top bars and hangouts to visit in Atlanta:

The Sound Table

In the Old Fourth Ward you’ll find this restaurant-club that has a drink for everyone. With an extensive wine list and craft spirits for any taste, this is one place where you can’t go wrong. So go ahead and order that classic cocktail you’ve wanted to try.

Bartenders in New York have a reputation of being experts in cocktail crafting. Cocktail bars in New York are ever competing to see which bar gets to pour its customers with the best stuff. The bars are a place where you can get both old timely drinks and the hush vibes. The first thing you need to think about when planning a trip to the Big Apple is finding a hotel in NYC (in Sweden they say hotell New York) that suits your budget. Then you need to make a good online research and find out which are some of the best bars that you want to visit. To help you out with that below is list of some of the best cocktail bars in New York City that you should consider as your next libation destination.

Pouring Ribbons

Housed at 225 Avenue B, second floor, this cocktail bar is owned by some of the top bartenders in the city. Run by Toby Maloney, Alchemy Consulting, Jason Cott and Troy Sidle, there is no doubt that the Pouring Ribbon is a talent powerhouse. The cocktail bar is found on top of a famous liquor store and this dose provides its customers with a refreshing dosage of unmatched unpretentiousness. The décor of the bar doesn’t seem to make any references to the usual vintage speakeasy trend. Pouring Ribbons largely focuses on the experience of its guests with a two scaled cocktail menu; spirituous to refreshing and adventurous to comforting. You can try their Closing Bell – Palo Cortado, Appelton Reserve Rum, Penunsula Sherry, Green Chartreuse and Batavia Arrack.

Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog

The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog sits on 30 Water Street and is one of the newly established cocktail bars in the city. While New York City seems to comprise numerous speakeasies nowadays, this bar seems to take its visitors to earlier periods as it reinterprets tipples dating back to the 19th century. The main floor of the bar serves craft beer and classic drinks while the more genteel attractive lounge upstairs offers cocktail seated service. The cocktail menu offered by this bar is quite handsome and the booklet menu has over 70 mixed drinks ranging from juleps to cobblers, daisies and fixes, all of which have been researched painstakingly and history has never been as awesome as in this bar.

Evelyn Drinkery

The Evelyn Drinkery is yet another bustling scene in New York City for cocktail parties. The cozy haunt features a spacious attractive backroom and has several categories of drink menu. The spiked phosphates are otherwise referred to as boozy, long drinks, egg creams, twisted classics and house cocktails. Craft beer and daily punches are yet other liquid offerings that you can find at the Evelyn Drinkery. It is one of the best cocktail bars in NYC to go for a date especially if you try their NYC cream that includes cacao milk, 1796 Santa Teresa, seltzer and chocolate syrup.

Attaboy

The Attaboy bar continues the common trend of a bartender becoming a bar owner. Formerly known as the Milk & Honey, Attaboy was opened recently by Michael Mcllroy and Sam Ross, who were both Milk & Honey veterans. Top-notch cocktail drinks are available on request and the bar actually has no menu as such. With louder music and brighter lighting, the Attaboy doesn’t require guests to make a reservation.

Back in the early 1990s, Canadian comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall did a skit called “Girl-Drink Drunk.” In the skit, a man who doesn’t drink is talked into consuming a fruity cocktail because it’s only a “girl drink,” implying it somehow has less punch than a manlier scotch.

Of course, what follows is a descent into the world of “girl drinks,” ending with our hapless hero, now destitute and homeless, paying kids to buy Freezies he doctors with cheap liquor and a much-used cocktail umbrella.

I can sympathize. While I don’t overindulge, I have an uncanny knack for ordering “girl drinks.” My wife finds it hilarious. For my part, I’m resigned to the fact if I order a cocktail or flavored martini on vacation, it’s going to be a) pink, b) come in a coconut or plastic novelty container and c) will have be garnished with at least three pieces of fruit, an orchid and a swizzle stick shaped like a malformed flamingo.

Living the Dangerous Life of the Cocktail Drinker

Okay, I have to admit, I have a sweet tooth. That alone leads me to order cocktails which might, in a gender-biased world, be seen as feminine. And if I’m lounging by a resort pool idly wondering how I can learn more about poolside service, that’s fine.

If I’m sitting in a bar and the local biker club walks in just as the bartender hands me a drink that looks like two pineapples, a coconut and a bottle of Midori had a terrible blender accident, well, let’s say I chose my drinking spots with more care nowadays.

If you’re fond of cutting calories and sugar in your mixed drinks by combining alcohol with diet soda, you may be in for a bigger drunk than you expected. Research determined that mixed drinks that contain artificial sweeteners have a more powerful impact than those mixed with regular soda containing sugar. While the study results are harrowing enough on their own, the artificial sweeter and alcohol combination can come with additional detrimental effects.

The Diet Soda + Alcohol Study

A study published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research aimed to find out if a drink mixing alcohol and diet soda had any different effect on participants than those who consumed a drink mixed with alcohol and a beverage containing sugar. It did.

Those who drank alcohol mixed with diet soda, specifically diet Sprite, had higher breath alcohol concentrations (BrACs) than those who drank alcohol mixed with regular Sprite. Those who consumed diet soda in their drink also performed much more poorly than their regular soda drinking counterparts when faced with a task that gauged their reaction time. Researchers asked participants to “go” or “not go” on a computer when cued, and the diet soda bunch was less adept at reacting to the cues.

The study objectively showed those who mixed diet soda in their alcoholic drink were more impaired than those who mixed in sugar-based soda. While that may be disturbing enough if you regularly mix drinks using diet soda, the subjective results of the study may be scarier still.

Although the BrACs were clearly higher for those who consumed diet soda and alcohol, the diet-soda drinkers did not report feeling any more fatigued, impaired or intoxicated than those who imbibed in the sugary soda drink. The diet-soda group also had the same level of willingness to drive a vehicle than their counterparts even though their BrAC readings were indeed higher.

Binge drinking is a normal part of college life for many students, and even if your child did not drink much, or at all in high school, there's still a good chance that he or she will get involved in binge drinking. Generally, binge drinking is defined as consuming consuming a large number of drinks in two hours or less, typically five drinks or more for men and four or more for women.

Research varies on the exact number of freshmen involved in binge drinking,[http://www.bestdrugrehabilitation.com/blog/infographics/infographic-binge-drinking/] and it often varies from one campus to another, but one commonly cited statistic is that half of college students report binge drinking in the past two weeks. College freshmen who did not drink heavily, or at all, during high school are not exempt from the phenomenon either, as half of these students reported binge drinking at least once during their first semester of college.

Understand the Risks of Binge Drinking

Some parents think of binge drinking as just a normal part of college life, but the truth is that it is risky behavior that may lead to a wide range of undesirable consequences:

• Academic difficulties as students spend less time and attention on classwork and more on social activities and drinking.
• Health problems, including trips to the hospital because of excessive blood alcohol content, injuries because of falls while under the influence of alcohol, and injuries due to drunk driving accidents.
• Assault and unwanted sexual advances as students' own inhibitions are down and they are around others who are in a similar state.

Environmental Factors that Affect Binge Drinking

Although educating students about the risks of binge drinking may play a small role in helping prevent it, some of the biggest contributors to binge drinking are environmental factors. For example, college freshmen who have easy access to inexpensive alcohol, perhaps through older students, and who live in dorms that permit alcohol, are more likely to binge drink than those who don't. The drinking behaviors of friends, and even parents, also had an effect on whether students engaged in binge drinking.

Importance of Talking About Drinking Before College

As a parent, you probably want to do everything you can to protect your college freshman from the harmful effects of binge drinking. You're best off getting started before your child enters college. The more you talk about drinking and your expectations while your child is still at home, the more likely your child will be to maintain these after going away to college.

Summer's the perfect time to relax and knock back a cold one, whether you're vacationing somewhere tropical or you're tired after doing the yard work. But it's not just any beer that matches well with the hot weather, and the dark, thick beers in particular aren't well suited for summer refreshment duty. Given the huge variety of beers available these days, we thought it would be useful to provide a short guide on some of the beer styles you might want to try for your summer thirst quencher.

Bavarian Weisse

Known as Weissbier (white beer) or Weizenbier (wheat beer), this Bavarian beer has a significant portion of the malted barley replaced with malted wheat. This beer comes in filtered (kristallweizen) or unfiltered (hefeweizen). The unfiltered version might turn some people off since it looks cloudy from the presence of yeast and certain wheat proteins, but its low hop bitterness and relatively high carbonation not only balance the malty sweetness, they also make this beer one of the more refreshing ones to drink in the heat of summer.Tasters can get notes of clove, banana, bubble gum, and vanilla.

Pilsner

One of the most familiar beer styles, this pale lager takes its name from the city of Pilsen, in the Czech republic. If you want to taste the original brew, you'll need to find a bottle by Pilsner Urquell, the name the original company goes by these days. If you manage to find it, you'll have the privilege of tasting the clear, golden product of bright malts, Pilsen's soft water, and special hops that's been winning taste buds the world over since the 1800s.

Cream Ale

This light and refreshing ale is related to pale lager. It also experiences the lagering process that gives beer a cleaner flavor, with help from adjuncts like corn and rice, which also help lighten the body or mouthfeel of the beer. Hop and malt flavors are also usually subdued, making for very easy drinking for the summer months.

Steam Beer – California Common

I'm sure you are all aware of how guys who are obviously timid and shy become loud and brave the moment they're drunk. Without a doubt, most people believe that beer is the ultimate confidence booster. But is this really the absolute truth?

I love beer and I've been drinking the stuff since I was legal enough to start drinking it (don't ask). I have to say that it's during those times when you're intoxicated that makes you do something that you would feel really awkward of doing when your state of mind is working normally. So, based on my experience, it's not exactly confidence, but more like being intoxicated by alcohol that makes guys do something that requires bravery on their part.

However, some experts dare to differ. There is proof that beer does give people the confidence to be winners. One researcher states that people who drink alcohol are most likely to solve difficult problems because of creativity. Jennifer Wiley proves that people with the right amount of alcohol content in their bloodstream are worse at solving memory tasks, but are quite excellent when it comes to creative tasks. It is later explained that the alcohol actually allowed the subjects to use constructive logic rather than linear analysis.

Some of the other great benefits from drinking beer are as follows:

• Consuming moderate amounts of beer reduces the risk of heart disease by 30%. Of course, the word "moderate" should be a good enough warning for all drunkards out there.

You've been good all week, but now you're up against one of the biggest challenges dieters face — Friday afternoon happy hour. With just a few sugary margaritas and house lagers, you can pack on hundreds, or even thousands, of calories and undo all your progress. Worse still, you'll actually feel hungrier after drinking; alcohol lowers your blood sugar and makes you crave food.

You don't have to give up drinks altogether, though. Here are five low-calorie drinks to help you survive happy hour.

1. Rum and Diet Coke

If you have a sweet tooth, your first thought may be to order a Strawberry Daiquiri or similar drink. Drink two, though, and you've just doubled your caloric intake for the day. In addition, if you like to have happy hour outdoors, the sugar in these drinks will counteract even the most valiant mosquito outdoor control efforts.

Replace your sugary cocktail with a twist on the rum and diet coke. The natural sweetness of rum combined with the artificial sweeteners of the soda will satisfy your craving for something sweet.

2. Champagne

Ok, so maybe you like to feel a little fancy when you order a drink. Don't opt for a fruity cocktail though. Instead, break open some bubbly. On average, a 4-oz glass will set you back just 85 calories. Two glasses will hardly hurt your diet at all.

While I was growing up, I've seen a lot of movies where heartbroken guys or problematic teenage girls grab a bottle of their favorite beer and start gorging up the whole bottle until they got too drunk to even stand up. Fortunately, my parents were kind enough to explain to me that drinking booze does not solve all of life's problems. Or does it?

I guess, without fail, that this is the reason why a lot of people go out to drink their favorite beer after a whole day of work. And it's not just in our time; back in the Medieval days, men from all walks of life would come marching inside the tavern to get into high spirits. Or so they say. And during the Renaissance period, this was the time when broken hearted nobles and peasants would gather and drink all their heartaches away!

I guess it's no different from what is happening today. People are proud to be drinking beer. I know I am; my growing collection of beer shirts can attest to that.

In any case, what is it in beer that makes people feel a bit better the next day? I guess it may have something to do with its relaxing and refreshing taste. Even doctors believe that drinking beer at a moderate pace can help with certain body processes as well as act as an anti-depressant. For those who are not exactly familiar with how beer is made, it is made from a process called brewing. Ingredients like malt, yeast and hops are mixed together and eventually becomes the beverage most guys love. You'll probably have a problem choosing which particular brand of beer you like, since there are lots available in the market. Carlsberg and Budweiser are just a few of the most popular beer brands that are popular in the States.

Moderate alcohol consumption is indeed good for the heart. Literally speaking though, beer consumption is good for the cardiovascular system since it is associated with elevated levels of high-density lipoprotens or HDL. HDL is the healthy part of cholesterol. Beer drinkers also have lower levels of fibrinogen, a protein that is associated with stroke. Beer also lowers insulin and the risk of atherosclerosis, otherwise known as the hardening of your arteries. Therefore, if you want to keep a healthy heart, you may want a couple of cans of beer inside your refrigerator every once in awhile. But keep in mind that although beer is healthy, drinking should be done moderately. I don't think it takes a genius to understand as to what happens when people drink too much beer!