Alcohol Safety

admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:02:01 +0000

Ole was having a heck of time. The World War II fighter pilot had a captive audience at the restaurant, and he was in rare form. The stories became bigger than life, and Ole kept ordering his favorite gin and tonics.

After dinner, everyone at the table knew he shouldn’t be driving. Everyone except Ole. But he was the war hero, the elder statesman in the group, and it was his car.

As they approached the dangerous curve in the country road, his five passengers knew he was going too fast and they sat glued to their seats, terrified. The Oldsmobile careened from the road and crashed through a barbed wire fence and mired in deep mud.

There were two broken legs, a concussion, and nine cracked ribs. Miraculously, the six lived to tell how they almost went down in flames at the hands of the inebriated flying ace … and how careless they were to let him drive.

Holiday Or No Holiday

It’s possible to stay sober and have a good time. It’s also possible to have a few drinks and stay safe. Here are some suggestions for taming the party spirits.

* Eat at least fifteen minutes before the first drink and continue to consume food while you’re drinking.
* Make your first drink a large glass of water, juice, or soda to quench your thirst.
* Always drink slowly. Never drink alcohol because you’re thirsty. You’ll drink too much, too fast.
* Alternate between alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.
* Limit your consumption to one ounce of alcohol per hour. That equates to about one 12-ounce beer, one four-ounce glass of wine, or one mixed drink.
* Stop drinking alcohol one hour or more before the party is over. There is no other way to sober up.

Black coffee won’t do it. Neither will the mythical “cold shower” treatment, or other so-called quick fix remedies. Only time will make you sober enough to walk, drive, or ride a bike safely.
* Don’t drink punch or eggnog without asking first if they are spiked with liquor.
* Avoid alcohol even in moderation when your energy level is low.
* If friends tell you that you shouldn’t drive, listen to them.

If You Are The Host

* Serve alcohol-free drinks such as soft drinks and coffee.
* Serve foods, especially those rich in proteins. Eating slows the rate at which the body absorbs alcohol. You do not want your guests drinking on an empty stomach.
* Don’t serve salty foods that make people thirsty.
* Measure mixed drinks with a shot glass to avoid over-pouring.
* Do not allow guests to pour their own drinks. It sounds generous, but it’s defeating. It’s much better to choose a reliable bartender who will keep track of the size and number of drinks that people consume.
* Carbonated water and mixers speed up alcohol’s effects. It’s best to add iced or noncarbonated water to dilute an alcoholic drink.
* Do not push drinks on guests.
* Stop pouring alcohol to someone who is obviously intoxicated.
* If the event is lunch or dinner, make the cocktail portion of the event short.
* Establish designated drivers in advance of the party, and offer a variety of nonalcoholic beverages. These people should not drink any alcoholic beverages. Even one or two drinks can impair a person’s ability to drive safely.
* Stop serving alcoholic beverages at least 90 minutes before the party breaks up. Serve a dessert treat.
* Never serve alcohol to someone under the legal drinking age, and never ask children to serve alcohol at parties.
* If someone does drink too much, drive them home, arrange a ride with another guest who is sober, call a taxi, or invite him to stay over.

Some Personal Concerns

* A person’s metabolism and physical makeup change with aging, so a single drink packs a much stronger wallop in a 60-year-old than a 20-year-old. (Something senior citizen Ole forgot.)
* Usually the less you weigh, the faster your Blood Alcohol Concentration level will increase with the same amount of alcohol.
* If you wake up with a hangover, wait at least three hours after you awake to get behind the wheel of a vehicle. If you can’t wait, catch a ride with a co-worker.
* Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is one of the major preventable causes of birth defects and childhood disabilities. The advice here is simple and humane: Do not drink when you are pregnant, or planning a pregnancy.
* With some medications, including many over-the-counter drugs, an adverse reaction can occur when alcohol is consumed. Talk to your doctor, and read labels carefully.

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Easy wine-tasting tips

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:02:01 +0000

When you’re out wine tasting, the truth is that there are many subtleties with what we experience. The difference between wines are often quite nuanced. Even if you think about a movie or a book you read – the human brain will only remember parts of it, and not the whole thing. That’s just the way we’re put together. As such, it would be impossible to have a memory capable of storing every subtle taste and flavour we experience in a glass of wine.
In general people tend to smell the wine, taste the wine, and spit or swallow. They then decide whether they liked it or not, and pretty much forget about the rest. This is where taking tasting notes comes in handy. For one, it helps you to keep a record of all the wines you have tasted – the variety and vintage, which helps jog your memory after the tasting. But secondly, by putting into words the tastes and smells you are experiencing, it really focuses your mind to the job at hand. You have better tastings. You are more aware of the tastes and flavours you are experiencing.

Here are a few headings which you should include in your wine tastings:
* Wine Name
* Producer
* Region/Appellation – don’t just put the country, but enter the specific region
* The grape variety
* Vintage – Include the year that the wine was produced. Sometimes you will get non-vintage wines (NV) which means that it did not come from a single vintage. This is more common with Ports and Sherries.
Color and Appearance – comment on the colour depth, clarity and hue.
* Nose – describe the bouquet of the wine. Make notes of any specific undertones and subtleties.
* Mouth/Flavors – think about its sweetness, body, acidity and tannins. How does the wine feel in your mouth? Think about the balance and the aftertaste.
* General thoughts/Ideas – wrap up your thoughts. Did you like it? What type of food does it go with? Would you buy it? Any general thoughts should be included here.
* Score it – give it a mark out of 100. Or use the 5* system. This is up to you how you score it, after all, it’s your opinion on a very subjective matter.

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Alcohol Safety

Easy wine-tasting tips