Homemade All Natural Cranberry Juice -- For Mixers Of Course!

It really does pay to be married to me. Well, okay - only if you like your drinks. But I think it's a pretty nice surprise when your lucky spouse comes home after a long day, and finds that you've made him a nice, home-made....dinner? Nope, not in this kitchen. ...cranberry juice! I can just see his excitement now.

Why would I make it when it is so readily available, you may ask. Well, I have turned over a new leaf to be healthy, not just in what I eat and how often I exercise -- that's easy, and I've always been good about those things. But, now I have added "healthy drinking" to my repertoire of interests. Yes, the drinking interest has always been there, but why can't we find healthy alternatives to our favorite mixed drinks? Well, one mixer at a time, you can. Right here.

So here's the recipe for the all-natural cranberry juice. While it was simmering, I also juiced a few oranges, limes and lemons. Think all-natural Cosmo when the weary husband comes home. And hey, if it just ends up being for me, then that's ok too. We both win. I'll have to think of something manly for all those fresh squeezed ingredients for you men. Scotch recipes to follow, perhaps.

Anyway, back to the cranberry juice recipe:

2 bags fresh cranberries - look for bright red, firm berries.
6 cups water
1/2 cup Blue Agave Nectar (most recipes call for a cup of sugar. Blue Agave Nectar is an organic, all-natural sugar substitute that has a nice smooth, sweet flavor. I use it instead of sugar now everywhere.)

Bring cranberries and water to a boil. Loosely cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until all berries have exploded. Strain through cheesecloth, being careful not to press to hard on the berries. Put liquid back onto stove, stir in the Blue Agave Nectar and return to a boil. Then reduce heat and let simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature before placing in refrigerator.

Drink and enjoy. Well, actually, mix and enjoy. I've been infusing some vodka with oranges for a few days. My cosmopolitan will use this instead of sugary Cointreau, along with fresh cranberry juice and fresh lime juice. Oh, and of course the regular vodka too. Is it really only Tuesday? Oh well, I am sure you can find a reason to enjoy one of these with me. Antioxidants, vitamins, mixologist's pride. You'll think of something.

For more recipes, reviews and all things booze, please visit my website.

Putting Low Carb Drink Mixers to the Liquor Chick Taste-Test, Part I

I have been checking out the low calorie mixed drinks scene for quite some time now. As a bartender I often make (as well am was asked to make) lighter margaritas, cosmopolitans and other flavored martinis. These are one-off's, made on the fly -- yet usually to ravishing reviews. It wasn't hard when I had a top shelf and upscale selection of booze, fresh fruit and my imagination. But I've wondered, could I replicate these in my own home? Better yet, were there any already made low calorie mixers that I could employ both at home, and even at the bar, that would satisfy this obvious hole in the market?

Cue the testing (and by that i mean 'tasting') lab.... I set out to the liquor store with the plan to buy low carb mixers. I was not alone on this very important journey. Yet I am not ashamed to admit that my four year old, Nintendo DS in hand, accompanied me on this trip, because I did not purchase any alcohol. Had she ever been there before, you may ask, on other missions? Well, not to incriminate myself, but she did exclaim when we entered "Oh mommy- we are in the colorful store again!" I don't know, I think she may be confusing Curtis Liquors with the local nail salon, but, irregardless, I met her observation with a casual "Yes I suppose there ARE a lot of colors in here." Never one to admit anything character-flawing.

And when lovey daughter made her way to the checkout counter 10 minutes later with me and knowingly asked where the lollipop basket had gone, I clarified the issue just as knowingly by refuting, more for the staff than my daughter "Why, yessss, this does look just like the bank. You must be confusing this place with that one."

Smarter-than-a-fifth-grader lovey daughter didn't buy it and immediately shot back at me with a know-it-all, correct-your-dumb-mother attitude in her voice that I can only assume she'll continue to perfect well into her adolescence, and scoffed, "Noooowa (I love how one word syllables become three when you're a 'tude strutting female)! We were just AT the BANK - remember?? You said you needed to get money for the WINE store?! THIS wine store!?" Love to be called out by the little princess. But I was righteous today. There was no wine in my carriage. Just a pre-schooler, her stuffed penguin, dirty security blanket and about 15 'Bahama Bob' NONALCOHOLIC mixers. Ha! Take a lollipop, and put it in your lovey mouth, princess.. So we drove off, each of us looking forward to something when we got home. Lovey daughter, a jelly and fluff sandwich for her and her penguins to enjoy. And about eight different varieties of low-carb no-guilt mixed drinks for Mom. But how would they taste? And on marshmallow-tipped fingers, no less? We'd have to wait 'till later into Thirsty Thursday to find that out. And I hoped I could wrestle up some tasting buddies....

Hangovers Happen - How to Handle Them Best

I am feeling it this morning. No, not the tequila drinks. At least I didn't throw the Liquor Chick book completely out the window and drink Margaritas all night. I did choose the most healthy option I could at the Country Club affair that drew nearly 100 people to support a great cause. Yes, I raised my white wine glass often and whole-heartedly. It was, after all, a seemingly open bar.

(Well, not really, but that's how it feels when all you have to do is walk up to the bartender and get handed your drink. Belonging to a country club, no matter how few holes of golf it contains, has its advantages -- numbers instead of money. True the numbers translate into a big monthly number that must be paid at some point, but when you're living in the look-at-my-new-hair and dance-the-night-away moments, it all feels free...)

So white wine after white wine was handed to me with nothing more than a nod and a smile. Those wines certainly kept me smiling. And, yes, I may have overdone it a bit. No harm was done, no mystery bruises today. But the effects of the occasional too-much-fun night can last far into the next day if we let them.

So, how can you undo some of the wrongs that you have done to your body? Even Liquor Chick slips up, indulges too much, and has some unChick-worthy moments. But what's most important is how you handle your missteps. Whether you own up to them, or allow them to engulf you and drag you into a next-day binge of sloth, unhealthiness and general malaise. It would be easy to sleep till 9:30, lay on the couch all day, eat greasy food and even keep on drinking. But that is the time where you show your true colors. And let's hope they are pink, purple and blue (Liquor Chick logo - oh, you got that? Yes, I am still a bit groggy - wasn't sure).

Okay, so you've admitted your mistakes .But let's not be too hard on ourselves - it was after all, for a good cause, and you needed the night out just a little bit (a little bit more than a zillion percent, right?). And now you are determined to reassert your healthy practices the very next day. You may have done a little late-night munching, or even converted your 80 calorie glass of wine to a late night, fattening beer (gasp!). Admit your indiscretions and move on. And what can you do to undo what you've done? Start with hydration.

As soon as you awake, guzzle 2 big glasses of water. What's that? You need some Aleve to go along with that water? Sore from dancing, are you? Wine head? Yes, Aleve is recommended. Actually, take twice the recommended dosage (it's okay to do this just this once, but don't make it a habit or your stomach will start feeling like the pepper-infused vodka I made - pure hellish fire) and if you can, and your husband is awesome like mine, go back to sleep for an hour.

Then, when you wake the next time, immediately eat some lean meat and eggs. Protein and a little bit of grease will help with the reabsorbing of the alcohol. Today I made a turkey burger and veggie egg-white omelet. Mr. LQ wanted egg yolks in it, but I had to counter the effects of the heavy h'ordeuvres I inhaled around 11 p.m. so I denied that request.

And then, after breakfast, you've got to sweat it out. I forgot to mention that I added some Serrano peppers to the omelet too, for the same reason. Perspiration leads you back to perfection. Our exercise of choice today was driveway basketball - Him vs. Me. Yeah, he won, but he didn't have 8 glasses of 80-calorie wine last night. He only had two light beers. He beat me at my own game in that respect. And in basketball too. This time.

And keep the water flowing. Have a small snack after your workout. A banana is a good choice. The potassium helps speed the hangover along too. PowerAde or Gatorade - but only the sugar free variety - iwould be wise too, and adds the needed electrolytes back in to your wine-wrought bod.

Don't give in to your heavy eyes, no matter how hard it seems. I know all you'll want to do is lay on the couch and watch football - especially after struggling through making and cleaning up breakfast and then a mean game of hoops. But keep busy -- that's the best hangover advice. Some people believe in hair of the dog - that is, drinking again the next day to ward off a hangover. I'm not going to lie - I've tried it. I don't prescribe to this theory though, because all it does is delay the inevitable. And would you rather have your hangover on Monday morning while trying to dress them, bathe them, pack lunches, find homework, make the school bus, drive to preschool, work for husband-boss, clean house after weekend mess, get 4-year old ready and to dance class, drive to CCD and actually cook some sort of home-made dinner??? Nope, I prefer my hangovers, when they come, to be on Sunday. So resist the urge to go out to Hangover Lunch - or hangover movie theatre concession stand - or hangover ice cream snack - or hangover Chinese food dinner. You'll be glad you did on Monday.

A truly schooled Liquor Chick will know that what you do the day after you fall off the Chick-mobile is way more important than actually falling off. We are human. We are going to slip up. So you didn't have sugar-free cranberry juice in your vodka last night. So you chugged a couple beers with your gambling buddies (Did I mention it was a Casino party??) You're allowed to live it up once in a while. But make sure you go right back to living the better way as soon as you can. Take it from me. And okay, grab a light beer for Sunday Night Football and tell yourself you are still Liquor Chick-worthy.

Caffeine and Alcohol Together? A Bartender Would NEVER do That, Right??

I know this is probably a stretch, but has anyone ever had Rum & Coke? (That would be Diet Coke for the sake of Liquor Chick living -- always keep it low calorie when you can!) A few of you? Hmmm. How about Baileys (light Baileys recipe, right?) with coffee? Anyone? After-dinner wine, alongside of your skinny cappuccino? I know - unheard of. Oh, and what about this combination ....Red Bull & Vodka? I know these drinks are probably vastly unheard of. And you must also know that the sarcasm is dripping as thick as the Low Calorie Baileys that you would never add to that coffee.

Oh, you would? Me too! And when we make the mixture ourselves, I will bet that your bartender, much like my own, adds more than the one-shot serving, to lighten it up to your liking? And your Red Bull probably contains more than one shot of vodka -- I am just guessing. So when you control your own pour, you may in fact add more than the suggested serving. And does anyone open up a beer and pour anything else in there? Not likely.

What's the point these questions? Well, if you side with authorities that want to ban caffeinated malt liquor products, you may argue that these types of drinks make our young people drink more and faster. My side of the argument goes something like this: Products don't make us drink more, faster, harder -- the stupid quotient that is present in all of us, to varying degrees, does that just fine. You can't ban a certain modus operandi of our stupid -- you need to educate the stupid out of us in the first place.

And isn't that what society, our parents, school, public service announcements, books, friends, and studies all aim to do? What? You say the college student population will still drink too much, perform keg stands, throw up, and end up with stomachs pumped? Most likely. But Four Loko (the product-of-the-hour at the heart of this controversy) is not more to blame than we ourselves are.

Remember Purple Passion? It came in 2-liter soda-like bottles, was purple and fizzy, and was appealing as hell to teenagers (so I've heard). Did its packaging and pleasing branding make me try it then? No. Just as Four Loko's "eye-catching" colors and "fun flavors" aren't going to make college students try this, even though many insist just that. This product is merely something new in the arsenal of the "let's get drunk and party tonight" mentality.

Okay, so the colors and the "young appeal" don't affect us. What about the caffeine? That's nothing new to drinkers, as I've said before - Rum & Coke, Red Bull & Vodka, Baileys & Coffee -- all have firm footing in our weekend repertoire. So just because the caffeine AND the alcohol come together, we are supposed to reject it? As I've alluded before, if you simply pop open the can and consume, there's far less alcohol (between 6% and 12% per 23 ounces) than if you poured your own drink -- at least at my house, bar, friend's house, poolhouse, etc... You get the picture.

Oh, so the caffeine gives you the illusion that you're not getting as drunk? That's what officials are afraid we are going to think - and that we can get behind the wheel sooner than if we didn't have that handy caffeine at all. Give us a little credit - everyone knows that is a total wives' tale, propagated by old sit coms and misinformed story-tellers. You want us to be responsible and make the best decisions? Give us a little leeway to do so- (is what I would say were I still a fledgling college student, who did, as I am sure all the Big Brotheresqe types did too, drink somewhat to excess a few times).

Is Four Loko the new Power Hour of the campuses? The new shotgunning of a beer? The new keg stand? If the malt liquor is anything like the Purple Passion of the '90's, you won't be able to drink THAT much of it without getting that malt-liquor-stomach. I picture this as a start-the-night-off kind of drink, you know, like the before dinner fruity martini, that soon gets switched out after one good one. For those that do drink it all night long and end up in the health center after falling down in the bushes-- you would have done that with another type of alcohol anyway. You can't blame the can -- you CAN blame the can carrier. It's just too easy to blame a company, or a product, for the sadness and depravity that pervades the young drink-til-you-throw-up drinkers. They are always going to be around, whether or not you ban what they are jonesin' for.

One must give acclaim to Phusion Projects, Four Loko’s producer, for seeking to educate and give back to the community. They are quick and often to remind us that their products are meant for those of age, and that they do not condone underage drinking. When there has been a campus incident involving their beverage, they comment on it, admonish the partygoers and wholly support the school administration in rectifying it -- even if it means banning their product. When is the last time Budweiser released a statement apologizing for its product's role in a destructive party or riot? I don’t think blame get misplaced on Budweiser as often as it does on Phusion Projects.

So caffeine and alcohol -- is that REALLY the point? The debate doesn't hold much water, especially with the longstanding prevalence of other stronger caffeine-alcohol combinations (Four Loco has about the same amount of caffeine as a Tall Starbucks coffee). No, to me, the debate seems to focus on the uneducated, overzealous "kids" that are going to hurt themselves on this new, intriguing type of product. And the answers are the same tried and true as ever -- EDUCATE them, and trust that they will also educate themselves. Sometimes a hangover truly is the best medicine.

Bottom line for Four Loko - While I don't agree that caffeine and alcohol combined products should be banned, I do not consider this a Liquor Chick Approved Drink. Too much sugar and calories - 600 calories and 60 grams sugar per 23 ounce can. But it does give me new ideas for the Liquor Chick Lab... And I promise NOT to have college students taste test my lightened up version