Sip sippin’
I have a confession.
I am THE Sober Sally, the expected designated driver, and – as a result – on rare occasions I am the wild “one-hit-drunken-wonder.” Honestly, two drinks and I’m out. Alcohol wasn’t present in my family home growing up. We usually enjoyed wine with specific meals and served up bevies when we had guests. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy a social drink here and there. Winnipeg summers scream for sangria, wine, and cool cocktails – it’s the perfect fit for a summer sunset and something many of us look forward to after a seemingly never-ending winter.
Having said this, it’s important to not get carried away by assuming you can make up for months of not-drinking and load up with copious amounts of alcohol. We all know far too well, too many drinks + drinking too fast = paying for it later on. When you look at calories per gram, carbohydrates and protein offer 4kcal per gram. Alcohol, on the other hand, offers about 7 kcal per gram. This just goes to show that for very little in the way of nutrition, the “empty calories” alcohol promises can really add up.
NOW, LISTEN UP PEOPLE!
If you don’t already drink, here’s raising a virgin drink to you. If you do enjoy a sip on occasion, drinking responsibly is just as important for good health as is eating fruits and veggies. For more information about drinking enjoyably but safely, visit this resource here.
For the GNI that I hosted, I prepared a jug of cucumber water for my guests topped with fresh mint leaves (which looked pretty cool, if I do say so myself). This ensures my guests can comfortably choose to keep well hydrated, and bonus: it’s a bit more sophisticated than plain ol’ water. The other beverage I mixed up was a Raspberry Infused Mojito.
The recipe calls for simple syrup so instead of toping the mojito with sugary soda, I poured sparkling water into the mix. Throughout the night, I excitedly emphasized all of the yummy (and nutritious) food I prepared by asking my guests what they thought of certain dishes, kick-starting conversations about food trends, and of course delving into fashion talks, politics, celebrity gossip and, most importantly, enjoying some darn good company.
I’ll toast to that! *cheers* Recipe below:
- Raspberry Simple Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups raspberry (fresh or frozen)
- Ice
- Lime, sliced into wheels
- White rum
- Springs of fresh mint
- Tonic water
- Raspberries for garnish
- To make the simple syrup: In a saucepan combine the sugar and water. Cook the mixture over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the saucepan from the heat and add in the raspberries. Allow the mixture to steep for at least one day. The simple syrup will keep up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
- To make the raspberry mojito: In a cocktail shaker, muddle or crush the lime and mint leaves. Add in ½ - 1oz raspberry simple syrup, 1oz white rum and ice. Cover, shake shake shake, and then pour over ice into a glass.
- Top with tonic water as desired.
- Garnish with a raspberry.
- Toast and sip (responsibly)!
Like these photos? Visit Samba Joy Photo & Art to view more of their work.
Cheers to good food, good company and good health.
p.s. If you haven’t already checked it out, this is a short snippet of what my #gni looked like. Enjoy!
– With Love, Carrots and Cake,
hi neta we saw you beverage rescipe gni .mojito raspberry looking very colour full and you look beautifull in picture
Hey Nita
Its amazing drink. Its look like adorable. And all photographs are so stunning specially last one is my favorite.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the post and photographs!