By Aillinn Brennan • Special to The Current
New Year’s celebrations were enjoyed by the Babylonians who were likely the first to set new year’s resolutions four thousand years ago. Their new year was celebrated in March at spring planting. To appease the gods, they made promises to pay off debts and return anything they borrowed during the year.
Julius Caesar established January 1 as the beginning of the new year around 46 B.C. Sacrifices to the god, Janus, and promises to do good things for the coming year is how the Roman new years went. The deity Janus is January’s namesake. Janus had the ability to look both backward and forward in time. We can all relate to this kind of reflection at new year’s.
What’s Your Resolution?
Luckily, we no longer have to make “sacrifices” to the gods, but we still reflect on self-improvement, and the “giving something up” kind of “sacrifice.” Started in the UK by a group called Alcohol Change Dry January is trending now and 2023 marks its tenth year. It has grown in popularity since the beginning and went from 4000 to 130,000 signing up for 2022. I’m sure 2023 will be a big year for the tenth anniversary challenge.
Dry January doesn’t have to be boring on the cocktail front. Let’s start with the easy button, Kombucha! This fermented, YES fermented drink packs a huge flavor punch without the alcohol (well just an itty-bitty bit). It has the effervesce we crave in a fun cocktail and comes in lots of flavors to wet your “dry” whistle! The US market loves it, spending 1.7 billion dollars on the brew in 2019. Kombucha originated in China where it is a traditional drink of sugared tea that is fermented using a using a “mother” culture of bacteria and yeast. What happens when they are all together?? A good for your gut, probiotic is created! Everything “pro” is good right? Your resolution solution should be easy, so don’t try to make this. There are so many awesome flavors available in your grocery store.
Not sold on fermented tea? We can agree. The basic, cranberry, seltzer and lime never disappoints! It’s boozy version, with vodka, is attributed to Rose Kennedy and Cape Cod summer sipping. Since, vodka is a neutral spirit that you can hardly taste, the sans vodka version works great. Order it in a rocks glass for that special drink feel. And please don’t leave that lovely lime wedge on the edge of your glass. Squeeze it in!
Get your dry bar ready. Pickle juice, caper juice or olive juice will all impart a little something that will make your mocktail taste, shall we say, a little more adult. Shake up a mock-margarita. Two tablespoons of lime juice, one tablespoon of lemon juice, a good dash of pickle juice, ¼ teaspoon simple or maple syrup and finish it with 3 ounces of tonic. The pickle juice gives it an interesting boozy flavor.
Spritzers and Salad, A Good Resolution Solution
Not up for going cold turkey? BUT you want to lighten things up from the butter, the cream, the chocolate, the wine, the whisky and the whatever other indulgences you enjoyed from Thanksgiving through New Year’s. Let’s try spritzers and salads! Wine, cut with non-alcohol bubbles and fresh citrus juice paired with a nice crisp salad will lighten things up just fine. Blood orange are a dramatic, visually beautiful citrus fruit that we start seeing in our stores in January. Squeeze fresh juice into your flute glass, pour in 3 ounces of your favorite white wine, and top with club. Rub the orange peel around the rim of the glass and toss it in. So easy and so refreshing. Make a blood orange vinaigrette and top your salad with a few sections of orange and you have a fresh start to the new year!
Whether it’s kombucha, a citrus splashed spritzer or mocktail, have a sparkling new year! Welcome 2023!!
Aillinn Brennan is proprietor of The Marion Hose Bar located at 16 W. Broadway in Jim Thorpe.
For more visit www.marionhosebar.com
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