I can't drink for two months; what is a good savory soft drink?

http://indianfood.about.com/od/drinkrecipes/r/namkeenlassi.htm

it's a lassi so it's you know a thick milkshakey drink, not a light watery drink, but it sounds pretty good

Never had that take on lassi. My GF was suggesting lassis, tomato juice, V8 and the like but they are all quite thick and whilst that is good maybe once an evening it is the time of year for drinking draughts of cool bubbly liquid. Fresh lime juice and soda water is pretty good in this regard.

Perrier! Or better yet, San Pelligrino. It's a time-honored way to have a drink without having a drink.

Soda water for me as I am not getting involved in the patently ridiculous scam of transporting by road something that comes out of the tap at home.

you'll be getting yourself a soda stream then?

Mineral water comes out of your tap? xpost

Some alco-free beers are not that bad at all.

Ice cold water w/ a dash of lime cordial? Not bubbly though.

mineral water is not just soda water, and it has a flavor, and the expensive stuff tastes better. But of course I would say that, since I already paid more for it and all. ;)

bbbbbut pellegrino is from italy and perrier is french! have you know consideration for your carbon death wake?

Grapefruit juice mixed with soda is good too Ed.

A tiny dash of ginger cordial is nice in carbonated water and not at all sweet. Elderflower cordial is good too.

I appreciate the different taste of mineral water, I love badoit an Vichy Catalan myself, but shipping it round the world seems like a vain extravagance to me (feel free to beat me up about the excessive amount of flying i do).

I should try experimenting with adding minerals to tap water. (London water already being pretty mineralised as it is, it coming through chalk and all).

Buckler's Beer (less than 0.05% alcohol, ie virtually none). Served very cold, it pretty much tastes like an ordinary beer.

Ginger cordial sounds good. I wish that the UK kombucha brands were a good as those in the states. I do love me some ginger kombucha . (also Thin Lizzy pink grapefruit seltzer)

Must nry NA beer again, my experience is that it tasts like arse.

What about chilled teas from the chinese supermarket? My local one does a nice bottled oolong.

And if you've got problem with bottled fizzy water why not try a soda syphon?

Mugicha also good, although a lot of the chilled ones in the cold cabinet are sweetened and there is nothing worse in this world than sweetened tea. I think I have the opposite of a sweet tooth when it comes to drinks.

I have a soda siphon, it is very good.

Green tea (with lemon)?

I'm on a Lipton + sweetener trip. *sigh*

Oh Ed, I really hope they don't tell you that you've got gout or something.

Iced tea: start with a base of three black or oolong tea bags to like 4 pints of water, but you need to initially brew using one pint, the three tea bags and a cut-up or mashed-up lemon then add this potent mix to the other three pints and let it steep for a while. If you leave it in a big jar on the windowsill to brew this is called Sun Tea. Repeat also same recipe using green tea and mortarpestled lemon grass.

Savoury drinks need ice bad.

not quite zero alcohol, but surely close enough, is what I've been loving lately: three drops of bitters in a glass of soda water. Helps appreciate the difference between different bitters, too.

this is also good although a lot of the bitters are quite sweet in their own right.

Must nry NA beer again, my experience is that it tasts like arse.

Alcohol-free Beck's is apparently veh tasty, if you quite like Beck's already, that is.

Nobody's yet mentioned the mighty Virgin Mary, which is what I always drink if i'm not boozing but fancy a liquid kick in the goolies nonetheless. Failing that, pints of lime and soda. Mmm.

yeah lime & soda is the go-to really

I always drink lime & soda if I'm abstaining (which has happened like maybe three times). It has a bit of boozy sharpness.

Beware though - i discovered during my last (er, only) detox in March that the price of a pint of lime and soda in a london pub can very between 60p and £3. Argue long and hard, and refuse to accept or pay if necessary - 90% of the time it's staff who don't know what they're doing.

this is good advice! i've been charged almost the same amount for soda + lime as for soda + lime + gin! like a dif of .50 cents! yes i understand that the server still has to do the same amt of work and yes i tip them but so why charge so much for freakin soda? annoying

Soda water at the grocery store is like $1.50 for 1 liter. Completely ridic and it must end today.

it's coz you're not buying gin, xp

that makes no sense
esp when prob 90+% of the people are buying booze

it just seems cheap and petty and therefore makes me hate the bar :/

I HAVE HAD ALL THE MOUNTAIN DEWS

it makes a lot of sense. people are admitted to a bar with the expectation that they will buy alcoholic beverages. you're not going to a get a discount because you don't want one. arguably, they should charge you even more because if you're not drinking, you're likely to buy fewer drinks.

how much do they charge for water alone?

soda, like water, should be free in bars

soda is free from most of the bartenders i know unless you're a prick.

To be honest I usually get charged for soda, sometimes a surprising amount like $3. I go places where I don't nec know the bartenders, though.

I mean whether or not I'm a prick is totally up for discussion, but I don't happen to think I am, and I don't think the bartenders are, either. It's just some weird bar policy, I guess.

are people talking about two different things here?

"soft drinks" vs. "soda water" pls clarify

if you get charged for soda water then that's stupid

if you're drinking a ginger ale or something you should expect to be charged

united statesians: is there such thing as a good honest ginger beer in America?

Reed's.

http://www.bevnet.com/reviews/reeds/Images/687720.Reeds-Extra-Bottle.jpg

Grapefruit juice mixed with soda is good too Ed.

I frequently have, while out, a grapefruit and tonic, although I usually get diet tonic so it isn't too sweet.

Hope all is well, brother, and that it is something easily fixed.

i'm talking abt soda water outta the draft thing, which i am fine with paying for but like $4-5 for it when a pint of beer costs the same?

people are admitted to a bar with the expectation that they will buy alcoholic beverages.
well this is just not true esp wrt going to shows which is my primary reason for being in bars

Hah, rrrrobyn, I'd hazard a guess that that makes you the exception, though, surely?

wahtever tho, the bars i usually go to are pretty cool with the water & soft drink minimal charge thing anyway. so yeah eff the other bars i guess.
xpost

a girl gets tired of being the exception, sigh
but yeah, i mean if everyone else is the rule then surely the exception is no big deal!

i mean what ever happened to the "designated driver" thing in bars? totally lost in the 80s/early90s

Yeah, I don't drink much anymore and I get charged for diet cokes about 50% of the time.

Am a fan of cranberry and seltzer.

also i give the same amount in tip on a $2 soda+lime as i do on a beer, which is usually $1. i'm not being cheap here, i'm just trying to figure out the logic.

I guess the only logic is that you are taking up as much floorspace as a beer drinker.

let's ask Prince Eustace about logic

wait wait. afaik in the uk bars make vastly more profit on soft drinks than on beer/wine (this was certainly true in he pub i used to work at), so i've never really understood why pubs don't put the hard sell on soft drinks more than they do (i.e. not at all).

but leaving aside the "should i tip when drinking free/cheap beverages?" conversation, which is more or less irrelevant in the uk anyway, whenever i've been wildly overcharged for lime and soda i ask the following perfectly innocent questions:

1. how much is a pint of soda on its own? (answer: usually free)
2. how much is a pint of lager (a: £3.20 or whatever)
3. how much is a pint of lager and lime (a: usually "we don't charge for lime in lager")
4. so how does free plus free equal three fucking squids, you fleecing scummer?

as a side note, nice bars charge the same (or everso slightly more) for a pint of lime and soda as for a half pint. again, only inexperienced bar staff double it, i noticed.

that is a great line of argument. even tho srsly the last thing i want to do when having a good time with friends and/or seeing a band is argue abt drink prices or become angry abt being overcharged :/

but to me the most fucked up thing is that management has no idea of the reasons one isn't drinking and are basically imposing an extra fee for not drinking, whether one has a liver issue, is a recovering alcoholic, on prescription drugs, designated driver, feeling ill, straight-edge, just not feeling like drinking, etc. makes me feel like i'm being punished for not doing what everyone else is doing. which just makes me angry.

to me it wld be logical if the cost of a non-alcoholic drink (that is as simple to make as draft soda water + lime) should be maximum charge of the lowest cost of any of the alcoholic drinks, e.g, half a pint.

yeah, that's why if i'm at a show and i don't want a beer, i just drink water.

uk "lime" and soda is not exactly savory!

i'd have to say iced tea pretty much rules this, even though it lacks carbonation

you could also try to find dr. brown's "cel-ray" celery-flavored soda though i've never seen it in the uk

ed the u.s. has plenty of good strong ginger beers (hello jamaica) but they're pretty much all from small producers

Yes, but iced tea should be sweet.

:D

I do hope that this inconvenience is not permanent, especially if I move to pittsburgh as there are some awesome beers (hello, the church brewery and your very british style beers and succulent hot wings) there not to mention buck fifty yeungling everywhere.

dr. brown's "cel-ray" celery-flavored soda

omg. I hate celery so to me that sounds like the most disgusting thing ever. ugh.

I'm getting to where I like my iced tea unsweetened, esp. if its fresh. Oversweetened iced tea is gank.

I hate celery too, but that shit's not bad

xpost

my Cel-Ray thread never got much mo, but maybe now is the time to bring it back.

Cel-Ray

very cold, very strong unsweetened ice tea = yay! the more sugar/sweetener is added, the worse it gets.

Lauren very much otm.

I like it both ways, actually -- sweet ONLY if the sugar was added to the whole pitcher while it was still hot, because dumping sugar into ice cold liquid is about as yummy as adding the same amount of sand. OTOH, unsweetened iced tea has no forgiveness for the shortcomings of its maker, and about 97% of everyone makes nasty iced tea. But that just makes it more special when it's good. ;)

i liked iced green teas, and iced white teas are wonderful and refreshing; iced red zinger is classic

obviously running against the purpose of the thread but variously flavored iced teas are amazing mixers for summer drinks

i thought of ginger beer and cel-ray, but they seemed to violate ed's sweet prohibition.

I guess the only logic is that you are taking up as much floorspace as a beer drinker.

exactly. you are potentially taking the space of someone who would be spending more money than you. it's like a cover in a dance club or a drink minimum in a jazz club.

jazz club ugh

polar selzer has some cool flavors like pomegranate, vanilla, and cranberry. they are really good mixed with a juice of your choice.

i lovvve cel-ray.

blenheim's (sp?) ginger ale is not very sweet and packs a huge kick.

at home lately, though, i've been drinking a lot of very cold water and a splash of lime or lemon juice. it's been great during the heat.

well it would seem that logic would only apply in a sold-out or full-capacity situation, and anyway, if a place is full-capacity they're making a killing anyway!
hence i find the whole thing even more disgusting

http://www.richard-seaman.com/Travel/Japan/Misc/Signs/FashionableEnglish/PocariSweat.jpg

if they gave you it for free when things are light, then you'd demand the same when things are heavy

i'm not agreeing with it, i'm saying it's perfectly logical

about 97% of everyone makes nasty iced tea

so true. i usually only drink the stuff we've made at home, unless i know someplace is ok from previous experiences. i HATE that weird chemical aftertaste that a lot of commercial iced tea has.

what sort of bar are you talking about that fills to capacity on a regular basis AND doesn't already charge a cover

just about as logical as a pink unicorn, mr spock

"mr spock"

the bar doesn't have to fill to capacity to want to make money. bars are not socialist institutions. when the bartender gives you drinks on the house it's because you're a loyal customer or friends with one. they don't want to build goodwill with people who don't want to drink alcohol.

"soft drinks" vs. "soda water" pls clarify

i was talking about soda water.

they don't want to build goodwill with people who don't want to drink alcohol.

o_O
thankfully i do not go to whatever these kinds of bars are
and again, i don't think these drinks should be straight-up free
and also i think this is a fucked-up social issue

like that if you're drinking beer and need to take a water break or have reached your own personal max capacity but are still hanging out with friends or listening to music, dancing, whatever, that a bar would suddenly deem you unworthy of being there b/c you're no longer drinking booze?

most bars aren't priviledged enough to drive away customers just because they don't drink alcohol; I'd wager that the majority of bars just appreciate having heads in the place on a saturday night -- it makes the place look alive and fun. the non-alcoholic drinker justifies their being there my helping bring in the people who would be hesitant to walk into an empty bar.

like you should get a stamp on yr hand for every alcoholic beverage you consume so the bar knows that you are not detrimental to their profit and when you reach 3 stamps you may have a $4 soda water
xpost
that is usually the case in my experience!

gab you should start your awesome logic bar and charge $4 for a coke

i am sure there are plenty in nyc that already do that.

seriously if you went to a restaurant and ordered a coke or selzer, you wouldn't expect it to be free...

hooray nyc

capital of the world

but you would expect it to not cost over $3, i mean, outside of manhattan...
xpost

ok i've been arguing but ultimately, i don't really care about paying $4 for a glass of soda water b/c i'm in the bar/venue for a social or entertainment reason and drinking something, alcoholic or not, is just in reality part of the cost of doing that

I am afraid of heights, can I ride the rollercoaster for free?

i'm just arguing with how folks have been trying to justify it as a sound business practice

like that if you're drinking beer and need to take a water break or have reached your own personal max capacity but are still hanging out with friends or listening to music, dancing, whatever, that a bar would suddenly deem you unworthy of being there b/c you're no longer drinking booze?

no, I am expressly talking about people who go to a bar and order non-alcoholic beverages, not people who go to a bar and order alcoholic beverages and later request water. that should be provided free, obviously if someone is drunk, or for a nominal charge.

gabbneb are you racist against teetotalers

It probably sort of depends on whether you think a bar is a place where people gather for social events, or a place where people get drunk, and how much overlap there is between the two in your mind (and the proprietor's). While I have had many occasions to be grateful for a glass of water at a bar, on the whole I tend to like the idea that bars are places for getting well, if not drunk at least drinked. It's not really a practical viewpoint, though, not least because I love rrrobyn and if she wants to come out and not drink, I think she should.

no, i don't own a bar, xp

i barely drink even wine anymore, actually

yeah i agree with that line of arguing, elmo
the logic comes in when inflating the retail cost of goods, where there appears to not be a constant rate
xposts

But I mean you already can't hardly smoke in a bar anywhere, if it becomes okay to NOT DRINK in them then we might as well post a nursery schedule and bring.

Err, and bring what? I'm not sure where that was going. Maybe I was going to say "our yuppie toddlers in their $200 strollers for a playdate" but I was probably thinking of the Park Slope-i-fication of Vanderbilt Ave.

hooray nyc

capital of the world

-- elmo argonaut, Tuesday, June 10, 2008 1:34 PM (Tuesday, June 10, 2008 1:34 PM) Bookmark Link

i was not trying to be ny-centric; you were talking to GABBNEB

move to the midwest or south if you wanna smoke... i personally like smoke-free bars.

i'm just saying -- a customer is a customer and they should be charged for what they drink based on the bar's cost + reasonable markup. a %1200 markup for soda is not exactly reasonable.

I just spent 5 days in Nashville and smoked as much as possible. We never really got trashed, though -- what comes of hanging out with responsible people.

similarly i am frequently annoyed by bars who do not offer tap but only bottled water

then stay home. when you go out you expect to pay for the experience/convenience.
xpost

i'm just saying -- a customer is a customer

someone who goes to a bar and doesn't want to drink isn't much of a customer

maybe we should ask a bartender

or someone from the other side of the counter

I just think bars should be sort of scummy, dirty places that you go to to get fucked up, with a general atmosphere of the encouragement of vice. The older I get the more my friends and acquaintances seem to discourage excess and like jesus is there anywhere besides your own apt anymore that you don't have to feel embarrassed about getting wasted?

speaking from the perspective of the staff, people tend to abdicate all tipping* responsibility where water is concerned. obviously you're not going to dish out $1 per for some tap water, but a courtesy tip after every few glasses is a nice gesture. knowing robyn, i'm sure she tips well but most people forget about this if they're not drinking liquor.

*sorry to mention this word

xposts - tehresa! you're being very hardcore today - "stay at home if you don't like it! move if you don't like it!"

this is what happens when you stop drinking

i'll probably tip for water if someone has the courtesy not to charge

based on my experience, you're in the minority.

or if the bartender is very busy

jesus fucking christ if i got charged for water id throw a fucking fit

arent you like a billionaire or something gabbneb

and of course, it's not black and white. like, i wouldn't have expected a completely wasted person to whom i was giving an emergency glass of water to leave a tip. but someone who'd had 3 or 4 glasses over the course of a night and was served courteously ... that's a different story.

if getting wasted didn't totally destroy me on like every level then i wld have no problem with it! i love excess! i was out until past 4am on fri night and only had one drink! and yeah it's true i always tip even just for tap water

i take the water 100% for granted & none of yous gonna make me feel shame for that

gabbneb i appreciate that you live in a world where every bar is pulling in cash hand over fist and has the luxury to be so discriminating about their clientele but it is not the real world

it must be horrible to live where the bars are full of ungrateful teetotallers who crowd the place so the real boozers can't get it

jesus christ i just glew a gasket

and also while i'm at it, gimme a break re: if you don't want to drink you shouldn't be a in a bar - if it's midnight and i want to go out somewhere and am not able to drink b/c of health reasons - or no, for whatever reasons, these reasons should not matter - then i am likely going to end up at the only places that are open at midnight, which are bars - this should not automatically mean i have no choice but to drink. and as if i'm just going to stay at home! no!
xpost

maybe i am being hardcore, but i really do feel like you go out for the experience, and you should expect to pay for it. how else does a business make money? yes it's silly to charge for plain water, but when you start talking about drinks you'd pay for in a restaurant, i don't see why it's so absurd. and if you're hanging out in a bar, which marks up it's beer and liquor quite a bit as well, why shouldn't it be marked up? not saying that's great or that i would enjoy paying, but i see why they do it.

as for 'move if you don't like it,' i just feel like we've had non-smoking bars in ny for like 5-6 years now? and i like it. i think it makes them more tolerable, even though i do step out side for a smoke... i kind of like the break. if that's really going to be a point of contention about going to a bar, then you might want to look into living somewhere you can partake of a cigarette in a bar... but to say 'ugh i can't even smoke in most places anymore!' like it's some obnoxious rule establishments have adopted rather than the law is silly. (not that i want laurel <3 to move away!!!)

YOu could score some ginger root extract and add it to soda water. Or angostura bitters.

look, the idea that bars prefer patrons to drink alcohol, and drink a lot of it to boot, can't be news to people.

xposts

I don't see how this argument is any different from the one about buybacks from a few weeks ago. Free drinks at a bar, alcoholic or not, are the bartender's decision based on their mood, relationship with the cutstomers, whatever. Maybe they take pity on a DD or a non-drinker and feed them free cokes all night, or maybe not. It seems silly to _expect_ that things will be free of charge in any situation.

I don't know any savory soft drinks that haven't already been suggested. Lately I've been loving Sidral apple soda.

i had this ginger beer called 'solo' that was wayyyy sweet but i think if you cut it with some soda the ginger flavor is great!

it is not the real world

it's the real world on an island with as many people as your whole state

then i am likely going to end up at the only places that are open at midnight, which are bars

maybe where you live (MTL?)

menthe a l'eau!

certainly some bartenders have discretion but i think they mostly exercise it for the benefit of loyal customers. to the extent they do not, they may exercise it for their own benefit. if that's approved of by the house, it's because they want their employees to be happy.

lauren going to a bar so you can swig down free drinks w/out tipping is of course a dick move

im just confused as to where the 'i just tipped you a dollar a drink for 3-4 drinks & want a free glass of ice water now but ill tip you for that too because i owe it to you' mentality comes from

listen, water & seltzer should be free -- it doesn't cost a thing. everything else that comes out of the squirty bartender gun should be $1, tops. if the place has fantastic atmosphere and you're paying towards the experience, i'd go as high as $2. MAYBE.

what are commercial real estate prices like in Providence?

I am actually sort of considering moving somewhere one can still smoke in bars, for your information. I don't like the "break" and I don't want to smoke on the curb, and I want my drink in hand to go with the cigarette(s). I am very irritated with nanny rules state-type rules* right now even though I know the ban here was primarily for the health reasons of the servers (or was at least billed as such).

*I'm pretty sure you can't buy cigarettes ANYWHERE in the entire Philadelphia airport, I spent about 40 mins walking between insufficiently air-conditioned terminals searching for a newsstand that carried them, and people kept saying "we're all out" as if they were somehow tricking me into not realizing that they don't sell smokes there. REALLY? ALL OUT? OF ALL OF THEM?

listen, water & seltzer should be free -- it doesn't cost a thing.

You don't pay water bills out east?

o wait were on the same page

yeah going to a bar for 3-4 glasses of ice water is kind of uncharted territory for me

i've NEVER been charged for tap water. wtf this happens?

also, i like the no smoking in bars, because that way my clothes don't reek afterwards and i don't have to wash them as often. i'm sorry but being in an enclosed space for a couple hours with a bunch of smoke makes my clothes smell like stale ass.

dan m, fine you can charge a few cents per glass of water if you want to be particular about it

i've never been charged for tap water, either, actually. i've been told that only bottled water was available, though.

Someone else said it already: I don't agree with it, but I can see why they might do it. I live in Great Lakes-land and the idea of charging for water is ludicrous here but makes more sense in places without that resource. A lot of places here don't even do bar/table water service, there's a cooler in the corner and you get your own. That way they don't pay for as much ice, too.

WTF gabbneb flexing the population of NYC vs. RI in order to put me down -- i just said you're living in a fantasy world, dude, nothing about NYC

ugh this thread

ha, yeah.

Like Laurel I like to think of bars as places to drink and or get drunk but unfortunately I can't do that anymore. However I still want to go out/see my friends/ listen to music etc.. I don't expect sodas for free but when it happens it's nice and I'd def rather not pay >4 for one although that's happened too. Tap water should always be free. I can't believe anywhere would try to charge for that.

So savory drinks . . .

So savory drinks . . .

gravy.

mmmmmmmmm brown and water

now it just sounds gross.

I am not bothering to read the rest of the thread but make some barley tea and ice it, it is FUCKING DELICIOUS. Please at least try it. Dunno where you can get barley tea bags-- asian grocers maybe?

I like the sound of barley tea, infact I even saw some in the health food store earlier and didn't think.

Iced barly tea was my obsession last summer! I got huge bags designed for brewing the iced variety at an asian grocers and could go through a pitcher a night - easily.

hmm sounds yum!

yeah again i'm not saying i have a problem with paying for and tipping for a non-booze drink in a bar experience situation, i'm just saying that the mark-up seems unequal to that of booze plus a bit cheapskatey when it is heavily marked up in some places and not in others

also i can't imagine the bars i choose to go to wld rather i stay out of them if not drinking because they are primarily Drinking Establishments Where People Go to Drink and That Is Why They Go There
xposts

at midnight on a friday night when i want to go listen to music or hang out with people or dance, i think i'm gonna end up at a bar not a chain coffee shop. and not be turned away or thought of as a second-class citizen for the fact that i'm not going to drink booze but am in fact going to buy non-booze and happily tip for it anyway.
xposts

oh and while i'm at it, coffee shops are for drinking coffee! fuck all those people who buy water, juice, tea, etc at a fraction of the cost!

fuck all those people who buy water, juice, tea, etc at a fraction of the cost!

All too right, that's what bodegas are for.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41WMFY7WXBL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

That's the one I got - it was so good and easy to use b/c of the giant bags.

Actually it's probably cheaper at the bodega anyway. At the coffeeshop you're probably being charged EXTRA for the "convenience" of getting it there.

i like the sound of barley tea

i've had genmaicha, which is green tea brewed along with roasted/puffed brown rice -- really good hot or iced

The barley tea is called Mugicha and is a summer drink in Japan where you can get it in cans everywhere apparently.

i am drinking iced genmaicha right now!

yeah i meant at lesser cost than coffee drinks. and but they wouldn't have these non-coffee beverages there if they didn't expect some people to buy it, which i have even seen with my own eyes!

it's not like going into an ice cream shop and asking for sushi. tho maybe it is like going in to an ice cream shop and asking for just a cone w/o ice cream. but maybe you just really want a cone, i don't know, i wldn't have a problem with someone doing that.

xposts
iced green tea is the best

I dunno muh about ACTUAL iced barley tea, the only shit I had was brewing actual hot barley tea at some 'til it gets stupidly strong, then sticking it in the fridge for a night and going to TOWN the next day. i should try this properly "iced barley tea" stuff.

at some = at home,the rest of my typos you can sort out yorself, god i hate this keyboard

There is a huge campaign on in London right now to get restaurants to sign on to FREE TAP WATER and a bar or pub here would never charge you for this with some ice and lemon! Nor can I imagine any bartender anywhere charging for this form of ice water, esp if ordered as part of a round of drinks.

Lauren absolutely right about barstaff sometimes offering bottled water as the only H20 which is always hilarious when they're standing next to a running tap as they say so. If I'm feeling like a bitch I ask them if they're washing their glasses with water that is somehow unsafe to drink. Whatever the case, a customer's always a potential returning customer and shouldn't be treated like an arsepain for any reason.

My sister works in a bar which has huge turnover, serves food and waitrons bring you water when you first arrive. There are a lot of concessions made to the designated driver there, because the town cops have a vicious DUI reputation and they don't want customers falling foul of it.

You can get 100% Bramley apple juice, in no way sweet, in every way gorgeous. Virgin Mary seconded,also.

I've also quit drinking (for a while at least; personal reasons) & am trying to lose weight. I've been sucking down lots of: Arnold Palmers (half & half ice t & lemonade - also v. appropriate to the season), diet soda sweetened with Splenda (esp. tangerine Diet Rite), & iced coffee cut by about half with skim milk, slightly sweetened.

If you're going out to pubs, clubs and such, any juice & soda water combo is a good substitute for a coctail, as is plain tonic water with lime.

Fake beer is OK (Kaliber or St. Pauli Girl n/a are probably the best), but if, on any level, you struggle with the urge to "feel the effects" of drinking booze, fake beer will probably just end up making you really frustrated.

For what it's worth, I too got a red flag from my doc when my liver enzyme levels were a little high. I simply cut down on (but not cut out completely) my boozing tested fine the next month.

at the Starbucks I go to, water costs about 25 cents less than espresso

genmaicha is good stuff

Also, if you're in the UK, you can't go wrong with lemon Finch's. Or, if you're in the US, you can get large bottles of similar lemon-flavored soda at Whole Foods. The trick is to find the brands that have real fruit matter, as opposed to artificial flavoring. Soooo good.

otm. french fanta is amazing... like orangina.. but not as sweet. the citron flavor is especially yum!

at the Starbucks I go to, water costs about 25 cents less than espresso

I've never been charged for tap water at an NYC Starbucks. I don't do it that often though.

Goya Ginger Beer is usually pretty cheap and it's much spicier than Reed's.

I'm a big fan of fentimans ginger beer which isn't at all sweet.

i recommend kvas. most of those east european grocery places sell it. 'ochakovo' is a good brand.

I was thinking about kvas, haven't had any for awhile. It has a an acquired taste which I have never felt the need to acquire, but now might be the time.

I know this has probably already been reccommended as a Mocktail, but...
Agnostura bitters, soda, muddled mint and lime...is really, really good. (A Nojito?)
Saying you can't have certain things automatically limits your choices.
I think the important thing, when you are NOT drinking, is to DRINK the ingredients you can have.

Some near beers are o.k. - although I think a person who truly loves beer would find it more difficult to drink an alcohol free beer than a mocktail, because a near beer is basically a yeast soda.

Bavaria no alcohol beer is not gruesome as I feared. Doesn't taste of much, much like crap lager.

I have genmaicha and hojicha at home, but I don't have a pitcher for iced tea. Must go to Target.

http://brainwagon.org/images/brainwash.jpg

When I am choosing to not drink teh booze I get very wary of the extreme caffeine beverage market.

it would be cool if bars offered amazing n/a drinks - the Nojito I got was at a restaurant owned by the best friend of SKot and Maria! They rock the bar menu with yummy n/a drinks.

They also have a SHELF of single malt scotch, so the NEXT time i visit Hope and Olive I will be....
sleeping over.

lol, I'm surprised that BEVNET still exists.

by the way ED, why might you move to pittsburgh?

School, specifically CMU if I get in, I was there a couple of weeks ago and they seem to like me.

http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/detail/742334b.jpg

This with soda and angosturas is very good.

How is the wagon? Is it harder or easier than you expected?

over the weekend in france i drank about eight metric tons of quézac mineral water, it was really really good

xpost

The Wagon is OK so far, although i have been lucky to be not socialising much at the moment as I am working on my GRE and application essay.

i am thinking of cutting down for personal reasons as well, but have the same hang-up as Ed--it's not so much teh booze, as it is the desire to have SOMEthing to drink that isn't water or soda.

....what about super strong, unsweetened iced tea with mineral water poured in for fizzyness?

i go with mineral water with whatever kind of citrus fruit i happen to have in the fridge.

but i love mineral water, i used to go through gerolsteiner by the case.

i have considered purchasing a case of mineral water before :-/

http://www.drysoda.com/

Having a rhubarb soda now. It's just barely sweet, so I can't say it's quite a "savory" drink. Interesting, though.

That looks awesome, I want a rhubarb soda right now.

This is growing on me. It's got just enough sweetener, I think.

Hah! Their tasting room is around the block from my place. I checked them out a few weeks ago, not bad stuff.

So Ed can you get wasted now?

yes, I had had a Hepatitis shot just before the blood test and a follow up shot just before the follow up test which sent the liver readings off normal. So now I can drink to my hearts content.

omg lavender want

I might brave the wholefoods clusterfuck at columbus circle this evening and see if they have any.

oh man, that is really, really brave. but damn, that sounds good!!!

That's where I got mine, except it's the Whole Foods parkingfuck in Cupertino.

three drops of bitters in a glass of soda water

this is excellent btw