Make Mine a Double

Great news for all Alan Partridge fans, he’s back! Steve Coogan is to reprise his role of Partridge for a series of ten episodes, promoted by the beverage company Fosters, to be shown on the internet.
The first twelve minute “Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge”, will be shown on the Fosters Funny website at 11:00 this Friday.

Fosters are trying to persuade writers and comedians to revive classic British comedies on the internet. Steve Coogan will be the first of their initiative after reportedly being offered a large amount of cash by the Australian Company.

I just hope the internet series will be as funny as the TV series.

Well, we’re getting closer and closer to that time of year, and once Santa has been , it’ll be New Year! Where does the time go to?

Anyway, I’ve got the sniffles at the minute, and I’m desperately warming myself up to stop it getting any worse - and mmmm, Mulled Wine! What a way to starve off the chills of winter.

There are hundreds of different recipes out there, so I won’t foist my variation on you, but the basics are red wine, citrus fruit (lemon, lime, oranges), cloves, spices, nutmeg, cinnamon and sugar.

However it is made, it tastes best whilst huddled around a fire (inside or out) with some roasted chestnuts to nibble on, and good friends to share it with.

Growing up in the country, my Mum entered a lot of those baking competitions and did well at them, so I learned the value of a good bun early in life. Now I’m a responsible adult myself, I’m not motivated by beating Mrs Jones’s and her cherry scones, but I do like to make things myself.

A sweet treat that it easy to make, and is a very popular favourite amongst my friends, is Baileys Rocky Road. By melting the ingredients first, then adding the Bailey’s and dry ingredients, mixing quickly and popping it into the fridge, you end up with a distinct Bailey’s taste an kick, and have a great desert / treat for later.

Nommy!

I think it is safe to say that nearly every drinker will have had a night out and ended up worse for wear due to drinking whatever was on offer in that particular establishment, and on moving from one to the next, finds another drink to try.

But do we play it safe and drink the same thing again and again, or do we risk the morning after feeling?

Well, for some variety, stick to one spirit, and have a different mixer each time. So, vodka and one of many fruit juices, or lemonade, or coke, or lime and lemonade, or (if you’re really struggling) just drink it neat!

My advice? Have a good time - but not at the expense of tomorrow’s good time.

Yes, I know it is only just September, but my local supermarket is now stocking their seasonal aisle with Christmas wares - so we can OFFICIALLY start to plan for the season to be jolly!

And when partying with my friends, getting jolly is a big part of the season! So, we’re now stocking up on the spirits to make all of our favourite festive drinkies.

And this year, we’ll be stocking plenty of non-alcoholic cocktails for the younger generation and also those with child, etc.

The other great thing about stocking up on spirits means that you have a couple of bottles handy should you happen to have forgotten to get a present for an Auntie/Uncle/etc. Genius! Planning ahead works!!

Well, yes!

Erm, maybe?

I suppose not….

Why? I hear you ask? Well, I like a drink, every now and then, but I also realise that I am now at “that age” where getting up the next morning is a nightmare, and missing a whole day recovering annoys me because a weekend is too precious to waste.

But what’s the alternative?

Coke, lemonade and those “trendy” non-alcoholic beverages?

Well, no, because they’re just a bit sad! But going out and not having anything to drink is just silly. So what to do? Well, encourage my friends to drink responsibly? I do try, but come 11pm and we’re all feeling a bit relaxed, those doubles look very tempting, and seem much better value than the singles….

So, all in all, when we’ve got an aim or a day out to look forward to, I think that a party / nigh out can survive without alcohol - but there is a lot of fun to be had with a drink in hand!

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What is it with some people’s obsession for buying bottles of champagne on a night out? Do they just do it for show? I reckon the answer will mostly be yes to that question! I was seeing this guy recently who knows that my usual drinks involve malibu and pineapple, amaretto and coke, sweet cocktails, baileys, fruity pear cider and midori, however he thought it would be a good idea to purchase a £70 bottle of champagne when we were out last and put it in front of me whilst saying “I’ve bought that for you”. It goes to show he was having a ridiculous moment where he wanted to show off and didn’t put any thought into the fact I don’t like champagne and I’d told him that a good many times! What a waste of money, and I had to sit there pretending to drink a glass of it whilst trying not to gag just to be polite!

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If you’ve got a special occasion the next day but you still want to go on a night out and not feel rubbish in the morning, why not still go, have fun, but drink non-alcoholic cocktails?! This is a great way to get some of your five a day, as long as you get real fruit juice in the cocktails you can knock a couple of your five a day off the list for starters and gain valuable vitamins and minerals. There are loads of different juices you can get, try pineapple, orange, mango and apple juice with some fizzy water and pureed raspberries. Ask around the bars, it’s not what you’d usually do but you’ll be surprised how many of them will whip you up a delicious and hydrating drink for a decent price and without the possibility of a headache the next day!

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Have you tried a Jagerbomb yet? They are amazing and my favorite shot by far. A Jagerbomb is a shot of Jagermeister in about a quarter of a tall glass of red bull or alternative energy drink. It’s impressive when there’s a few of you getting them because the bar staff line them up with a shot glass of Jager balanced on the rim between each tall glass, and when everyone is ready they knock the glass on the end and each shot falls into the tall glass. You then all down the shots. I’m not a fan of energy drinks on their own, but the Jagerbomb is really tasty. Get it down you!

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I think it’s weird that in some chain bars there are different offers advertised. In my local chain bar it’s usually £6.95 for a cocktail (which to be honest really is a bit too expensive) but myself and my friend have always drank cocktails when we have been to that bar so it’s what we continue to do. I went into Manchester the weekend before last and into the same named bar. All over the walls it was advertised that two of the favorite cocktails were £8 with a loyalty card so we went to town and tried them all! On Saturday we were back in the local and I asked the bar man about the deal, apparently it still stands in that bar however it was not advertised anywhere! Scandalous! We’d been paying about £14 for two drinks for as long as I can remember when all I needed to do was ask what the deals were and we would have been much better off! It just goes to show that you should always ask or you don’t get and you may kick yourself down the line!