Next month
According to CAMRA, 21 pubs close each week. Use them or lose them. Remember: from tiny, DIY micropubs serving immaculate cask ales, to Tom Kerridge’s now Michelin-starred Coach in Marlow, there is a pub for every occasion. Alcohol is in retreat as millennials opt, instead, for juice crawls (!), sober raves (!!) and immersive, fancydress movie nights (!!!). If they can’t Instagram it, they’re not interested. It’s enough to drive anyone to drink. Go dry this month and you will miss Manchester Beer Festival (25-27 January) and Bristol Gin Festival (okay, it’s sold out, but you take my point). Plus Burns Night is on 25 January. #tryjanuary is a #dryjanuary rival that encourages people to dabble in different drinks. Rum is surging in popularity as bars revive daiquiris and explore new wave craft rums aged in unusual barrels or vibrant agricole, made from fresh sugar cane juice. Interestingly, the British Liver Trust says that having at least two alcohol-free days a week, is, as its chief exec, Andrew Langford, told The Daily Mirror: ‘Far more effective than taking one month off.’ Long-term moderation I can live with. Just.
The value of well-being rarely features in debates about alcohol. But research has found that drinking, particularly regularly with friends, makes people happier. One US study even suggested a few glasses of wine is the secret to a long, contented marriage. Who am I to disagree? Have you tried those murky, super-juicy New England-style IPAS? Mind-bending orange wine? The latest fruit-infused gins? Sparkling pét-nat reds? The current creativity in artisan drinks, in small producer wines, gin and craft beer, is unprecedented. I am determined not to miss a drop.
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The Guardian.
Tony’s tips for eating out for less