10 REASONS TO AVOID DRY JANUARY

Why our columnist Tony Naylor won't be giving up the booze this month

@naylor_tony

Apologies if this column lacks its customary sparkle. But, like you, I am suffering from a severe case of January. Christmas is over. The sky is grey. The mood bleak. On 15 January, it’s Blue Monday: officially the most depressing day of the year. For that reason, Dry January, now in its fifth year, strikes me as a terrible idea. In winter, we all need a little light in our lives, and, at Naylor Towers, that light glints off a cluster of gin, brandy and whisky bottles. Believe me, I am not out to get trolleyed (please drink responsibly), but a snifter, a pick-me-up, a livener is an essential (vodka and) tonic in January. Warmth floods in, endorphins spike and the world seems far more forgiving. Abstain if you must, but here are 10 reasons I won’t be doing #dryjanuary.

Work, kids, deadlines, parents, bills, chores! We all need a little stress relief, an analgesic (have you seen the news lately?). In 2001, Irvine Welsh wrote a brilliant piece for The Observer about drinking and the ecstasy of being in a bar with friends as the third drink kicks-in, and, after a hard week, everyone begins to relax. ‘You wish you could just hold on to it for ever,’ he wrote. How true. A well-made Old Fashioned can be as satisfying and complex as the finest food. Head to The Savoy’s American Bar (No1 at the 2017 World’s 50 Best Bars awards), for its signature Hanky Panky, a very adult combination of gin, Cinzano Rosso and Fernet Branca. Have you tried non-alcoholic beer recently? It’s abysmal. I reviewed a selection for The Guardian two years ago. I still have nightmares.