No, not alcohol! I used to enjoy a good whiskey-and-diet-cola, but for medical reasons, that’s over. And as I’ve said a time or two on this board,d I’m 33; I’ve done my drinking.
But when I did drink, my habit was to sip slowly at w-and-d-c, one after the other, so I could drink for a long time but never get really wasted. And while my taste for alcohol has dried up, my love of sipping things remains. There’s hardly a circumstance where I don’t manage to have a glass of something near to hand, so I can work away at it, taking, as I said, small sips and letting the liquid coat my mouth and tongue so I can get the full flavor.
Soft drinks: Pepsi One, or Diet Pepsi, and very occasionally, straight-up Pepsi. (I do not like Coke products; that’s just the way it is.) Orange pop, black cherry pop, root beer, ginger ale. I can even stomach cream soda, if it’s cold and fresh and a good brand, and I’m drinking it with something, like hot dogs or pizza. (Though that would be the exception to drinking stuff for the sake of drinking it.)
Tonic water, which, being a mixer, belongs in a separate category. As a young 'un, it was presented to me as something to have when everyone was an adult and having alcohol. It’s best with a wedge of lime, but even by itself, its unique taste is compelling.
Fruit juices: Cranberry, grape, grapefruit, various blends. A little bit of orange goes a long way. I don’t care for apple juice, but I’m a sucker for apple cider. Also like any kind of “ade”: limeade, lemonade, orangeade. Don’t dig vegetable juices, though: carrot, tomato and wheatgrass I can do without.
Non-alcoholic cocktails. I was partial to margaritas when I was drinking, and I still looooooove a good virgin margarita. I don’t even miss the tequila; it’s the sourness that does it for me.
Tea or iced tea. Not going to get into a sweet-tea debate; I like iced tea any way it’s available. Favorite hot tea is orange pekoe; I love to put the bag in and watch it stain the water dark red.
Do not like: Milk, coffee, mineral waters. Never developed a taste for any of them. Also, not crazy about plain water. The first few sips are okay, when it’s still cold, but when it goes room-temp, it’s just dull.
:::siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip…:::