Cherry Yuzu Spritz
Tangy, tart, and just sweet enough, this Cherry Yuzu Spritz is an N/A superstar.
I’ve written, deleted, and re-written the first sentence of this six times in the last 15 minutes. The truth is, my relationship with alcohol was a doozy and I’m not quite sure how to write about it. If you asked me at 27 if I had a drinking problem, I would have answered with an emphatic “No". At 32, hindsight is 20/20.
A nightly glass or two of wine easily became an entire bottle. My tolerance, sky high, I could drink Alex under the table. Since I never got “drunk”, how could it be an issue?
The issue was thinking about it constantly, talking myself into and out of drinking multiple times per day just to inevitably fall into a bottle of wine as soon as work was over.
I drank when I was happy and I drank when I was sad. I felt more like myself with a drink in my hand, more likely to view myself as fun or sexy. Into my late twenties, I started to feel more of the effects of hangovers and, to be fair, found the magical world of cannabis when we relocated to Oregon. was sky-high; I
Using cannabis immediately took my desire to drink away. It’s not that it replaced the feelings that alcohol gave me, I don’t feel more like myself with cannabis, or sexier or funnier for that matter. What I do feel is supported, the edge slightly coming off just enough for me to be able to accept that I don’t need a drink to feel lighter.
I’m not alone either. 39.2% of cannabis users in one study reported a reduction in the frequency of their alcohol use despite not intentionally using cannabis as a harm-reduction strategy. Researchers at the University of Washington have shown that in states where cannabis is legal, there is a significant decrease in alcohol, opioid, and nicotine consumption.
It also helped that I was diagnosed with a liver tumor and scared myself shitless from ever drinking to that extent ever again. Thankfully, the tumor is benign and shrinking all on its own. I’ll never know if it was caused by drinking. My doc doesn’t think so since the type of tumor is common in women with hormonal issues, but it’s no secret that drinking alcohol also leads to hormonal issues. Everything is connected. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
I stopped drinking sans the occasional drink before the diagnosis but it has made it easy to put my health first knowing that it exists. I don’t call myself sober. I enjoyed an afternoon tasting with Alex at a winery perched right at the base of Mt. Hood over the summer and I had a glass of spiked punch at a Halloween party this year but for the most part, I simply don’t care about alcohol anymore. Even though I don’t miss the alcohol, I do miss having a fun drink sometimes.
Luckily, the sober movement has taken the world by storm with fewer and fewer people choosing to imbibe. N/A cocktails and even great N/A wine and beer are easy to find these days. Ghia which reminds me of a Negroni - I adore the bitterness, is my ride or die but the sticker shock is real. So, more often than not I’m whipping up a drink at home with whatever juice, jam, and sparkly things I have stashed in the refrigerator.
This Cherry Yuzu Spritz has been a favorite lately. It’s a blend of tart cherry, Trader Joe’s Power of Purple, and sparkling yuzu juice. Sometimes I’ll add in a sprig of rosemary and light it on fire for a moment to add a lovely herbal smokiness to the nose.
Since tart cherries are great for sleep as they contain tryptophan and melatonin, it’s the perfect bedtime ritual. Magnesium blends beautifully into it too (before adding the yuzu!), if you want an extra sleepy punch. I’m all for functionality.
Cherry Yuzu Spritz
Ingredients
Instructions
Nutrition Facts
Calories
95.33Fat
0.5 gSat. Fat
0.01 gCarbs
24.13 gFiber
1.49 gNet carbs
22.64 gSugar
14.13 gProtein
1.24 gSodium
7.99 mgCholesterol
0 mgNutritional values are estimates only
