Christmas will undoubtedly look different this year, but that won’t really stop many of us from hitting the champers, Buck’s Fizz and Baileys over the coming weeks.
Hoping to not go overboard on the booze? As someone in the hospitality biz, who has a keen interest in having different and appealing non-alcoholic options on his menu at Japanese restaurant Nanban, we spoke to former MasterChef champion and chef Tim Anderson about taking note of your alcohol consumption…
Think – and drink – like an American
“If you don’t want to drink too much, one thing I think everybody should do, or try to do, is to alternate drinks,” says Wisconsin-born Anderson. “I used to do this when I was younger, I stopped doing it, but I think it’s something to do with moving here [to Britain], and having this culture where everybody buys rounds, so you can’t really drink at your own pace.
“We always get water [served with your alcoholic drink] in America, so it’s easy to have a beer, then a water, a beer, then a water. So I would keep that in mind. Don’t be like, you have to have another pint just because everybody around you is having one.”
Know exactly how much you’re drinking
“I started to cut back on drinking just because I realised I was drinking more than I thought. I recently learned the calculation to figure out how many units you’re having, which I never knew. It’s terrifying, but it’s easy: multiply ABV by millilitres (volume) and divide by 1,000,” explains Anderson.
“I always thought a pint was 2 units, but it’s not really. If you have 4% ABV-ish beer, it’s close to 2, or 2.2. But if it’s a 4.5% or 5%, then you’re getting towards three, and that adds up fast.” He recommends being mindful of your units, because they’re pretty easy to rack up without realising.
Consider the alternatives
“There’s nothing worse than going to a bar, and having to drink coke or soda water with fresh lime or whatever, because they don’t have anything good and non-alcoholic to drink,” and there’s really no excuse when the options have dramatically improved over the last few years. “Having the alternatives, really, really, really helps,” adds Anderson, “because nobody wants to drink just juice, and some of these non-alcoholic beers are surprisingly low sugar, low calorie. I’m not gonna call them healthy, but they’re a lot better than some other things you could drink.”
At Nanban, for instance, they do virgin cocktails but also have interesting sodas from the likes of Square Root and Cloudwater Brew Co. “Cloudwater have done a few different flavours [like pineapple and yuzu, and mango & citra sour] and there’s no added sugar, but also no sweeteners. They’re very, very dry, most of them are made with hops, which gives a really lovely flavour,” says Anderson, who collaborated with the Manchester brewery on one featuring bergamot and yuzu. “It’s very tart, very dry. And it comes in a big can. And it’s great with Japanese food – it’s great with a lot of food. But, if you have it at home, I recommend you have it with ice, and a little bit of salt. It’s really nice.”
Set your limits
“The excess of December in Britain is unlike anything I’ve seen anywhere else. The parties and the holidays and the miserable weather – it just feels non-stop. I think everybody needs a break by January!” says Anderson. And even though there won’t be the same level of Christmas partying as in non-Covid years, it’s still possible to overdo it on drink at home.
“I know that’s hard, because you want to have a good time and you want to get through the miserable weather, but you gotta set limits.”
Vegan Japaneasy by Tim Anderson, photography by Nassima Rothacker, is published by Hardie Grant, priced £22. Available now. For more information about Nanban, visit nanban.co.uk
