A Drink

Having a drink with a friend is always a good time. It affords an opportunity to lower your inhibitions and catch up, over a beverage. A cocktail might induce a conversation about cocktail history and different variations. That drink you are sipping can then transition into debates of what bars make your favorite cocktails. A beer is refreshing, carbonated, unique. What a beer could do in a pint (or more), a glass of wine or cocktail cannot. I find the beer to be a great palate cleanser and filling. While eating Korean Fried Chicken with a friend, I find a beer is the best pairing. Greasy, delicious food and cheap beers is my favorite. Last, but not least: wine. Wine is great, in many ways. You can cook at a home with friends and pair wines with eats. It is great to mull wine for the colder months, adding that winter spice I enjoy in a mulled beverage. Wine is underappreciated and most times associated as snobby. I love wine with food, with friends and by itself. Although, it is much easier to finish a bottle with a friend.
 

Speaking of bottles... we must speak on substance abuse. Me being a bartender, you tend to have ultra accessibility to drinks, behind the bar. It is almost inevitable you will drink on the job, sneak a few in, people will buy you shots, etc. The issues I have with binge drinking and substance abuse go hand in hand. Being industry folks, we work late and long hours. It is difficult to continue moving forward, creatively, if all you are doing is drinking in excess and mixing in drugs. If you keep good company, someone you consider a good friend can step in. You need friends like that to tell you "Hey. Slow it down. Chill. This isn't doing you any good, nor anyone else." Listening is only half the battle. The first step to making better decisions is to STOP making bad decisions. Stress is a hell of a thing, but doing anything in excess is never good for you.

-Adrian Alvarez (Bartender, NYC)