“New Year, New You” Part 3

By K. Ross

Welcome to part 3 of our “New Year, New You” journey. Part 3 means that we are in our 3^rd week. How’s is everyone holding up, are you still staying strong and committed to our resolutions? With that said, this will be more a motivational blog this week. Let’s stay on track and finish the month strong!

In the past couple of weeks, we have discussed health and wellness, but let’s shift gears to “self-care.” One of the most popular “self-care” resolutions out there today, and one that I, myself, have committed to… is DRY JANUARY. This has definitely become one of the most popular resolutions to date. The fad of “sober curious” has been introduced to us a lot lately. Whether it started with a family member or friend or if you’ve seen it on your favorite reality show. It has become a THING!

To go along with this trend, we were introduced to MOCKTAILS. These are everyone…social media, restaurants, and even samples in your local grocery stores. I personally love this trend. Even if you’re not doing DRY JANUARY, mocktails can be very enjoyable anytime! But for now, I will introduce some mocktails for motivation to help you get through the next week and complete DRY JANUARY.

I call this one the “Lemon-Basil Nojito.” I started making this one a long time, but now I see it on most bar menus and usually mixed with vodka. But not this one, it’s called “Nojito” for a reason! Simply muddle some fresh basil in your lemonade of choice, then add a splash of club soda for a little fizz. Super easy and super refreshing!

Have you heard of Mother Shrub in RVA? NO…you need to google it NOW!! They are a local company that specialize in non-alcoholic mixers and elixirs. If you visit their website and take a look at their recipes, you’ll get you through DRY JANUARY and beyond!! Once you visit their recipe page, you’re going to think why did this person recommend this site for DRY JANUARY, all of these recipes include alcohol. No, I’m not crazy…just omit the alcohol when mixing. Trust me, these drinks are just as good without the alcohol!

My favorite is the “Cherry Bomb.” Some Mother Shrub black cherry and some orange seltzer…YUM! I like to be a little fancy with this one and add a cute drink umbrella. And if you close your eyes and play some “beachy” tunes, not only will you forget about DRY JANUARY, you’ll forget winter all together!!

There are so many rewarding benefits for participating in DRY JANUARY. So many that I will not bore you with them. I just hope this blog keeps you going and pushes you to make it through one more week. You got this!!

And if you’re one of many who didn’t make it through the month, no worries…we’ll start a new trend called DRY FEBRUARY! (Only 28 days in February!)