Being healthy doesn't mean you're not a hedonist

My nickname at university was ‘Thirsty’- I was known as the one able to outdrink any guy. I then spent over a decade working as a globetrotting bartender; travelling the world talking about the art of the cocktail and celebrating the pleasure of imbibing. I sat in some of the best cocktail bars on the planet and made cocktails myself, while throwing massive parties. In the eyes of many I had the ‘best job in the world’, but the reality was that I was struggling. The intensity of it, the difficulty of finding balance and moderation was making this ‘dream job’ unsustainable. Something had to change.

I found my way into the wellness sphere; becoming a yoga and meditation teacher. I thought that world would be mostly alcohol-free. I’d already begun to change my own drinking habits, and so I found myself shocked by the ‘detox then retox’ yoyo culture in gyms and studios. It’s so damaging. You can go to the gym five times a week, practice yoga or even meditate every morning; but it’s no secret that if you drink too much, you will carry on feeling terrible! I didn’t understand how wellness ambassadors could look after their physical and mental wellbeing, then fail to add how they drink into that picture. I found myself wanting to take on the mission of changing drinking culture for the better; bringing mindfulness into even our Friday night glass.

Great nights are meant to be remembered - and that doesn’t happen when you’re one too many drinks in. For some, freeing themselves from unhealthy escapism means full sobriety, while for others that means moderation. But regardless of where on the spectrum you stand… it starts with removing alcohol for a period of time. The three booze-free months of Sober Spring is the perfect amount of time to be able to reassess your relationship with alcohol and discover who you are without it.

This is a movement of Healthy Hedonists. Instead of focusing on cutting out, restraining, not going out, doing without, not drinking and all that negative language, we focus on celebrating life, in a way that feels good the morning after too. It’s about saying yes to going out even on a school night, because drinking all the delicious alcohol-free cocktails will allow you to wake up on Tuesday feeling content and clear-headed.

With that in mind, and to support Sober Spring, I created you all a bespoke alcohol-free cocktail - Sunshine Warm Spritz. This drink is designed to keep the Epic Nights & Early Mornings rolling!

Recipe

50ml Lyre's Italian Orange

100ml Lyre's Classico

50ml FUL Peach Sparkling Spirulina

Build in a wine glass over ice cubes

Garnish with a slice of blood orange if in season or orange

To layer the FUL Peach Sparkling Spirulina use a spoon and pour into the spoon so it remains on the top.