Holiday Weekend (bonus) Friday Post

So we all have a nice long 3-day weekend ahead of us (I hope) and that means that we will all be partaking in our favorite libations most likely. The Fourth of July generally ranks third in the family of American Holidays for drunk driving fatalities and DUI's, it is going back and forth with New Year's Eve, Thanksgiving is the number one and never drops down to second. It is easy to see why Independence Day would be  celebrated thoroughly with alcohol. I mean the founders of this country had beer all the time and brewed it themselves too! Thomas Jefferson brewed beer at Monticello, and used to stock up on different brews as he travelled. George Washington had his own recipe that he published for beer. We all know the beer legacy that was founded on Samuel Adams beer recipe! Beer is as American then as Apple Pie (based on Dutch baked goods) and Baseball (which technically is a derivative of Cricket and therefore not so American). Maybe the lesson here is that Americans are great at adapting culture and Americanizing it (think Taco Bell).
On this historic and patriotic holiday, it is highly likely that you will be imbibing... There is nothing wrong with that, I know I will be knocking some back myself (hey, this IS a blog about beer). My request is that you do it responsibly. I am not going to lecture you about the cost of drink driving or how a DUI can ruin your lives... You have already heard all of the statistics. I feel like I would be doing you all a HUGE injustice if I didn't at least provide you with some good tips and some places where you can get a ride if you have had too much to drink.
So, here is a a list of tips to help you drink responsibly from Drinking.com

Hints and tips

Spacers:
Soft drink ‘spacers’ between drinks can help  pace an evening.
Top-ups:
Avoid top-ups so you can keep track of your alcohol intake.
Water, water!:
Alternate your drinks with water to stay refreshed.

A bite to eat:

Eating before or while drinking slows alcohol absorption.

Be a responsible host:
Provide food, non-alcoholic drinks or serve pre-made cocktails using standard drinks measures.
Drive time:
Think about how you’re going to get home before you leave home.  Grab a cab or designate a driver.

As for the last part about a cab, I happened to take the initiative of finding the NATIONAL websites for cab companies. If you plan on getting drunk, arrange a cab ahead of time. Yellow Cab and Taxi are both national cab companies and you can navigate their websites to find a local company. You can also type cabs into Google and get the info that way. Any bar you are at should have the number for at least one cab company handy in case you need it.
There is also this nifty thing called a designated driver! Someone who isn't drinking and is still hanging out and having fun. If that is you, that means DON'T drink. If you don't have a designated driver, I have just the thing for you! It is called a rented designated driver. This is a group who has lists of people willing to give you a lift sometimes for free, when you have had too much to drink. What a brilliant thing!
 If you feel so inclined, I would love to see some pictures of you having fun (and any beers you are trying) this weekend. If you want to share please email them to me at hoppybeergirl@gmail.com. If you haven't noticed, the URL has changed, I am going to start a reader photo gallery and will totally use your pictures in it (if you send them that is).
So please be safe and have a great Fourth of July!