What to drink while I'm in detox??

[Rabbit]

My trainer has convinced me to go into detox for six weeks - no alcohol!!

What do people drink as an elegant and adult non-alcoholic beverage option when out (no massive virgin coladas)?

And any general suggestions for interesting and healthy liquid refreshment while I'm on the wagon?

Thanks -
Rab-bit!

[steinpilz]

When I was in high school and vaguely opposed to alcohol my favorite drinks were fresh apple cider and smoothies (blended yogurt, ice, and various fruits and juices). To this day I always view these drinks as innocent and ideally healthy -- they really aren't elegant and adult I'll admit, but they are what I'd drink if I were to take a break from my adult wine and beers, etc....

[jcattles]

Ginger ale or club soda with mojito, mango mojito, or strawberry daquiri (sp) mix.

[goodhealthgourmet]

the OP should have clarified that you're also supposed to avoid sugar and artificial sweeteners during a detox, and i'm pretty sure all those mixes contain one or the other.

[Erika L]

Ginger ale with several lime wedges.

Club soda or fizzy water with grenadine syrup (the stuff used in Shirley Temples).

[Pincus]

I like the virgin Mary or Caesar for a cocktail.

Soda or tonic water and twist of lime for the lighter choice while dining. A non-alcoholic Kir might be nice, mix blackcurrant syrup and sparkling water.

[Echotraveler]

how about...

Ginger ale virgin "MOJITO"

ive seen mojito done with sprite or perier....but without the alcohol factor, ginger ale may have that spice they lack...

remember REAL mojito doesn't use MINT it has "Yerba Buena"...many times confused, even in supermarket products...it pisses me off!

if you need detox, buy fresh cranberry, and make a juice, concentrate...youll get clean in no time

[Iulian Irimia]

hard to find when you're out, but if you could, pure 100% grape or carrot juice is renowned for curing even cancer never mind cleaning your system

[guate]

Seltzer / mineral water / club soda with topped with any kind of juice you like. I bartended and played around with this a lot. There are so many variations: mango nectar is very good. So is grape juice, like a very light adult grape soda. A squeeze of lime or lemon brightens many of them. Because it is just a splash of juice it is very healthy!

When my sister goes out and isn't drinking sometimes she asks for a "glass of water that looks like a gin and tonic." She just feels more festive that way! (In general bartenders have been pretty good-natured about this.)

[comestible]

So good to see this thread with so many good ideas I hadn't thought of. I have been used to drinking wine nightly, but I've discovered it bothers my stomach and keeps me from sleeping soundly. So, I'm not calling it quits with wine, just saving it for special occasions.

It's hard to be satisfied with anything else at meal time, but at the moment I'm drinking bottled kombucha from the health food store, and although some versions are too much like bottled soda, I find others refreshing, not cloying, and the sour notes and fizziness sort of remind me of my beloved alcoholic beverages. Too bad it's almost as expensive as wine. I guess I could learn to make my own, but I used to make beer, and if it's as complicated as that, forget it! :)

[KevinB]

This isn't a solution for the bar/restaurant, but at home, you might try slicing ginger into thin strips (I actually use a vegetable peeler), add some sugar or artificial sweetener, and a couple of cloves, and boil for about 10-15 minutes, until slightly reduced. Strain, bottle, and refrigerate, and then add a bit to ice water or sparkling water. It makes a nice change from diet soft drinks (I'm diabetic, so I drink too much diet Coke!).

[SonyBob]

Just ask for a glass of water. I sometimes have a drinking problem and it works for me just fine. Surprisingly, most responsible bartenders can pick up on it and really admire and appreciate your choice.
Bob

[MrsT]

Any drink can appear elegant when a restaurant/bar charges you $12 and puts it in a fancy glass. Drink what you like, be it juice, seltzer, club soda, ginger ale, milk....

Just be careful with your "detox". I once went on a detox (on a trainer's advice) and almost wound up with kidney failure. I personally don't trust any detox/cleansing without medical supervision. Good luck to you.

[MikeLM]

A fairly decent wagon-style drink is tonic water with lemon or lime and a couple squirts of bitters. I know, bitters is herb-infused brandy, but there's not enough alcohol in a couple dashes to risk an onset of the DT's (if that's your problem.) ;-)

[fara]

problem is that cheap bars don't have any of these things except cranberry, organge, club, and tonic. i think you're better off with a beer, the sugar in most of the above is worse than the complex carbs in a beer. order a guiness if you want to feel healthy.

[Linda VH]

My usual cocktail (when not drinking my wine lol!!) is Absolut with club soda and a wedge of lemon. When I'm not drinking and don't want to cause a big discussion with my friends (I meet people at a local place once a week) I just tell the bartender on the QT and then when I say "I'll have another" he just doesn't add the vodka. Interesting how everyone will way in when you're NOT drinking. I haven't had a drink for a week and a half and am looking forward to some wine tomorrow night. Had some surgery and the Dr. had me stop drinking any alcohol before and for a week after to aid healing.

[amandaqtpie]

Club soda or any Faygo/store-brand sparkling water with lemon slices or lime slices
Squirt, club soda (to cut the sweetness), and lemon slices or lemon juice, to taste
Ginger ale with something coconut-ty (I've only ever mixed it with Malibu if I'm not drinking it straight)
Club soda or ginger ale or Sprite and cranberry juice (if you're going for elegant, as you said, just ask for it in a flute)

[Jimbosox04]

Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee, even more addictive !!

[beevod]

I'd let my personal trainer do the detox while I drink Mojitos

[Karen_Schaffer]

There's an old-fashioned beverage called switchel, very refreshing. I've usually seen it with ginger, honey, and lemon juice, a ginger ale sort of effect, but I've seen variations involving vinegar, molasses, and other stuff.

[Kaisgraham]

I am also in detox. I love a 10oz. tall glass filled with ice, 2/3 pomegranate juice, 1/3 Pelllagrino. Add a squeeze of fresh lime. Very refreshing and the juice is good for you, too.

[Ike]

Speaking of iced tea, in some areas, a surprising number of restaurants (or bars with restaurants attached) brew their own iced tea.

At home, I brew my own iced tea virtually year-round. Boil half a gallon of water and throw about 4-6 teabags in (or the equivalent amount of loose tea in a tea ball or whatnot). I usually use a mixture of black, green, and fruity herbal tea like Celestial Seasonings Black Cherry Berry or Blueberry.

(Green tea shouldn't meet boiling water, so let the water cool off slightly before throwing in the green, if you use green.)

Yum.

More on this:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/304329
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/341392

[starlady]

Love Pom juice and ginger ale
An interesting Iced tea that i discovered a couple years ago is Earl Grey with Black Currant tea. V Yum. Love Green Tea hot or cold (or in ice cream format).
BLue berry juice is awesome but i usually cut it with water or Sprite.
Cucumber juice :)

[bebevonbernstein]

I'm off the sauce myself for 21 days, and just grated some ginger into a pellegrino (also squeezed in a lime). It makes the water cloudy (actually, it looks like a fish tank), but I have to say, it's really, really good and refreshing.

[scuzzo]

I like sliced ginger and a lemon wedge steeped in hot water. Honey if you want.

I also like diet tonic water. To me it tastes like a "drink".

I'll have to try bitters.

[soupkitten]

YAY! olympic gold medal goes to Bordeaux!

[personalcheffie]

Bitters and soda with a squeeze of lime. When your stomach needs fixin', just the straight bitters work wonders.

[amyvc]

I LOVE that the end of this story is that Rabbit fell off the wagon into a good Bordeaux! I once did South Beach diet Phase 1 (no alcohol or anything else goo) for 10 days and it felt like a lifetime - my first glass of wine could have been Barefoot and I would have been thrilled!

[marlie202]

depends where you are--see if you can get coconut water from the coconut--very good,delicious and good for your stomach..
I also agree sparkling water and juice is great

[mke2lax]

My favorite is mugicha. It is Japanese barley tea. Not sweet, no caffeine. Just nice and refreshing. You can pretend it is whiskey and water.
Many different types of grain-based teas at Japanese markets.

[orangewasabi]

After recovering from my fit of giggles, I realise I haven't been at all helpful.

Have we already run down the list of savoury waters?
- water with cucumber slices
- water with a dash of vinegar (the hardcore folk do this with Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar, but I just use red wine vinegar myself)
- muddled mint, lime and salt
- citron presse with salt (juice of one entire lemon in a half a litre of water, with a dash of maldon's -- I actually buy the fresh squeezed lemon juice at SLM to make this easier)

[starlady]

I love water with Cuke and a slice of lime, it just seems "fresher" somehow than just plain water :)

[KnittingShaker]

Plain or sparkling water with a piece of lemon and a piece of peeled ginger.

[John Manzo]

If a "trainer" makes any mention of "toxins" or "detoxifying," change "trainers." These are absurd pseudoscientific neologisms. Meritless concepts. Idiotic. Alcohol, in moderation, is nothing but beneficial and there is no such thing as a "toxin" as these snake oil salesmen who claim to be shamans would refer to. Lead is a "toxin." Dioxin is a "toxin." Trans-fats are, we now may argue, "toxins." You don't harbour "toxins" and if you do, stop eating lead paint and move away from the phenol refinery. Drink alcohol in moderation and fire the hack.

[Rabbit]

Point taken - and my trainer wasn't being idiotic. He merely suggested that I might see some better results if I focused on eating a little cleaner, including cutting back on the alcohol. It was my type-A Rabbit-ness that let me turn it all prohibition-style. Still, I do stand by the fact that I was perkier at training those mornings after Mr. Rabbit and I had not had a lovely bottle of Bordeaux avec dinner.

Still, the sad truth is that the Rabbit already fell off the wagon (blame Bordeaux!). But I appreciate everyone's suggestions, and it has been great to have some new and interesting options (bitters - who knew?).

[fara]

why don't you just cut out the hard stuff? less alcohol per volume with wine and beer, and you won't feel like you're in rehab.
also ounce per ounce of alcohol I don't think that beer and wine affect you (i.e. hangover) as much as hard liquor.

[tmso]

Wow, zombie thread. And John Manzo made the point about "detox" being pseudoscientific non-science based woo fake medicine that I wanted to. Good to hear that it wasn't actually the case.

A tip for the future: I can only speak for my body here, not yours (obviously), but if I'm in a hard bit of training or about to compete, I notice if I drink more than a glass of wine. *A* glass (well, somewhere between one and two, to be precise) has no noticeable detrimental effect on my sports performance, and certainly makes me happier.

Oh, and after the one glass? Unsweetened herbal teas/infusions for me. Brown rice, ginger, verbena, seaweed, tarragon, hibiscus, etc. Not all together, obviously. Then, after the competition or after I break through the plateau, I fall right back off the bandwagon and into Burgundy :-)

[melly]

LOL!

[rosielucchesini]

Sparkling water with a twist of lime or lemon.

[chef chicklet]

i like any bubble water with mint leaves, alot. Or diet cherry pepsi. oooh or a cuba libre sans the rum. and I wouldn't reject the pink lemonade too from Trader Joes either, sorry too lazy to go look at the label....

[drmimi]

Having been in recovery for over 20 years, I have found many wonderful things to drink. Haven't given up caffeine (so I love coffee, chocolate and tea-- latter two have theobromine which is similar to caffeine). Funny thing is that food seems to have more flavor to me without spirits-- YMMV.

There are so many sparkly water products that you can add a dash of cranberry or other tart juice too (pomegranate for example)

Water, propel, vitamin water, fruit juices--so many choices so little time:)

[jfood]

Neither of the Jfoods drink.

Mrs Jfood is a pure diet coker; jfood is water (at home out of the 6 gallon dispenser from poland springs; out i go with the pelligrino.

[soupkitten]

hate to say it but i've developed a taste for the whole foods sparkling water for drinking at home. i like the raspberry-lemon the best. cures hangovers too, so i hear.

[Amuse Bouches]

I'm currently in the same situation (not detoxing, just pregnant) and my standby is Pellegrino or Perrier or club soda with lime. At home, I really like the Trader Joe's pomegranate sparkler -- it has a little black currant juice, which adds some of the richness of wine. Plain black currant juice cut with a little apple juice is also good.

[soupkitten]

hey do you guys remember "Shirley Temples"? of course, technically, if you are male you order a "Roy Rogers", but the drinks are the same-- don't see them too much anymore, i guess even the kids are getting uber-sophisticated with their soft drinks. or are they just named after some new pre-teen star now?

[billjriv]

I remember both these made me and my brother feel special to be able to get these instead of just regular pop.

[Emme]

I thought a Roy Rogers was w/ Coke instead of 7-UP... Am I wrong?

[DanaB]

Yes. Both a Roy Rogers and a Shirley Temple are made with Seven Up or Ginger Ale.

http://www.epicurious.com/drinking/drink_views/views/200299

http://www.epicurious.com/drinking/dr...

[soupkitten]

that's what i thought too-- Dana B, thanks! although, Emme, there are so many regional variations of different drinks that your reply gave me pause--the drink known by the name of "Roy Rogers" MIGHT be made with cola somewhere, i'm sure!

[Emme]

I am happy to believe that in some places a Roy Rogers is also made like Shirley Temple for boys... If that's the case though, what's the name for the version made with Coke?

[amyvc]

Cherry Coke

[Caroline1]

Well, when my kids were little a looooong time ago, every time they ordered a Shirley Temple, it turned out to be a Coke with a maraschino cherry on top. That was in Las Vegas, San Diego, and El Paso. May not be what they got, but I paid for Shirley Temples!

[luv2bake]

My daughter ordered one within the past year, so at least some kids are still ordering them by those names!

[Panini Guy]

If someone told me I couldn't have wine with a good meal, I think I'd move to France and find a new trainer over there ;-)

Keep it simple like others have said. A sparkling water, a splash of bitters, a squeeze of lemon/lime. When it was my turn to be designated driver I used to occasionally do NA beers - Buckler wasn't too offensive. The domestics were usually swill.

[MaspethMaven]

Clausthaler is lovely, too.

[billjriv]

Cranberry juice is good.Hyssop and green tea.Miso soup.fruit and vegetable juices or smoothies with frozen bananas .Buttermilk .Theres green powders with algae and seaweed VERY good,I add them to juice to make them taste better along with pure psyllium fiber,not really tasty but very effective.Buy a good juicer like a Waring pro or something good if you don't already have one.I used to be alcoholic and almost died thats how I learned this stuff.

[jbyoga]

i love a pint glass of sparkling h2o/club soda - a dash of cola - 2 lime wedges.....yum..........looks like a long island iced tea......

[batdown]

HATE

[MaspethMaven]

Clever!

[septocaine_queen]

You could do a non-alc mojito. Mint muddled with sugar, fresh lime juice, and soda water. For giggles add some pom juice.

Rehab is for losers.

just kidding, no hate replies please

[Tee]

no, you missed the quote slightly - "rehab is for quitters"
I saw that sticker on a biker's helmet once and it fits my sense of humor just right.

[Gary Soup]

I think it's "rehab is for Mayors."

[MikeLM]

Umm... you're from San Francisco, right?

[Emme]

Second the rec for Pellegrino w/ lime and a pack of Splenda :)

I also like green tea with seltzer water.

[Pat Hammond]

My current favorite is Villa Italia blood orange soda (not sweet at all) mixed with plain seltzer, over ice. I drink a lot of water and this makes it interesting.

[Kajikit]

I'm not into fancy drinks or sodas... I always have an orange juice (and sometimes you're lucky and it's fresh-squeezed...)

[Uncle Ira]

I've always liked club soda with bitters.... Sometimes with a squeze of lime, too. It tastes great and looks as if you're having a "real" drink as well, if that maters.

Uncle Ira

[curiousbaker]

I had that for the first time this weekend and it was great! It's tasty and not sweet. Feels like having something more interesting than just water, but not a sugary soda.

[bachslunch]

Soda and bitters is a great upset stomach settler, too. When I asked a fellow restaurant worker for an Alka-Seltzer, he said to do this instead. Worked like a charm.

[chef chicklet]

And I like to drink soda with any fresh citrus, or even better, fresh mint. Pellegrino is my first choice though, I buy it by the case at Costco.

[lisaf]

Arnold Palmer, half iced tea half lemonade.

[batdown]

good call. i would feel weird drinking this in winter though.

i hate winter.

[goodhealthgourmet]

the arnold palmer is typically made with two drinks that have already been sweetened with sugar.

no sugar when detoxing.

[soupkitten]

lmfho also, orangewasbi

pointing out a wrinkle: i was a bartender 10 years, and it is a subtle annoyance for your mixologist to be asked to concoct a hugely labor-intensive non-alcoholic cocktail (talking virgin-marys & virgin strawberry margs here, not tonic& lime, cran/soda, or sour & lemon etc). stick to basics when at the club, unless you know & appreciate your bartender. most bars won't have diet tonic or diet sour or diet 7-up, some might not have ginger ale or the bartender might have to "make it from scratch" with bitters and 7-up. sparkling (or imported still) mineral water is considered a slightly more sophisticated nonalkie alternative, most bars have at least one option.

a non-nightclub bartender will have more time to lavish on you. Many have their own nonalkie "cocktails" to sip behind the bar-- mine was a mix of all the common bar juices: orange, cranberry, & pineapple, sometimes with a shot of soda or grenadine, shaken, tall glass. you can put a lime slice or a cherry if you want. or, add vodka-- just kidding!

if you are detoxing i would also see if you can stomach the bottled kombucha for sale in natural foods type grocery stores. the mango and guava are the least upsetting flavors, but the results feel healthy! drink these at home, not when going out!

have fun on the wagon, it can still be fun if you like to go out, or so i hear!

[goodhealthgourmet]

kitten, i just noticed that this post is a year old so i have no idea if you'll read this, but have you really found kombucha to upset your stomach? if anything, it settles mine. try the gingerberry flavor if you can find it. ginger's good for calming the digestive tract.

[Miss Needle]

I've found that kombucha doesn't agree with everyone. It's fermented, and there are some people who are really sensitive to fermented foods, especially if they're dealing with candida issues. Instead of it helping them, they get incredibly gassy.

My parents made me drink that stuff as a teenager. I used to call it my "magic mushroom" drink.

[goodhealthgourmet]

i guess i'm just accustomed to the probiotics.

your magic mushroom comment brings to mind an interesting recent LA Times article about GT Dave and the story behind his company...

http://www.latimes.com/features/magaz...

[LStaff]

I'll have a Sprite please.

Is Sierra Mist ok sir?

No it is not, I'll just have water.

[normalheightsfoodie]

How about anything that does not contain alcohol, I am sure you have experience or have heard of such drinks, this sort of question begs a further question, should you be looking at rehab?

[orangewasabi]

ohhh man, you just made me bust out in laughter at my desk.

[MaspethMaven]

if I am to take you seriously, then I think what the OP has in mind is something interesting. Plain seltzer, plain water, plain soda gets old fast.

As a newly not pregnant person, I can totally hear you in your quest. I couldn't have alcohol, of course, but I also couldn't have caffeine or any "diet" drinks. So I drank a lot of ginger ale with bitters, and seltzer with bitters.

[Candy]

Of course bitters do have a small amount of alcohol. Angostura bitters are 45% alcohol by volume and Peychaud's are 35%. American's have gone totally overboard on no alcohol and the new prohibition. Europeans are much brighter and sensible about this stuff. We explored the bitters business ages ago when a friend had to go on Lithium treatment.

[Gary Soup]

We know a little bit about bitters in San Francisco; we're the biggest per-capita consumers of Fernet-Branca in the world and second in total consumption only to the whole country of Argentina.

http://www.sfweekly.com/2005-12-07/ne...

[MaspethMaven]

Let's also remember that extracts have around 35%, lest anyone want to experiment with vanilla, almond, lemon, et cetera...

[melly]

What? My trainer had me stop drinking while I was training. Geez. Alcohol contains calories.

There are manykinds of detox...not all of them involve getting tremors or seeing bugs.

[IndyGirl]

My trainer also did this. It was amazing how fast I lost weight without my daily glass of wine (well, and running for an hour a day also helped...0

[Gary Soup]

I once was on the wagon... drank a lot of Schweppes Bitter Lemon (on the rocks, with a twist of lime).

[JudiAU]

Bitter lemon is a great choice if you can find it. (Of course it is even better with gin...)

Sparkling water
Fresh fruit juice, sparkling water, and bitters

[eamcd]

I second the cranberry and seltzer -- but i didn't know it had a name! I add a little lime juice too.

[shanagain]

My husband likes to choose tonic and lime or tonic & Rose's lime when he's (usually) the sole non-drinker out at business dinners. Tonic does have sugar, but you can occasionally find diet tonic, or go with club soda.

[NYchowcook]

unfortunately tonic has HFCS, and not sugar. Sure was bummed to read the labels at the beginning of last summer to realize that gin & tonics were off my summer drink list! I complained to Schwepps too.

[goodhealthgourmet]

when doing a detox, the last thing you want to put in your body is artificial sweeteners! skip the tonic altogether. club soda or seltzer & a splash of your favorite juice - cranberry, lemon, lime...take your pick.

[shanagain]

I was going through old posts tonight and noticed this one and even tho this is months old I had to reply: this definitely depends on what kind of detox. The OP clearly stated this was a no-alcohol detox, not a master cleanse, or whatnot.

[LulusMom]

When I'm in that mode (rarely), I usually go with a virgin Rose Kennedy - seltzer water with a little cranberry juice. Not very sweet, just a hint of flavor, and looks nice enough in a wine glass.

[amandaqtpie]

The irony of the drink name and its namesake and your description...
Poor Rose.