My dear husband makes the most incredible cocktails. And it’s a frequent practice in our house to mix one up – just one – each evening. Before Leo arrived, it was common practice for us to sip and stretch, and then set to making dinner together. I would be lying if I said that one of the only travesties of pregnancy and post-partum was a significantly less frequent enjoyment of this sweet, simple ritual of unwind.
But, there was a silver lining in this too.
Because while I’ve been imbibing less these past 18 months, I’ve been watching, experiencing and understanding more about the impact that alcohol has on my body, and on my individual constitution. And to make smart decisions about what, how, when…and even why to drink. Even now that I’m able to enjoy what I wish to drink, almost any time I wish, I find myself choosing NA cocktails or lower ABV beverages, like this Reverse Martini which has become a favorite.
Of all the substances out there, alcohol is one of those almost always dubbed as “bad,” and while Ayurveda doesn’t contest that alcohol is “good,” it does present a different way of looking at alcohol, and managing our relationship with it.
Ayurveda reminds us that all substances can be both medicine and toxin, and that the conditions under which they’re enjoyed or used is the determining factor. Which is to say that there are some circumstances where a cocktail, glass of wine or a beer might *actually* be just what the doctor ordered. In the classic texts, Ayurvedic doctors refer to the ability of alcohol to “rapidly reach the heart and mind, thus having a direct effect on the qualities” or doshas, the metabolic principles Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. This is to say that, depending on our temperament or constitution, physiology, or doshic state when we consume. alcohol will tend to reinforce the state in which we find ourselves. (Which is to say that a drink has the power to make us both happier, or more sad, and the like.) Perhaps for this reason, Ayurvedic texts suggest that “the misuse of alcohol will create fear, grief, anger, disease, and death.” But there’s a big difference between misuse and any use at all. In fact, the occasional enjoyment of alcohol can actually be that medicine.
Alcohol in general is drying and heating for the body, and Caraka Samhita (one of the foundational texts of Ayurvedic medicine) reminds us that consuming excessive heat and drying qualities shrivel up ojas – or vitality – effectively sponging up the juiciness in our lives. But this dryness and warmth can also be beneficial for the body and being. Winter months are the time of year that Ayurveda recommends alcohol. One drink, a couple of times a week – but not more – is recommended for keeping the body warm, and to benefit from the therapeutic benefits of alcohol’s drying properties. If the beverage you’re enjoying is fermented, you’ll doubly benefit from the healthy bacteria, and the bitterness in most alcoholic beverages acts as a natural digestif.
Curious to know how to manage alcohol consumption with your specific dosha? I write more about the Ayurvedic approach to alcohol here!
When does consuming alcohol become *healthy?*
When we create a positive relationship with this substance, learn when to enjoy it, and when to avoid it, rather than labeling it as “bad,” and shunning it’s consumption all together.
How does Ayurveda recommend we decide when to drink, and when not to? Observe the qualities in your own body and being. Alcohol will best compliment, rather than detract, from well-being when you’re feeling balanced, without excess heat or dryness in the body, and when your in a mode of upbeat celebrating. When your feeling overwhelmed, under-rested, angry, frustrated, anxious or sad are not the times to sip yourself into an altered state, from an Ayurvedic point of view.
I love this Reverse Martini because it’s a lower ABV way of enjoying a cocktail, and it’s particularly refreshing and bright. It’s simple to prepare and doesn’t require much pomp or circumstance, but because of it’s extreme simplicity, it’s all the more important that you choose a high-quality dry vermouth and a great gin. I love using Dolin dry vermouth here (remember to keep the bottle in the fridge and consume within a few months of opening!) and Monkey 47 Gin here – floral and fresh.
I hope this clean little cocktail serves to help you welcome the clean slate of your new year!
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