Drinks for the Designated Driver

You brake for cocktails. Your friends order drinks, and you sit there nursing your exclusion from the fun. But these days, there's no reason to feel glum. You're certainly not alone in watching what you drink---the bartender who serves you and the passengers in your car all appreciate your awareness of the hazards of driving under the influence. And fortunately, the alternatives to alcohol are no longer as dull as club soda. Restaurants and bars are offering a more appealing selection of nonalcoholic drinks to the driver who chooses to have none for the road. A few years ago, the only recourse for a guy with his car keys splayed on a cocktail napkin was to curse Shirley Temple or to fidget while his tablemates savored the serendipitous encounters of sour and sweet in a rocks glass. The new options deliver a kick, and they remove the hardship from responsible drinking.

Remember, there's no law that says liquorless drinks must be tame. Coffee, soft drinks and water will get you through in a pinch, but they won't slake your taste for adult drinks---drinks that look and taste like real cocktails. You do, after all, deserve to enjoy yourself: You're exercising self-discipline and (continued on page 169)Designated Driver(continued from page 109) good judgment, not punishing yourself. Fortunately, the options are multiplying, and they're widely available.

Many alcohol-free beers provide the hoppy, bitter flavor of brew without the buzz. (For a complete overview of nonalcoholic beers, see Michael Jackson's guide on page 170.) California-brewed Firestone is so popular in Los Angeles that it outsells the 15 bottled beers available at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant/brewery. Eureka, Warteck, a Swiss import, is the favorite counterfeit of teetotalers at Manhattan's 21 Club.

Popular wines without alcohol include the white, red, cabernet and zinfandel under the Ariel label from San Jose's J. Lohr Winery; Paul Masson's St. Regis line; and Germany's Carl Jung varietals. These facsimiles, which are vinted as usual and then removed of alcohol, surpass ordinary grape juices and ciders in that they mimic the experience of drinking authentic wines: the extraction of the cork, the aroma, the grapy hues and that silky splash against the wineglass.

Until recently, one of the drawbacks to drinking responsibly was the absence of the trappings of drink---a ginger ale in a short glass offers none of the visceral and tactile pleasures of the old lick-of-salt, chug-of-tequila, bite-of-lime ritual. Most bartenders will serve proof-free drinks in more traditional surroundings: a virgin daiquiri in a bubble glass, a pseudo pilsner in a beer mug, a fizzy carbonated cider poured into a champagne flute.

Another shortcoming of zero-proof drinks has been the cloyingly sweet taste, a result of the substitution of fruit juices for liqueurs in most recipes. Bitter drinks are preferable because they are too tart to drink quickly, and the flavor stimulates the taste buds, setting the palate for food. Bartenders compensate by spiking juices and mixers with a dash of aromatic bitters. While such brands of bitters as the front-running Angostura contain 45 percent alcohol, a dollop in a large drink sharpens the taste without impairing the senses; in this context, the dash of alcohol is diluted to less than half of one percent, a ratio that is considered by law nonalcoholic.

Many restaurants and watering holes offer designated-driver (or DD) programs, which include free nonalcoholic beverages and a button or bracelet for the abstaining member of a car pool. At restaurant/saloons such as Sage's in Chicago, DDs are offered free drinks and certificates that can be redeemed for drinks when they're not driving. "When we started the program a few years ago," say the owners, "people ordered a water on the rocks because they didn't want to admit they weren't drinking. But today, not only do people feel comfortable drinking a nonalcoholic drink in a bar, it's a badge of honor to be a nondrinker. At lunch, we may be the iced-tea kings of the world."

Even in establishments that do not sponsor an official DD program, more motorists are choosing not to drink. In Los Angeles, where taxis are scarce, drinking responsibly or not at all is a practical matter. "More and more people are telling me, 'No thanks, I'm the designated driver tonight,"' says Spago bartender Rob Thurman. "A popular drink is cranberry juice mixed with soda, Pellegrino or orange juice." Also in demand are virgin daiquiris, strawberry margaritas and piña coladas, and bloody marys without the vodka.

In Manhattan, says 21 Club bartender Will Higgins, "it's not fashionable anymore to be seen bellying up to the bar for four or five hours." He receives requests for mineral waters, freshly squeezed juices and virgin versions of blender drinks. Tangy-flavored spirits are another good choice for the designated driver: A single drink can be savored. "Campari is a very nice aperitif if you don't feel like drinking too much," Higgins says. "Or you can sip on a glass of dry sherry."

Bartenders, of course, know all about drinking in a bar while remaining sober. What do they pour for themselves while they pull ten-hour shifts in saloons?

At Sage's, the drink of choice behind the bar is orange juice with a shot of soda. Says proprietor Gene Sage. "It's what used to be called a B-girl cocktail."

At Spago, the staff nurses a nonalcoholic concoction called the Alligator. A satisfying mixture of lime juice, cassis, soda and Seven-Up, the Alligator has been a house secret for nine years. Now you can mix it yourself, as well as the other drinks that follow.

The Spago Alligator

1/4 shot cassis

1/2 shot lime juice

4 ozs. club soda

4 ozs. Seven-Up

Pour ingredients over ice in tall glass.

The 21 Club Virgin Mary

5 ozs. Sacramento tomato juice

2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

2 dashes celery salt

Fresh pepper

Fresh lime wedge

Mix first two ingredients. Shake well. Pour over ice in stemmed glass and garnish with last three ingredients.

The 21 Club Virgin Strawberry

1 oz. lemon juice

1 oz. fresh-squeezed orange juice

Small dish strawberries

Sugar, to taste

Dash grenadine

Blend all ingredients and serve in stemmed glass.

Clam and Tomato Juice

3 ozs. tomato juice

3 ozs. clam juice

Dash celery salt

Dash Tabasco

Lemon wedge

Pour first four ingredients into drink mixer. Add ice cubes and shake well. Strain into glass and add lemon wedge.

Sage's Watermelon Cooler

1/2 cup watermelon chunks

1/2 oz. pineapple juice

1 oz. orange juice

Fruit garnish

Blend first three ingredients with ice. Pour into tall glass. Garnish with fruit.

Iced Coffee Angostura

2 teaspoons superfine granulated sugar

3--4 dashes Angostura

2 ozs. light cream

4 ozs. espresso or double-strength hot black coffee

Pour sugar and bitters into tall glass. Fill glass to top with ice. Add cream and coffee and stir thoroughly.

The Charger

6 ozs. cold club soda

2 dashes bitters

Lime, lemon or orange twist

Fill tumbler with club soda. Add bitters and mix until water turns very light pink. Add citrus twist as garnish.

The Caribbean Cranberry

6 ozs. cranberry-juice cocktail

2 ozs. pineapple juice

2 dashes bitters

Pour over ice in tall glass and stir.

Ray Foley, publisher of Bartender magazine, offers these alternative cocktails:

Dust Cutter

3/4 oz. Rose's lime juice

6 ozs. tonic water

Serve over ice in tall glass.

Tropical Breeze

1 oz. Rose's lime juice

3 ozs. cranberry juice

3 ozs. club soda or seltzer

Pour all ingredients into tall glass and stir.

With these beverages, be prepared to overhear someone ask the cocktail waitress. "That drink he's having---can you make one with the alcohol?"