the healthy holiday drinking guide
DESCRIPTION
Whether you're a social drinker, a celebratory sipper, or just need a stiff one to get you through the holidays (without being stiff yourself!), then we've got the spiked spirit for you. If you're a non-drinker, a minor (or just don't have fake I.D), don't fret, we have a sweet spirit for you, too! Raise a glass and celebrate life - and do it well.TRANSCRIPT
Content, product testing and layout by
Borden Communications + Design
Whether you're a social drinker, a celebratory sipper, or just need a stiff one
to get you through the holidays, then we've got the spiked spirit for you.
If you're a non-drinker or a minor, don't fret, we have a sweet spirit for you, too!
Raise a glass and celebrate life - and do it well.
No Mwa Mwa. How about forgoing those
handshakes and social kisses for a good ol' fist
bump? Against what you might believe, a scientific
study actually showed that people who greet each
other with handshakes are much more likely to pass
on flus, colds and stomach bugs, than cheek kissing
each other. It makes sense when you think about it,
plus you have no idea what someone has been
touching before you greet them. I guess this isn't
perfectly adaptable advice for a work event, but for
your social circle, it could be a good option!
Sharing is Caring? Not for everything. While
sharing is one of those first “kind” lessons we learn
as kids, there are exceptions. It goes without saying
that there should be no sharing of eating utensils,
drinking glasses, towels or other personal care
items. Community food is, um, gross. Dishes of
snacks that people reach into for a nibble are germ-
ier than you can imagine (don't ask for more
details). When serving guests, put utensils with
each dish so people can spoon out or fork over the
food instead of reaching their hands in. And
certainly, no double dipping!
What's a flu-fearing, germ-wary, anxiety-ridden person
supposed to do during the holiday (read: flu) season?
Party it up in style and in good health.
Add the following to your holiday list to stay healthy and happy,
then, you’ll be able to knock a few back with your friends and family
rather than getting knocked off your feet!
Avoid M.C.I.S. You can prevent M.C.I.S. - Mistaken
Cup Identity Syndrome (you know, when someone
takes a cup and puts it down next to another, and
then both people have to get new cups or
inadvertently drink from each others??). If you are
using disposables - buy cups made from better
materials (labeled “compostable” or "100% recycled
content" etc...). Have everyone mark their cup with
a marker (get creative!). You can also use window
markers to write on your glassware (it will come off
in the wash, but not on your guests' hands), or
better yet, a different accent coloured glass straw in
everyone's drinks serving double duty as
identification and eliminating those plastic straws
or stir sticks.
Wash your hands CLEAN. The 3 crucial components
to a good hand washing: warm water, soap, and
friction (nothing beats this!). It decreases your
likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth
or other people. Wet your hands with warm water,
lather well by rubbing hands together (be sure to
cover all surfaces and in between fingers) while you
sing the ABC's (in your head if you are tone deaf like
me), or feel free to choose your favourite song. Rinse
thoroughly and dry well. A cloth hand towel is the
eco-friendly choice, but we're going for health-
friendly at holiday parties, so recycled paper towels
will do the trick (unless you have lots of cloth
napkins and lots of laundry). Wash your hands
before eating, before AND after going to the
bathroom (your hands should be clean before you
handle!), after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your
nose, before preparing food and after handling any
raw meat/poultry/egg, and certainly a good wash is
called for as soon as you come home.
Be Anti-Anti-Bacterial. Firstly, many sicknesses are
viral, not bacterial, so plain, old soap and water will
get you just as clean as any anti-bacterial product
(see above). Our culture is germ obsessed and our
obsession has encouraged the flood of products on
store shelves with anti-bacterial or anti-microbial
claims. It's always best to wash your hands clean in
a sink, but especially when on the go, with kids, or
party hopping, keep something on hand (pun
intended) that will clean and sanitize safely-
without triclosan or other nasty chemicals.
Take cover. Stay home when you are sick. It's the
right thing to do for everyone, including you,
because when your immunity is low you can pick
up other germs more easily…yuck. Steep some tea,
pour a bowl of soup, crank up the vitamins and rest,
allowing your body to heal. Don't let stress
undermine a quick recovery and try and enjoy your
forced time out. If you are hosting and someone in
your home has a bad cold or the flu, cancel. Even if
you confine a sick child to their room for the party,
it doesn't confine the germs around your home
from earlier in the day. Yes, it's a disappointment,
but your guests will be much more upset if they
catch something and have to spend the rest of their
holidays in bed.
Take cover, some more. Cover your mouth when
you sneeze (with your arm, not your hand), and
avoid anyone who doesn't (teach your kids!).
Drink and be merry. Staying hydrated is one of the
best things you can do for yourself. Always. The
suggestions in the Borden Communications Holiday
Drinking Guide should help you take care of this
one with ease!
This holiday season,
we hope that you are able to share great times
with your friends, colleagues and families
without sharing your germs.
Raise a glass to toast good cheer and good health!
Happy Holidays!
Whether it's stored baby fat or you're growing a belly to keep warm over the holidays, we aren't judging... we promise! Chug Away!
Artisanal BeerBeau’s All Natural Brewing Company believes quality comes
from using the best ingredients - local spring water and 100%
certified organic malt and hops. There are 600ml of tasty beer
in each custom moulded glass bottle. Share (or don’t!).
Beau's Beer at www.beaus.ca
Straight from the RootThe best part of what’s in this glass bottle? This super tasty
craft soda has no calories and no nasties! These non-
alcoholic bottles of root beer will make everyone happy.
Great tasting on it’s own, or as a float.
Birdie and Bill’s Root Beer at www.birdieandbills.com
Reform Yourself
Upcycled from actual beer bottles by being heated and then
reformed, each one of these glasses is a true original.
The artists making these in Ontario have been dedicated
to glass blowing for over 25 years.
Organic Beer Glass at www.artechstudios.ca
What a SteelPut down the plastic and pick up a pint. Steel that is. This
16oz durable, dishwasher safe, stainless steel cup won’t fill
your garbage can or landfill like that all too common red cup.
Cheers, to the beginning of the end of the single-use plastics.
Steel Pint Cup at www.kleankanteen.com
No, we're not talking about your behavior at your family events!
Anti-Snob WineConnect with friends (and the environment) over a bottle of
carefully blended VQA wine made with organically grown
grapes that is also certified biodynamic. Bonus: bottles are
made from glass from the Ontario Bag-it-Back program.
Connect Red at www.southbrook.com
Perfect PuntsWine Punts collects bottles from local restaurants in their
community and gives them a beautiful new life. These artful
drinking glasses are handmade from the old wine bottles so
you can feel good about doing good with every sip you take.
Wine Punts at www.winepunts.com
It’s in the Skins
Throw in a scoop of Bioflavia’s organic red wine grape seed
powder (no, not alcoholic!) into your smoothies. This
superfood booster gives you a high dose of vitamins and
antioxidants. Bonus that they’re grown in Canada!
Bioflavia at www.southbrook.com
Un-wineThe grapes used to make this Red Grape Juice are organic,
and biodynamically grown in Niagara Ontario. This gives
it a distinctive taste that you just won’t find
anywhere else. 100% juice. 0% alcohol.
Organic Red Grape Juice at www.filsingersorganic.com
A boost to help you stay healthy and keep up with your happy, cheery celebrations!
Ohhh-Mega
Hydrate and nourish your body and soul with this beautiful
and delicious bev that has chia seeds suspended in fruit juices.
Each glass bottle is packed with heart and brain healthy omega
3’s, and they’re all certified organic, and gmo-free too!
Mamma Chia at www.mammachia.com
Tea-licious
Kombucha, an effervescent fermented tea-based beverage,
tastes a bit like soda pop and might even remind you of beer
(except it’s sold in grocery stores). There are many flavours,
but all have a long list of anecdotal health benefits.
Tonica Kombucha at www.tonicakombucha.com
Smooth Shrooms
This mushroom hot chocolate shot is smooth, creamy, anti-
ageing and stress relieving. XOCO Blue contains log grown red
Reishi mushroom extract, cacao powder, and herbs and spices
for a warm, healthy dessert superfood beverage.
Four Sigma at www.rawelements.ca
As Green as it Gets
Wheatgrass is packed with antioxidants and is immediately
absorbed into the bloodstream giving you an instant boost of
energy. If you’re not buying fresh and juicing it yourself, not
to worry, you can buy it in frozen cubes or powder format too.
Organic Wheat Grass at www.evergreenjuices.com
Chat your way through everything with grand finesse!
Blend 'n Snap You may not realize that you need this appliance, but
it’s life changing (seriously). Fully automatic (once you
add ingredients, of course) making smooth drinks, plus
hot soups and cool ice cream in just seconds.
Blendtec at www.blendtec.com
Smoothe as SakeIs it a wine? Is it a spirit? This fermented organic sake
deserves it’s own category. Its body and flavour goes down
smooth and is unparalleled by any other beverage experience.
Drink it straight or mix it up into a tasty cocktail.
Organic Junmai Ginjo Craft Sake at www.sakeone.com
Smooth Sipping Daedra’s handmade glass straws look fabulous, come with a
lifetime guarantee and will keep you from putting toxic
plastic in your mouth and drink. As a bonus, everything
goes down smoother (and tastes better) with a straw.
Strawesome Glass Straw at www.strawesome.com
Create your OwnIf egg nog isn't for you (and we really can't blame you) or you
are trying to lighten up (calories or packaging) then throw
your fave fruits, some ice and any liquid (almond milk,
coconut water, juice, etc...) and blend it up.
It just doesn't get any smoother!
Get deeply steeped before you get deeply engaged in holiday activities!
A Clean Steep
Make the perfect cup of tea without bleached tea bags,
strings and staples. Your loose leaf has a cover to keep the
goodness in, then flips off and over to be a coaster,
so you can reuse your leaves for another cup.
NewLeaf Glass Tea Mug at www.forlifedesign.com
The Bee's Knees
Manuka Honey has clinically proven anti-bacterial and
anti-inflamatory properties, plus it’ll naturally sweeten
your tea. Good for everyday use, but make sure you
use extra of this raw honey to fight flus and a sore throat.
Wedderspoon Manuka Honey at www.wedderspoon.ca
Better Bags
You can’t always steep a pot of loose leaf when you’re on the
go, but you can always carry with you some bags filled with
hand picked organic and fair trade teas and herbs. Numi’s are
blended with real fruits, flowers, and spices - nothing else.
Numi Organic Tea at www.numitea.com
Hanging Loose
Why cramp tea leaves into a potentially toxic little bag when
you can let whole tea leaves (with their oils in tact and
not crushed) float around and result in a delightful and
tasteful cup of tea full of antioxidants to enjoy?
Level Ground Teas at www.levelground.com
Too hot to handle? Not you! Housewarmings or Body Warming, but not Global Warming.
Green Beans
Good on our tastebuds, and on our planet too. Made with
certified organic Arabica beans, this fair-trade coffee is
roasted to perfection in Toronto. If you’re a double/double
kind of person, this stuff might make you go black.
Roasted Coffee at www.23degreesroastery.com
Keep it on the inside
It keeps your hot drinks toasty for 6 hours (and cold drinks
frosty for up to 24 hours) - and with its leakproof lid, you can
make a beverage to go & throw it in your bag. Great for
taking hot drinks to the ski mountain or ice rink.
Insulated Kanteen at www.kleankanteen.com
Let it Mellow
Tastes like marshmallow, but thankfully is not anything like
those conventional ones (do you know what's in those?!
total yuck). Stir a spoonful of this white fluffiness right
into your hot chocolate or scoop a dollop on top.
Ricemellow Creme at www.suzannes-specialties.com
Chocolate Hottie
Fair trade, organic, pure and unrefined, plus made by the
most incredible, socially responsible company we know, these
chocolate “pucks” melt into your cup, satisfy all of your coco
cravings and will put an smile on everyone’s face.
Drinking Chocolate at www.chocosoltraders.com
Drink a lot if water. Every single day. It’ll help you look younger and feel younger. Cheers to that.
Simply Charcoal
Kishu Charcoal sticks are the new, old way to filter tap water!
The charcoal takes away all the bad stuff in water, but knows
to leave the good stuff in. Fully compostable and reusable,
you can even place it in the fridge to wick away odours.
Kishu at www.kishucharcoal.com
Pure as Water
With its natural, innovative design and a resolutely
green approach, this water filtration unit's technology
is truly inspired by nature. It also happens to be exquisite
to look at. Why try to improve perfection?
Aqua Ovo at www.aquaovo.com
Lump o' Coal
This year, you'll only get a lump of coal if you’re really, really
good! Fill this handmade glass water bottle with tap water,
and the White Coal (black in colour) will absorb chlorine,
improve the taste, and add minerals for pure hydration.
Sort of Coal at www.sortofcoal.com
On the Rocks
You don’t want to worry about BPA and other plastic chems
becoming part of your ice cubes, right? These trays made
from high quality stainless steel will keep you and your
family safe, plus your drinks icy cold too.
Stainless Ice Cube Tray at www.fenigo.com
Stay hydrated, it's one of the best thingsyou can do for your body (hair, skin, and nails too!)
Drink your Produce
The water from fruits and veggies is one of the most nutrient
dense liquids nature has provided us. But don’t buy juice filled
with added sugars and preservatives, make your own (with
organic produce of course) so you know exactly what’s in it.
And drink right away for ultimate quality and freshness!
Power Powder
This highly concentrated dry formula contains the juices from
fresh organic coconuts that you add to your good local water
source. Bring this with you anywhere, anytime, to get instant
on-demand electrolytes and a natural energy boost.
Coconut Powder at www.navitasnaturals.com
Micro Greens
Super greens, brightly coloured fruits & vegetables,
phytonutrients, and a potent blend of digestive plant based
enzymes, with no artificial anything. Mix with water, coconut
water, or juice and you'll get a super-hydrator beverage.
BIOCORE Food Science at www.biocorefood.com
Coo Coo for Coco(nut) Rehydrate and replenish with nature’s sport drink and
best electrolyte. With more potassium than a banana,
low acidity, no fat, no sugar added and no cholesterol,
you should be chugging lots of this water....often.
Coconut Water at www.purebodybeverages.com