GREAT PRETENDERS MOCKTAIL MIX-OFF

On Monday, Nov. 13^th AAA Oklahoma held its annual GREAT PRETENDERS MOCKTAIL MIX-OFF at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tulsa.

Local bartenders competed to produce original, festive recipes for zero-proof beverages, which were then judged by a panel of 5 local celebrity Judges in four categories:  The winning bartenders took home prize money totaling $2,000!

It’s a fun way to focus on a serious problem: drinking and driving.

AAA wants to reduce the number of alcohol-related crashes (and deaths) during the holidays.   

In Oklahoma, some 35% of motor vehicle crashes are alcohol-related. That jumps to 40% during the holidays.  As a result, AAA Oklahoma offers the following:

Tips for party givers:

A – Alcohol Alertness

•             Ask each group of guests to pre-plan for a designated driver who will enjoy the delicious non-alcoholic drinks you provide and drive the group home.

•             Collect all drivers’ keys in a bowl when guests arrive.

•             Mix drinks yourself; avoid open bars.

•             Limit mixing drinks with carbonated beverages; they increase alcohol absorption.

•             Close your bar 90 minutes before your party is over. Don’t offer, “one for the road.”

B – Buffet

•             Serve high-protein foods (meats & cheeses). Cheese fondues and cheese balls are good, too. They stay in the stomach longer and slow down intoxication. The same goes for starchy foods like mashed potatoes and beans.

•             Go light on salty foods. They make guests thirsty and speed up intoxication. Offer raw veggies and low-salt crackers.

C – Carpool

•             Only TIME can make guests sober – not coffee or cold showers. It takes about 1 hour to burn off an average drink, 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer or 1 ½ ounces of liquor. They all contain about the same amount of alcohol.

•             Designate someone who’s not drinking to assess guests when they are ready to leave and make sure they are not intoxicated. The ‘roadwise’ host is in charge of the bowl of keys and hands them out only to those who aren’t showing signs of intoxication.

•             Guests who are sleepy, giddy, overly talkative or uncoordinated are under the influence. Arrange rides for them or invite them to sleep over. If guests get irate, ‘hide’ their keys until they find a ride home.

•             The first ability affected by alcohol is judgment and decision-making. For some people, it only takes one drink for reflexes and judgment needed for driving to be impaired. It’s not a weakness. It’s a reality.

•             If a guest would be unsafe behind the wheel, call a cab, uber or AAA Tipsy Tow (11/22 – 27 and 12/15 – 1/2).

REMEMBER:  A host who feels like he has lost a friend one night will have an even better friend the next morning.

Together with AAA, the ABLE Commission, Stop DUI and The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa (sponsors of the Mocktails Mix-Off 2017) the message of responsible holiday partying gets a much needed boost.