Water, Water Everywhere
But when it comes to drinking out, the choice is still remarkably narrow. Granted, we have come a long way, baby, from the Fawlty Towers days of a stiff G & T and a sweet sherry for the lady to accompany our dinner of choice, but have we really come far enough? Visit a place to eat anywhere and you'll most likely find a drinks list composed of globally-sourced wines, a few beers and liqueurs – leaving one market unfairly ignored, the non-drinker.
Would it be fair to say that these days we are drinking less alcohol than ever when we eat out? There are plenty of obstacles in the way of a couple of glasses of wine: increasingly stringent drink-drive laws, government guidelines on 'safe' alcohol limits, advice on drinking while on medication or when pregnant and those who choose not to drink at all. And yet who can point out the restaurant or pub that caters for this expanding demographic of our society? It seems non-drinkers are faced with an array of soft drinks (which can never be said to complement food of any kind other than breakfast) or water -- and that's your lot.
On behalf of all non-drinkers out there, we'd like to make a plea for a more varied alcohol-free list. Believe it or not, palatable non-alcoholic wines are out there as are – gasp – non-alcoholic spirit substitutes; all we have to do is ask for them. They're naturally cheaper than their fermented cousins, they're mostly screw-top so keeping quality is maintained and – most importantly – the tee-totallers amongst us might not feel so dispirited when faced with the choice of yet another orange juice, fizzy drink or sparkling water.
What do you think? Are you a non-drinker that struggles with a surfeit of Diet Coke in the pub? Do you long for something marginally more exciting than tap water to accompany your expensive meal out? Or is there a restaurant or pub near you that actually caters to the non-drinking public – and is the stuff drinkable?