“Eating is cheating.” Studying abroad in Australia, I heard that a lot.
“We drink beer here,” Sayd, my stereotypically Aussie friend, explained. “That takes up a lot of room in your belly. If you start the night with a stomach full of food, there’s no room for what matters–more beer.”
Few Georgetown students would disagree. Besides, you can always eat afterwards. That’s why there’s a kabob shop on every block in Australia and, here, a line wrapped around the corner at Philly pizza at 3 a.m. every Saturday. The mindset is clear: if it’s before midnight, why not just drink your dinner?
A fun way to start the evening is eating your pregaming session. Turning a milkshake into an Irish Twist is easy: just add Bailey’s, even to a shake ordered from Wingos. If you have a blender, make a Banana Split, a tasty drink concocted from Irish Cream, Crème de Banana liquor, milk and ice. It’ll fill you up —and get you buzzed.
Last week, I found Piña Colada and Margarita Jell-O. While everyone knows about Jell-O shots (and their harsh cheap-liquor bite), I found success replacing the cold water in the recipe with André or another cheap sparkling wine. It tasted great and had a fun bubbly texture. I cubed and served it with whipped cream and fruit salad for a summery parfait.
Fruity Sangria is a way to upgrade boxed red wine, get some vitamin C, and make good use of all that fruit you steal from the cafeteria. Cut up a few oranges, apples and grapes or strawberries and let them soak in the wine overnight. The wine soaks into the fruit as the fruit releases its juices into the wine. With a little sugar, the cheapest chillable red “wine” tastes like something even your parents would drink. As a special treat, throw in some fruity Town or Wagner’s brand liquor. Any fruity flavor, from black current to apricot, will do.
If you ever feel guilty drinking your dinner, just remember that you’re in college; do it now when it is not only socially acceptable, but suggested. After college, it’s just called alcoholism.
