Twinkle's Kitchen | Happy Hour basics

INDIANAPOLIS - Since many of us are ready for a little relaxation when Friday rolls around, heading out to happy hour with your co-workers and maybe even your boss can sound like a great idea.

It is a good time to socialize, get to know your coworkers or impress the boss with your great ideas.

But afterwork drinks may not be the best place to try and make yourself shine. Tread lightly and carefully into the realm of “Cocktail Hour” when your job is concerned.

First off, consider your drink. Mimicking the boss drink for drink may show admiration on your part, but might get you up the creek without a paddle, and possibly without a way home besides a cab.

Try something tasty, but one with less alcohol content. If you aren’t in the mood to worry about becoming “that guy” or “that girl,” there are a few low alcohol drinks you can try.

Recipe at bottom

Secondly, you can follow these tips to stay on the good side of your friends, co-workers and most importantly perhaps, your boss. You don’t want to come to work on Monday to hushed talk around the water cooler.

Tips for not being “That Guy/Girl”

1. Switch out water with every cocktail you buy to make sure you are well hydrated.

2. Don’t chug, and by all means do not do shots. Take sips, which will slow down your drinking, but also save you money in the long run.

3. Eat dinner or a snack before or while at the bar.

4. Don’t feel awkward not drinking. Drink a soda, juice or even just water. If you feel pressured by a boss to have a drink, get something that could pass for a cocktail, like a high ball glass of soda or juice or even a Shirley Temple – Sprite, grenadine and cherries.

Happy hour is a great time to get to know colleagues in a more relaxed atmosphere, but be smart and make the opportunity work for you.

Happy Hour Drink of the Week:

Torino Fizz

A sweet, slightly bitter drink similar to a sour or gin fizz, based on an 1860s recipe from Turin, Italy.

¾ ounce Sloe Gin

½ ounce Vermouth

½ ounce Campari

¾ ounce lemon juice

½ ounce simple syrup

½ ounce egg white

Combine and shake vigorously. Strain into Collins glass over ice. Top with splash of soda. Garnish with bitters.

 

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Twinkle VanWinkle was born in a small town in Mississippi. A life-long lover of music, media and food, she grew up following those three things along her path. She has almost 20 years of professional cooking under her apron strings, feeding thousands of friends, family and other folks while working in restaurants and bakeries in Oxford, Miss. She baked 300 apple pies for the “Oprah Winfrey Show” and appeared on “The Best Of...” in the same year. Along with producing dynamic entertainment content for LIN Media, she is a mother, musician and social media fanatic.