“Don’t drink the punch.” We’ve all heard this popular saying before. Before you tune me out for thinking this is some grand, pompous lecture about alcohol, blah blah blah… it’s not. Your weekends are yours to live how you want, whether you choose to drin or not.
*Photo from http://www.walkinginsquares.com/comics/wis_Falcon-Punch!.png.
If you do choose to drink, have you ever thought about why the frat punch tastes so darn good? No, the pretty, neon colors don’t magically add flavor, however, they are part of the reason. Sugar: that’s what makes the punch taste so good. Lots and lots and LOTS of sugar.
If you ever stumbled across the punch recipe, you’d find that (in the average cooler of punch) you’re drinking six containers of Cherry Kool-Aid powdered sugar, five liters of Country Time Pink Lemonade, three liters of regular Country Time Lemonade, six liters of Ginger Ale, and eight liters of Sprite.
*Photo from http://media.azw.s3.amazonaws.com/13494_jungle_juicef.png.
That’s 96 grams of sugar for the Kool-aid, 100 grams of sugar for the pink lemonade, 48 grams for the regular lemonade, 144 grams of sugar from the ginger ale, and 208 grams of sugar from the sprite. That’s almost 600 grams of sugar in one cooler! 600 grams of sugar is equal to 3 cups full of sugar. Not to mention the sugar from the alcohol…
If you’re like me and don’t want to be drinking a red solo cup full of processed, bleached sugar, here are some things you could try instead:
*Photo fron http://www.pickyourown.org/blueberry/sugar4_5cup.jpg.
Pregame: You can still have fun when you’re going out, but safely. This way you can make the drinks for yourself, or at least watch someone else make them. You know exactly what you’re getting, so you can calculate the sugar, calories and alcohol content.
Bring your own drink: Your own drink doesn’t have to be ‘lame.’ For instance, buy a Fun Cup! Some of them even come with colorful beads attached that you can wear around your neck, so you don’t lose it.
Stick to one: If you really, really love the taste of the punch and refuse to drink anything else out, as a general rule of thumb, stick to one.
*Photo from http://www.thepinkmonogram.com.