Dear Natalie,
Okay so – like – okay but have I told you that I love you? Oh my GOSH, this song is my JAM! Come dance with me. Come on. Come on. Karaoke? Come on. Ugh, why are you always so borrrrrring? Oh, look, tacos! Wait, like, but have you thought, like, ummmm…
…
…Huh? Oh we leave now? How come? No! I don’t want to go home! Wait, where is my left shoe?
Oh hey, did we meet yet? I’m not drunk, I swear. Kind of. *burp*
_____________________________________________________________________
Dear Boozy,
What the hell… ?
Anyway, so I know that many of you hail from regions known for producing delicious wines, tasty beers, and liquors that taste like nectar. I know you, dear people, can appreciate a good drink in celebration of a feat. This, my friends, is why I sometimes slip into my backpack an airline bottle of spirits or a teensy, plastic jug of wine when I’m setting off for a major hike. There are plenty of reasons why this isn’t a logical practice. For one, why spend hours doing something healthy and athletic, only to celebrate with something not-so-healthy? Cocktails are full of empty calories. Secondly, this adds weight to my pack, and when I’m going for distance, who wants to lug extra stuff? Thirdly – oh forget it, I’m not even convincing myself here.
Who wants to summit a peak or reach a beautiful waterfall, set down their pack, open their snack, and toast with a long gulp of filtered water? Maybe it’s because I’m Irish American. Maybe it’s because I grew up thinking whiskey was not just a grown-up drink, but also an excellent cure for babies’ teething pain. Maybe it’s because I think all good deeds should be rightfully celebrated. No matter the reason, I think cocktails in the backcountry is arguably one of the best ways to toast a beautiful, strenuous day in nature.
Enter BarCountry Cocktails’ line of Pocket Cocktails. These cocktail mixes come in lightweight, neat packets you tear open, much like hot chocolate mix. The mix is powdered and comes in several delicious flavors: Coconut Lime Margarita; Pickled Bloody Caesar; Cherry Infused Old Fashion; and All-Dressed Bloody Mary. Making a cocktail is as simple as shaking the mix into a few ounces of water – which can be conveniently measured with the empty mix pouch – and adding the appropriate liquor. Plus, the founders of BarCountry are outdoorsmen and, get this – bartenders. They know real drinks.
BarCountry sent me the Coconut Lime Margarita to try. Admittedly, I am not a sommelier or a cocktail version of it – is there one? But! I have to tell you, the moment I opened the mix pouch, I smelled margarita.
Into my empty Nalgene it went, along with four pouches full of water and an eyeballed shot’s worth of tequila.
Each category has specific exercises to do. cialis canada online Each day millions of people irrespective of age and viagra discount online gender are passing through the acidic complications in form of heart burn, indigestion or in certain other forms. A reputed store free viagra samples maintains stock of all versions of traditional drug such as kamagra jelly, soft tablets and effervescent have solved this tablet swallowing problem. It is also useful in treating intermittent claudication, vascular disease, erectile dysfunction, and every other condition that requires vasodilation or has something to do with blood circulation. discount viagra online
How did it taste? Two words: Freakin’ delicious.
Was it a genuine margarita? No, of course not. I didn’t salt the lip of my water bottle, and I made the drink in a Nalgene bottle covered in stickers from my travels. Did it taste close to a margarita? Yes. For sure. And did it work better as a celebratory drink at the end of my hike than a low-quality wine in a small plastic bottle would have? Yes.
I can’t wait to try the other mix flavors. They’re super affordable (under $10 USD for a box of four packets). Plus, they’re all vegan, allergen free, and naturally flavored, and they have no preservatives. Unless you’re a teetotaler, there’s no reason not to try Pocket Cocktails.
Salud! 乾杯! Sláinte! לחיים! Prost!
На здоровье! Maisha marefu! ښه صحت ولری
乾杯! Manuia! ไชโย! Mauri ora! ചിയേഴ്സ്!
Cheers!
Note: Anyone who is interested in trying these out for themselves can order directly from http://eartheasy.rurl.me/barcountry
Natalie McCarthy
“Ask Natalie” host, Natalie McCarthy was born and raised in the urban American rust belts of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio, in a not-particularly-outdoorsy family. She discovered the outdoors in her early 30s and now seeks out new ways to adventure.
Natalie earned her master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work. She works as a licensed supervisory clinical social worker specializing in the treatment of co-occurring substance use, general mental health, and trauma-related disorders. While her professional practice is where Natalie spends most of her time helping people with their problems, she was an online advice columnist in the past.
In the early 2000s, she was the go-to answer girl on a now-defunct website called New Girl Order. Her column there led her to research a diversity of topics, from May-December romances to why on Earth plucking our eyebrows makes us sneeze.
Leave a Reply