What's a party without alcoholic drinks, and what's a wedding ceremony without wine and beer?
Alcoholic drinks and beers are very popular and common in my area. They are the most commonly served drinks during festivals, parties, and wedding ceremonies.
The most interesting part of attending parties and festivals is not just the dancing and jubilation, but also the food and drinks. In my culture, it is almost a taboo to serve guests food without drinks; it is compared to practicing attempted murder because the person might choke on the food without a drink, especially if the drink isn't beer. If you want to avoid the wrath of the village elders and remain in their "book of life", never call them to an event and serve food without drinks, especially beer and other alcoholic drinks
Many people don't even care about the foods and chops served at events and festivals, their main interest is the drinks. That is why some hosts get comments like, "I came to your party but didn't get any drinks," from their guests to show their annoyance and it actually takes a lot to appease an offended guest.
However, due to the high alcohol content in some of these drinks and the effects of becoming tipsy, sluggish, or intoxicated, some people resort to mixing beers and other alcoholic drinks with soft drinks, which I call "mixology 101" or beer/soft drink mocktails.
Their aim, as they claim, is to reduce or dilute the alcohol content in these drinks, although I cannot determine if this is true because some soft drinks contain a small amount of alcohol. Mixing beers with them is like mixing two alcoholic drinks.
If you're Nigerian, you can certainly relate to this. The idea of "mixology 101" is to mix equal bottles of beers and soft drinks, mainly Miranda or Pepsi, in a large jug for people who are interested.
Having been to some events where such drinks were served, I can say that the main purpose of mixing beers and soft drinks is for the good taste, not to reduce the alcoholic content. Mixing certain alcoholic drinks like beers, with soft drinks, tastes very nice. However, I cannot speak to any side effects, if there are any.
Despite having my doubts about mixing alcoholic drinks with soft drinks, I still take them sometimes, but not very often. It's very difficult to resist. My favorite "mixology 101" is mixing beer with Miranda. It tastes like when you mix orange juice, milk, and a little lime or lemon. I actually learned that from my big brother, who always mixes beer with Pepsi whenever he drinks. It is not a bad combo in terms of taste, but I can't speak to its effects on human health. However, I still do not recommend anyone trying "mixology 101," as everyone's body system differs, and what may be food for one can be poison for another.
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Image from pexel