"All Drinks are Girly Drinks": How to Enjoy New Drinks with No Expertise in BC

I recently re-read Mallory O'Meara's Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol and was inspired anew to remind you all that all drinks, even and especially beer and scotch, are girly drinks--so get out there and drink!

Here's the thing: as more and more people explore sobriety and sober-curious mindsets and movements, the entire market, be it low alc or no alc beverages*, are rushing "over there" to service this new trend in drinking. That leaves more room for the rest of us to comfortably explore and taste new beverages, gatekeepers be damned. If you are looking to expand your drinking repertoire as woman, here are some ways to dip your toes in the water!

Get inspired 

• Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol by Mallory O'Meara is an excellent place to start.
• Also check out Words to Live By: Women Drinking Edition or Spirited Women: Makers, Shakers, and Trailblazers in the World of Cocktails by Sammi Katz and Olivia McGiff 
• Inspiring read! Building Feminist Community through Beer: A Q&A with Society of Beer Drinking Ladies Founder Erica Campbell
• Learning from the best: KPU Brewing’s Nancy More: Learning From a Legend
• Women love beer! Check out Accountant to Cicerone – the (Unexpected) Journey of a Beer Geek

Get connected

Did you know there are a bunch of professional and social organizations dedicated to women who make booze, and to support women's education and consumption of said booze? Here are a few to check out:

• Pink Boots Society has lots of chapters in the US, one for Canada, and several others all over the world!
• Women of the Vine and Spirits
• Bourbon Women 

Explore events

• East Van Brewing Company does Sip and Paint events
• Steel & Oak in New West has a running club and even made a special, lite beer for post-run celebrations!
• Introverts take note: The Liberty Distillery on Granville Island has a reading night where you just bring a book and read quietly while enjoying a cocktail. 
• For more booze and reading, be sure to check out Upstart Upstairs at Persephone Brewing in Gibsons!
• Everything Wine locations all over the lower mainland offer frequent tastings, and not just wine! They also offer excellent sake tasting events, sip & paint nights, even candle making and tasting nights!
• BC Ale Trail and other regional organizations like this do a lot to support their local craft brewers, advertising events, posting business interviews, and of course there is the BC Ale Trail app!

Unsolicited Advice

• A personal piece of advice - tasting flights are just that--for tasting. Don't feel pressured to finish a given glass in full if you don't like what you are tasting. I love flights to sample new beers and drinks, I'll often even order beer styles I know I don't like, just to try. 
• For example, I'm not a fan of witbier (wheat beer). However, if I see an intriguing offering on a brewery or restaurant menu, I'll often order it as part of a tasting flight because why not. I'm not some grumpy old man who always drinks the same beer, I'm here to try new things, expand my palate, and learn more about the beverages I love to imbibe in. That being said, a flight is just for sampling. If I have a sip or two and don't care for a given glass, I won't finish it. It was just to sample and that's okay!
• Safe rides home are essential to a fun night out. Make sure you have a ride share app like Lyft or Uber on your phone, or make sure your compass card is loaded up with enough fares for the day! Remember, you can buy and load a compass card at any Translink kiosk in any skytrain station, they require a $5 deposit for a reloadable, plastic blue card.

My recommendations** (i.e. get out there and drink!)

• Here are my favourite drinks: rye, Prosecco, Veuve Cliquot, and of course, beer. I LOVE beer, particularly red or brown ales, I love a good marzen, though my very favourite beer is Vancouver's own Steamworks Flagship IPA. 
• For beer, in BC, I'm really hoping to check out Locality Brewing soon. Locality grows all their own hops and malts on site (extremely impressive!!) and they are run by Melanie MacInnes who is Indigenous! 
• I'm also extremely fond of sake, and I even have my WSET Level 1 Sake certification! Vancouver's own Artisan Sake Maker on Granville Island makes some excellent sake. If you are new to sake, start with one of their sparkling sakes. Their name may be...generic and rather forgettable, but trust me, their sake is spectacular. 
• Salt Spring Wild Cider will make a convert of anyone who thinks they don't like cider into a true believer. They offer unique flavours and such an inspiring local chain of production.
• #ProtectBCCraftBeer! The BC Craft Brewers Guild has launched a vital Protect BC Craft Beer campaign! Did you know that 20 BC craft breweries have shuttered this year? That is about 6000 jobs, and in this economy heaven only knows we we need good beer AND good jobs.
• The BC Craft Brewers Guild writes: "BC is losing more than just breweries. We’re losing jobs, local gathering spots, and economic anchors in 70 communities across the province. From urban neighbourhoods to rural towns, many breweries are one of the few major employers and serve as vital hubs for connection, culture, and community."
• Write to your MLA now to help hashtag#ProtectBCCraftBeer
• Draft letter template: https://lnkd.in/gMKa4nbj & Find your MLA via postal code here. More about the campaign here

* P.S. I have it on very good authority that Surrey's very own Central City Brewing has the best non-alcoholic beer in town with their Street Legal series!

**No, this post is not sponsored by any of these schools or businesses mentioned.