to wish there was a nice alternative to booze

[lessonsintightropes]

I am currently on my two week wait TTC. I love wine and beer and fags. I have managed to sort out the latter by switching to VIP E Cigs, and haven't had a fag for a fortnight, which after 20 years of smoking feels like a major achievement!

But for someone who didn't have a brilliantly helpful relationship with alcohol before TTC, I do miss wine. I've tried Eisberg dealcoholised white (tastes like the smell of cat wee - horrid) Waitrose low alcohol cider (v nice, almost as good as the real thing, but still 1% so in minimal quantities only and don't want to get used to drinking it), Sutter Home Fre red blend (smells nice, tastes like ribena). I have a bottle of Torres Natureo in reserve in the fridge which I haven't yet tried.

I know that some women's taste buds in pregnancy go off all their favourite sorts of booze, and to be fair, the smell of spirits is rank and can't imagine drinking any. I also would really like to change some patterns so drinking isn't part of my normal evening routine, and feel free to judge away, but before TTC it really was. The only non alcohol substitute I seem to like for a whole evening so far is bitter lemon.

If you have any, I would be super grateful to hear some reasonable alternatives to have during a night at home - this is all fairly new to me as before TTC was out most evenings and am going stir crazy!

Oh, if anyone knows where I can get non-fizzy rhubarb juice here - you can get it all over the place in Germany, but if you see it here, it's either mixed with apple juice or fizzy. Mind you, that's probably a good thing, else I'd drink it by the gallon, which probably just rots your stomach.

I can't belive how many people like Becks Blue! It is utterly gopping!

A good cocktail alternative is grapefruit juice and tonic water, tastes just like Finlandia grapefruit vodka and tonic with the added bonus that it quenches your thirst and you can drink it a 8am!

M&S do a posh fizzy apple / apple and pear that's very dry so tastes a bit like cider.

It sounds weird but pink grapefruit juice mixed with ginger beer is nice. All kinds of sweet sour spicy stuff going on.

Bavaria do a nice alcohol free shandy. They also make a beer but havent tried it.

As a g and t fan I like tonic or soda water, lots of fresh lime and elderflower cordial ( the bottle freen company do a nice one) Very decadent.

Bottle green!

Lemon/lime/angostura bitters is a staple (comes pre mixed here!)

Also try lemonade with a dash of cloves cordial - not to sweet and slightly spicy.

Spiced berry cordial made with hot water is almost as good as mulled wine :)

Really weak shandy, lemonade with a dash of lager. Lovely.

I love wine and couldn't see how I would go through pregnancy without if - turned out I hated it when pregnant so hopefully you'll be the same. And then you get used to not having it which is helpful with a newborn!

Good luck with ttc.

I managed to find a bottle of white balsamic vinegar somewhere, sainsbury's I think, so that I could make a mocktail that involved a tsp of that, a shake of bitters and tonic. It's quite good, but you have to use ice and bother yourself with a lemon or lime to complete the illusion that this is a drink to get excited about.

Alcohol free Koppaberg is nice too.

Alcohol free kopparberg cider is utterly lush and has kept me sane in my pregnancy (33 weeks and counting!!)

Fentimans rose lemonade is amazing! I have drunk tons this pregnancy (until I clocked the sugar content - I'm not a fizzy drinks drinker normally!) I like going to look at all the posh non-alcoholic drinks in the supermarket that I would ordinarily dismiss as too expensive but as a wine substitute are totally reasonable! Had a gorgeous one from Sainsburys last week that was sparkling orange and lemon, deliciously sharp and tangy!

Inky first pregnancy I went right off alcohol until about halfway through. This time I've been startled by some unexpected cravings for wine or beer (and I usually hate beer!). But I've gone from drinking four cups of strong black coffee a day to retching at the very thought of it and DH is banned from drinking it in the house as the smell makes me heave. So you never know, you might get a booze aversion and not miss it at all!

Also wrt getting through evenings at home - if you are like me, you will find you fall asleep on the sofa at 8pm without fail throughout the first trimester anyway!

There are about eleventy million different cordials and soft drinks on the market - my Waitrose has two complete aisle sides full! Just start working your way through them till you find something you like, surely? There's honestly hundreds to choose from. A couple of my own favourites to start you off would include any of the Bottle Green Range - I've never disliked any of theirs, the Fentimans lemonades are lovely, and there's a similar company that do a rose flower water lemonade too. Start experimenting - it's fun!

I also like Becks Blue. Bavaria is a cheap alternative butis not really a decent alcohol substitute.

Alcohol free kopparberg tastes pretty similar to the real thing.

Or, if you're not crippled by 24hr morning sickness (wistful) you could treat yourself to a really nice hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows.

Roses lime juice with fizzy water or soda.
I think I have tried everything else there is on the market and it remains my favourite because it isn't sickly sweet.

bavaria 0% wheat beer is the nicest of the non alcoholic beers.

Or juice and fizzy water?

Bavaria 0% alcohol white beer - comes in bottles, not cans, & is sold in Morrison's - is much nicer than Becks blue, which I just find very boring. Another vote for erdinger too. In terms of wine, natureo de-alcoholised muscat (Asda / Waitrose) is by far the best I've tried: it's still a long way from the real thing, but is pleasant to drink (more than can be said for most alcohol free wine).

Fake Pimms.

Sparkling water with a dash of Angostura and a dash of balsamic. Loads of ice, slices of cucumber/ mint/ lime etc.

Spicy tomato juice is my other fave - Big Toms is the best.

cranberry and ginger ale with lime in it. delish.

Soda water is sharp enough to hit that "spot". Add lime cordial for "cider" and concentrated lemon or lime juice for dry "white wine".

Brilliant suggestions, thanks everyone :) I am off to cut and paste this onto my desktop...!