Pregnant? Try a Nojito or a Cos-no-politan

When I was pregnant with my son I longed for a Cosmopolitan, a glass of Chardonnay, a beer … anything other than another glass of sparkling water. I found very few creative solutions to my alcohol drought, until one night at a local bar.

I had just brought home the first large industry award for my company. It was like winning a Pulitzer, an Emmy or Oscar of sorts. It was a very big deal that warranted a celebration. The Vice President took the entire team out for drinks at a swanky downtown bar. Free drinks for all. Except I couldn’t drink — babies don’t like alcohol.

I wanted to drink something fancy like everyone else that night, but there really wasn’t anything on the menu except the usual virgin daiqueri-type drinks. After awhile you get sick of those, so I asked the waiter if he could make me something special.

“I want something that looks great, but doesn’t have alcohol. What do you have?” I said.

He thought for a minute and couldn’t come up with anything, but said he’d ask the bartender.

Progress. Normally when I would make a special non-alcohol request I’d get an eye roll and the virgin daiqueri rundown.

This time, the waiter came back with a stunningly beautiful pink concoction in a martini glass, complete with edible orchid. It was beautiful and tasted great.

Why can’t all bars be more like this? Just because you can’t drink, doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to drink your beverage out of a glass with a stem like the rest of the world.

Recently, while looking over the martini list at a restaurant I noticed a special section in the back reserved for non-alcoholic drinks. I was impressed and wished I had found something like this back when I was pregnant. The options looked fun and inviting: They weren’t your typical non-alcoholic drinks. They were versions of famous specialty drinks, minus the alcohol. Again, progress. The nojito looked great — a version of the mojito. Another option could be the cos-no-politan. Juicy and refreshing without the booze.

The next time your are in the mood, but don’t want the buzz, just ask for something clever. There are all kinds of alternative options — bartenders just need to be creative.