Dry January Story Time: The Slippery 'Slopes' of Sobriety
Long before “Dry January” became fashionable, before mocktails graced the menus of trendy bars, before NA Spirits and Wine were even a thing, and well before anyone had dreamed up the phrase “sober curious,” there was a winter weekend at Cedar Street Lodge that changed everything. This was back in the days when saying no to a cocktail meant you were either expecting, prescribed penicillin, or – heaven forbid – “trying to be difficult.”
It was a simpler time, when people believed fun had to come with a proof label, and the idea of enjoying a drink without alcohol was about as foreign as television in technicolor. But sometimes the best stories come from the most unexpected places...
Betty-Jean adjusted her woolen ski pants and sighed dramatically into the frosty mountain air. The annual Cedar Street Ski Lodge weekend was turning into a complete and utter flop. Margaret, her best friend of twenty years, had gone “on the wagon,” as they called it, and was sitting alone by the window, looking miserable as she sipped her hot chocolate.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Betty-Jean muttered, watching the usually jolly group sitting stiffly around the lodge’s magnificent stone fireplace. Bob Thompson hadn’t cracked a single one of his famous jokes all evening, and Jane Parker hadn’t even attempted her traditional après-ski rendition of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
Into this sad scene, enters the charismatic Tommy Wilson- Cedar Street Lodge's Concierge, Bellman, and all-around entertaining host, caught Betty-Jean’s eye and winked mysteriously. He disappeared behind the swinging doors, only to return moments later wheeling in a cart loaded with bottles sporting fancy labels.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he announced with all the flair of a game show host, “Let me mix up a fresh batch of my special house cocktails! Family recipes, passed down through generations of Wilsons!”
The crowd perked up immediately. Bob was first in line, accepting what looked like his usual Bloody Mary. “Say, this has quite a kick to it!” he exclaimed, and within minutes was regaling everyone with his infamous story about the vacuum salesman and the poodle.
Jane sipped her fizzy drink and suddenly burst into song. Even Margaret, after some coaxing, accepted a manhattan that looked identical to her old favorite. By midnight, the lodge was jumping like it was New Year’s Eve. The gang was doing the jitterbug, playing charades, and Mr. Henderson – usually straight-laced as they come – was teaching everyone a rather spirited version of the chicken dance.
The next morning, as they gathered for breakfast, everyone remarked on how wonderful they felt.
“Strangest thing,” Bob mused, touching his head. “First time in years I’ve had such a wild night and woken up without a headache!”
That’s when Tommy cleared his throat. “Folks, I have a confession to make.” He reached under the counter and pulled out the bottles from the night before. “These cocktails I made, along with the wine and brews, were are all part of my grandmother’s special recipes alright – her special non-alcoholic recipes! She was quite the pioneer in mocktails, you see! And she removed the alcohol from the wines and beers!"
The room fell silent for a moment before Margaret burst out laughing. “You mean I broke my sobriety pledge for nothing?”
“And I did the chicken dance stone-cold sober?” Mr. Henderson turned crimson.
Betty-Jean couldn’t believe it. “But we all felt so... so...”
“Festive?” Tommy suggested with a grin. “Sometimes the spirit of good company is all the spirit you need.”
As they hit the slopes that morning, zooming down the mountain with their woolen scarves trailing behind them like victory flags, Betty-Jean couldn’t help but smile. Who would have thought that the secret to the best Cedar Street Lodge weekend yet was no secret ingredient at all?
And from that day forward, the annual ski lodge weekend became famous not for its cocktails, but for Tommy’s “mysterious” house specialties – though some say if you listen carefully on a quiet night, you can still hear Mr. Henderson denying that he ever did the chicken dance.
The End
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All joking aside, you don't need alcohol to have a good time. Sharing a sip with friends and enjoying their company can be great without the pressure to consume alcohol. Stand up for your choice and stay strong if you've chosen some time away from alcohol!
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