Beat the heat

It was a comfortable 92 degrees outside when I left for work this morning. A nice breeze was coming off of Lake Michigan, making it feel cooler than it was. As I drove over the Hoan Bridge, I wondered if I would have to put the top up later for the drive home. It was expected to be warmer than the day before. We hit 98 yesterday and are expected to top out at at least 101. With the heat index, that should be something like 109. That is pretty damn warm.

So you might be asking yourself, how do I beat the heat? The answer is simple. Cold beverages. Here is a bit of advice for what to drink to beat the heat.

First, let me start by saying you should find what works best for you. Some of you may not like beer, hard liquor, malt beverages, etc. I am going to try and hit the better categories. I encourage you to leave other ideas as well.

On the really hot days, I find the hard lemonades to be just right. Poured over ice, they deliver a nice crisp sensation of cold throughout the body. They relieve you of any heat and stress you may have accumulated from the day. Better yet, you can usually pack a number of these away before feeling a good drunk come on. Mike's Hard Lemonade is the king of these coolers. Don't know if they even make Rick's Lemonade any more. IMO, that was better.

Or you want to stick with a classic, Vodka & lemonade. A summer classic. Pour yourself a tall one and kick back to soak in some rays. You can't go wrong with Vodka & lemonade. Stick to the high end on the vodka though. It can make a difference. You don't want to spend time sucking done cheap vodka.

Speaking of vodka, I would also recommend other clear liquors (rum, gin) mixed with with light juices or sodas. Skip anything dark. Mojitos are hot right now. Gin and tonics will definitely cool you off. Hell, Kiss doesn't sing about Cold Gin for nothing.

So you say the lemonades are too sweet eh? You are a beer person. You think I wouldn't have any good ales or lagers to mention? I go back to my beer making days for the first rec. I recall me and a friend making a killer batch of Rocky Raccoon's Honey Ale one summer. I barely recall drinking a couple on the front porch before I was hammered. It was some potent stuff. But it was also smooth and refreshing. If you can find it, I would highly suggest Gray's Honey Ale. They used to serve it at BW3s but no longer do. You may have to hunt it down at your liquor store. But it is quite simply the best honey ale on the market. Tastes great and goes down quickly. You may find the first one disappearing quickly after you order it.

Along those lines, I also would suggest the wheat beers. I have already proclaimed Leinie's Sunset Wheat the beer of summer. The Sunset Wheat is damn good. Even better when the thermometer is about to blow. Along those lines, Belgian Whites are good too. Blue Moon is also a great idea. Looks heavy but it quite light. Goes down well too.

You can always do those marathon beers that you drink all the time but why? Try something different that can cool you off quicker. Trust me, I know what I am doing. Please leave any other great ideas in the comments. Together we can survive the heat wave. And get drunk.