Although recent statistics reveal that alcohol-related hospital admissions are on the rise in the UK, a very interesting (if not seemingly counter-intuitive) bit of information has been making the rounds today here in the states. An article released by the Health Behavior News Service suggests that drinkers are more likely to be getting regular exercise.

The information stems from a new study appearing in the American Journal of Health Promotion, where lead researcher Michael French, Ph.D shares the following: “Alcohol users not only exercised more than abstainers, but the differential actually increased with more drinking.” French also states that “there is a strong association between all levels of drinking and both moderate and vigorous physical activity.” However, he warns that these results don’t suggest that people “should use alcohol to boost their exercise programs, as the study was not designed to determine whether alcohol intake actually caused an increase in exercise.”

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A study featured in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry has found surprising new links between memory loss suffered by Alzheimer’s disease patients and alcohol consumption. The article, titled “Alcohol Consumption as a Risk Factor for Dementia and Cognitive Decline: Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies” describes how the relationships between alcohol consumption, dementia and cognitive decline were investigated in a systematic review that included the combined results of 15 prospective studies.

The study found that in moderate consumers of alcoholic beverages (compared with abstainers), male drinkers reduced their risk for dementia by 45 percent, and women by 27 percent. This information was gathered from 14,646 participants who were evaluated for Alzheimer disease, 10,225 participants evaluated for vascular dementia, and 11,875 who were evaluated for various other kinds of dementia.

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The Gin and Tonic is one of the most popular drinks in England, if not the world. According to The Free Library, as of 2008, about 11,379,000 cases of gin were sold by the major manufacturers. That equates to 26,171,700 gallons. This, of course, is not counting smaller bottles or bigger bottles. The case size in question is 9 liters. Imagine that… A gallon of gin for every man, woman, and child in the combined populations of Greece and Holland (well, technically, the gin would fall about a million gallons short. But who’s counting when we get to numbers that high?). According to the same source, roughly 80% of that gin is estimated to be consumed with tonic water, making that famous cocktail. That is about 20,937,360 gallons of gin that is going into gin and tonics around the world. Granted, this is a very small number when compared to vodka, where the Russian consumption alone is between 2 and 4 BILLION liters per year, or 1.05 billion gallons at the high estimate.

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After writing the Spirits of the Oval Office article, I realized that I had so much fun doing the research for it, that I wanted to continue writing a series of articles based on that topic. After a couple of weeks stewing on it, trying to figure out where exactly to go with it, I now present to you, the Sophisticated Elite, the next installment: Spirits of the British Empire, which will give us some insight into the drink preferences of some of the most influential and renowned political figures, past and present, of our cousins across the pond.

This list will start with the Queen Mum, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who lived from 1900 to 2002. She was the Queen of England during World War II, and Hitler once described her as being the most dangerous woman in Europe. Always a popular figure in Great Britain, she was well known for her love of gin. Her cocktail of choice was Gin and Dubonnet (according to sources, mixed 3:1, Dubonnet). Dubonnet is a French aperitif, otherwise known as an appetite stimulant. It is a combination of fermented wine, spices, and quinine.

Following in her mother’s footsteps, Queen Elizabeth II, who has been occupying the throne since 1952, is also a lover of gin. Her cocktail is a Gordon’s gin and tonic, with three slices of lemon. This takes me back to the second article that I wrote, ‘Hold The Lime,’ in which I argued in favor of substituting lemon for lime in vodka tonics. The present Queen of England opts not for the traditional garnish of a lime wedge, and instead goes heavy with three lemon wedges. It sounds delicious.

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Over at the Everyday Drinkers website, Derrick Schommer has posted an excellent review of a variety of classy absinthe “dripping spoons” now available:

Beautiful Absinthe Spoons

“This article is getting a good amount of attention for such a simple topic,” Derrick told Culture of Spirits. “I’ve had a few people write me to thank me for the article (including those that sell the spoons and those that drink absinthe regularly).” Indeed, absinthe spoons are one of the unique accessories that make the proper serving of this potent spirit a pleasure to watch, a process which became popular during Victorian times. Famously known by its alter-ego, “The Green Fairy”, absinthe is known for having a bit of a “kick” due to its high alcoholic content (as much as 75% ABV). Typically flavored with anise, the spirit is created with a blend of herbs, including the flowers and leaves of Artemisia absinthium, more widely known as “grande wormwood”.

Having only recently been legalized for sale again in the United States, there exist a few local variants, particularly in the Appalachian Mountains (i.e. “bathtub absinthe”) which some have begun calling “The Green Goblin” for its unusual bite and bitter aftertaste. Frequent consumption is not recommended.

Alcohol dehydrogenase ADH5, a protein that breaks down alcohol we consume.

Generally, most people tend to prefer drinking in the evening. However, when considering a few particular factors, this has always seemed strange to me (reasons for which I’ll get to in a minute), although there are obvious reasons for it. For instance, most people work jobs early in the day, since “business hours” generally fall between 9AM and 5PM. Thus, the only part of the day most people are left any time to imbibe is in the evenings. This provides rational as to why most (but not all) roadblocks and license check points occur at night; there are statistically a greater number of people consuming alcohol later in the day, and especially after dark.

Of course, it is advised that if you consume alcoholic beverages, you should abstain from driving at all, lest the routine license check points you may encounter result in penalties that could include loss of your driver’s license. This is one primary reason I prefer having a drink earlier in the day; although I’m not suggesting here that people can avoid consequences of drinking and driving by simply doing it at an earlier hour. Instead, I’ve found that, as a full time journalist, when I can work it into my schedule to break for a nice cocktail while in town running errands (often limited to pedestrian travel while in the city anyway), the relaxing, refreshing quality of a single, well-prepared mixed drink is far more enjoyable in the daytime anyway. But why is this?

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According to the journal Addiction, people who avoid drinking alcohol may be at higher risk for becoming victims of depression. A new study the journal recently featured titled “Teetotallers more likely to be depressed” describes that “there has been mounting evidence that low levels of alcohol consumption may also be associated with poor mental health possibly due to abstainers having other health problems or being reformed heavy drinkers.“

According to their website, Addiction publishes peer-reviewed research reports on alcohol, illicit drugs, tobacco and behavioral addictions, bringing together research conducted within many different disciplines. This new study drew from resources including the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT Study) based in Norway, taking into consideration the drinking habits and mental health of over 38,000 individuals. Using this compilation of data, the authors gave a compelling argument that people who drank no alcohol for two weeks were actually more likely than moderate drinkers to report symptoms of depression during the same period. Of particular interest, people who specifically labeled themselves “abstainers” yielded the highest risk of depression. Age and a variety of physical health problems, as well as social relationships accounted for some, but not all of this increased risk.

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A new study suggests that certain compounds in cannabis (Marijuana) may actually protect the human brain from damages caused by alcohol-induced toxicity. This new data comes from a clinical trial published in the online journal Neurotoxicology and Teratology.

According to a press release at the website eNews Park Forest, investigators at the University of California at San Diego examined effects to portions of the brain consisting of white matter in adolescents with histories of binge drinking and marijuana use. The results of the observation yielded some fascinating, though somewhat unexpected results: though young males who consumed five or more drinks in one sitting, as well as girls who consumed four or more drinks under similar circumstances, showed signs of white matter damage in eight separate regions of the brain, those who incorporated marijuana use fared better, with less damage in seven out of the eight brain regions examined. This suggests the possibility that marijuana “may have some neuroprotective properties in mitigating alcohol-related oxidative stress or excitotoxic cell death,” the report concludes.

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I have always wondered, among all the different kinds of spirits available, how gin came to be a liquor unto itself. Think about it; how exactly does a neutral spirit flavored with berries that taste similar to pine needles become its own staple spirit? It seems mystifying… and I don’t say this as a criticism, since I happen to be a fan of the finer gins myself (in fact, if I go into a bar and order a martini, I expect it to be made with gin unless I specifically order vodka. Such circumstances have led to my utter disappointment a few times in the past).

However, although most often compared to vodka, there is a fairly recent development in the world of next-to-neutral spirits that I can’t help but compare to gin: VeeV. This isn’t a name for a new kind of liquor so much as it is a vodka-like neutral spirit flavored with Brazillian Acai berries (this is pronounced ah-sah-ee, almost like the Japanese beer Asahi, renowned for its dry flavor). VeeV opts to use these rather than juniper berries like typical gin, and much like nicer vodkas, organic winter wheat grain is the other base for this spirit.

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The Azorean martini is a specialty drink that combines a staunch blend of passion-fruit liqueur and vodka, famously served as the signature drink at the Azorean Bar & Grille in Gloucester, MA. However, recently the cocktail has been removed from the menu, along with all other mixed drinks that call for ice, after a recent water contamination problem forced the Azorean to close limit their services for the fifth straight day.

Aside from spirits used to make such concoctions, ice is one of the make-or-break staples included with most mixed drinks. However, when water and ice become targets for concern over contaminates, a great cocktail can easily be destroyed… or worse yet, removed from menus, as was the case with the Azorean. Although the Azorean Bar and Grill had no way of controlling what would happen to a city-wide water supply, this story nonetheless calls into question ways that ingredients and tools used to make mixed drinks can be easily contaminated by things that render them unservable.

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