The sexiest drinks of the season
The mystique of the aphrodisiac has been around for centuries. Oysters chocolate pheromones and special herbs have all been rumoured to have mystical powers to get you in the mood. Whether any of these work or not is up for debate and the placebo effect seems to carry extra weight here. In other words the idea of an aphrodisiac is often enough. Herbs and stimulating foods aside there is one aphrodisiac that is responsible for more sexual encounters than any other: booze. When is the last time you had too many oysters at the staff Christmas party and ended up sleeping with a colleague? No all the chocolate on the planet won’t have the inhibition-crushing power that is contained in just a single ounce of booze. However that doesn’t make all booze sexy. It’s true that just about any booze can put you in the mood but some drinks are definitely more effective than others.
Take beer for example. Sure beer contains alcohol and makes a tasty and delicious beverage but it also tends to fill you up causing bloating and incessant urination. Not exactly the things that make up a romantic evening. A pile of empties in front of the fireplace doesn’t create much of a mood. I love beer but it’s not the ideal drink of seduction.
As the old saying goes “candy is dandy but liquor is quicker” but is liquor too quick? While plodding through a few beers seems a slow and tedious way to strike a mood the hard stuff may not be the answer either. A couple of vodka martinis with cranberry juice looks romantic enough but you have to be careful with these. When alcohol hits you it hits you hard and can turn a passionate session in the bedroom into a hair-holding session in the bathroom without much notice. So while liquor can put a nice glow in your cheeks it can also empty out your stomach. Probably not what you had in mind.
Of the three major booze categories this leaves us with wine but with wine comes so many choices where does our lovesick puppy begin his search? You have red white or rosé to choose from all valid options and each holds their own amatory properties. A sweet white dessert wine can provide the perfect segue at the end of a romantic dinner. A rich red wine slowly sipped in front of a roaring fire or a fresh rosé drunk on the beach while watching the sun go down can both set the stage. My favourite seduction drink by far though has to be champagne and more specifically rosé champagne.
Studies have shown that when alcohol is ingested with carbon dioxide the rate of alcohol absorption is faster as CO2 allows alcohol to be absorbed in the stomach rather than its normal route further along through the small intestine. None of this may sound very romantic but it is very effective. Not to mention the romantic images of France conjured up as you pop the cork and watch the pretty pink bubbles rising up in the glass. Beer and martinis really can’t compete here.
Keep in mind while alcohol may put you in the mood for love (or even just sex) technically it’s a depressant meaning too much will just put you in the mood for sleep. There’s nothing less romantic than a passed-out drunk snoring in bed.
TOP BUBBLES FOR LOVE
• Gaston Chiquet Rosé — Champagne France $55
• Rene Geoffroy Rosé — Champagne France $60
• Chartogne Taillet Rosé — Champagne France $69
• Rolet Rosé — Jura France $25
