Alcohol: How to Stay Safe and Still Have Fun

So, as an end to my college themed blog posts, (not that there will not be loving advice during the school year) I thought it would be appropriate to take the time to talk about something that every college student will face in their college career:

Regardless of where you go to school, it is a known fact that college students are notorious for getting their hands on alcohol. I am, first, going to start off with the following statement:

I DO NOT IN ANY WAY ENCOURAGE UNDERAGE DRINKING. IF YOU ARE UNDER 21, YOU ARE UNDERAGE.

On that note, even if you are under 21, you will probably be offered a drink while you are at school. Since you are no longer living at home, your parents will not be there to tell you "Drinking is bad! Don't do it!" and the decision is 100% your responsibility. Some students will be responsible and wait until they are 21, but many others will not. If you are a person who is living a gluten free life and you drink alcohol that is not gluten free, then you can get EXTREMELY sick. I am speaking from experience here. You think a hangover is bad? Try having a hangover where your small intestine feels like it's getting stabbed by 50 knives. It makes things a lot worse. Not to mention that alcohol gets absorbed into your body a lot quicker and a lot deeper than most things you ingest, so it will take a lot longer to get out of your system.

ON THAT NOTE, for those of you who decide to drink (hopefully you are 21!), you want to make sure you have some gluten free spirits at your disposal. Some liquor stores have staff who know exactly what is and isn't ok for you to drink. Others may have no idea. So for your convenience, here is a list of alcoholic
beverages that are ok to drink:

Armagnac (it's made from grapes!)
Beer: Before I list gluten free beers I would like to point out that although a beer may say it's gluten free, it may not be 100% gluten free. It is your responsibility to check the label to see what is says. Some beers are brewed without gluten, and some are passed though a filter that tries to extract the gluten.
        Bards Tale Dragons Gold, Bard's Tale Beer Company
        New Grist, Lakefront Brewery
        Passover Honey Beer, Ramapo Valley
        RedBridge, Anheuser-Busch
        Sorghum Molasses Brown, Outer Banks
        Tread Lightly Ale and 3R Raspberry Ale, New Planet
Brandy
Champagne
Cider: Like beer, is not always safe. Read labels!
        Woodchuck Brand Cider
        Old Deadly Cider
Cognac (again, made with grapes!)
Gin
Grappa
Kahlua
Kirschwasser (cherry liquor! yum!)
Margarita Mix:
        Jose Cuervo
        Mr & Mrs T
Martini:
        Club Extra Dry Martini (made from corn and grapes!)
        Club Vodka Martini (again, corn and grapes!)
Mead (distilled from honey for all you renaissance fair people out there!)
Mistico:
        Jose Cuervo Mistico
Mixes & Cooking Alcohols:
        Club Tom Collins
        Diamond Jims Bloody Mary Mystery
        Spice Islands - Cooking Wines - Burgundy, Sherry and White
Ouzo (made from corn and anise)
Rum
Sake
Scotch Whiskey
Sherry
Sparkling Wine
Tequila
Vermouth
Vodka
Wines

Ok, so after reviewing the list I would just like to emphasize that YOU MUST READ LABELS. Special brews of alcohol and different brands that come out may use gluten in their drink so PLEASE do your research before you drink. I have yet to meet a wine in my life that has ever contained gluten, so my key is: When in doubt, buy Miscatto!

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY!!!!
DON'T BUY ALCOHOL FOR MINORS!!!!
DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!!!!!
DESIGNATED DRIVERS ARE ANGELS!!!!!