I keep giving wine and beer another try but still just can't stand either one. I am going to a nice business dinner and need an alternative drink suggestion that is always available and classy. Last time we went out everyone ordered beer or wine. I got a long island then immediately regretted my choice when someone asked me what is in it which prompted further comments and funny looks.

Crown and coke

Gin and Tonic

Vodka and redbull



Martinis, margaritas on the rocks, I like strawberry personally.


Just know that you should only get one of the above listed drinks and sip it slowly if you do get it at all. If you veer away from beer and wine you are getting into hard liquor, and you are more prone to get buzzed or drunk, especially if your an inexperienced drinker. You obviously do not want to get tipsy on business. If it were me, I would personally keep it classy and get a gin and tonic or crown and coke, and would limit myself to two max, and not on an empty stomach.

Thanks for replying.

I am female if that makes a difference. Crown and coke seems like a man drink to me?

Drinks I like:
Mojitos
Cider
Margaritas
Anything with peach
Long island



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/08/2013 02:08PM by monomo27.

It's also important to understand a little about when to drink what. Beer or wine is about the only thing (I hate personally) I would drink WHILE eating. Some people order cocktails before or after eating, i.e., they fit kind of into the dinner space of appetizer and desert. If however, you tried to wash dinner down with a hard liquor, you'll still get funny looks. You generally don't sip on a Jack and Coke, for example, while eating a steak. You might order one while waiting for your dinner (I would probably wait until after I've eaten though - just a preference of mine) and then have a beer or wine, or a water, or a soda, or whatever else is normal, with your dinner, and then maybe order a cocktail, or one of the hard liquor offerings after everybody has eaten, while you are visiting.

I suppose another suggestion is...don't drink at all. I've never had this problem in a business, and nobody questions my reasons. I like beer, but I don't drink it much...particularly with dinner, simply because it's usually a gut bomb. The big challenge you are going to have as you move more and more into this space of corporate dining, is not what to drink, but what to eat. As a generalization, most corporate dining tends to happen among people who are workaholics (and not uncommonly alcoholics), who work hard, eat well, drink well, sleep poorly, and exercise irregularly. It's the perfect recipe for packing on the pounds fast - and alcohol is an easy driver and facilitator of that reality.

Figure anywhere from 800 - 1200 calories for a main course, another 100 - 250 for an appetizer, and possibly another 350 - 700 for a desert. You're already at 1250 - 2150 calories just for dinner. Now throw drinks on top of that: 150 - 300 for a cocktail, 320 for two beers, and another 150 -300 for a cocktail or one more beer. Now you've added another 620 - 920 calories to this meal - realistically given all the variables, you can push dinner to a modest 1000 calories, to an extreme 3000 calories.

To continue painting a bad picture, a lot of the corporate dining that I've experienced starts anywhere from 7:00 to 9:00 at night, and frankly 7:00 is a bit early. This is when your metabolism slows down naturally, and alcohol exacerbates this situation further, and then contributes to sleeping difficulties, which makes getting up harder, etc, etc, etc.

In other words, there is nothing wrong with an occasional business dinner with some drinks, but if you are in the kind of business where this kind of thing becomes more regular...I would eat of lot dinners without alcohol.

If you're a guy - jack and coke seems to be very common in my world. Also, vodka tonic w/lime.

If you're a gal - voka and cranberry or jack and coke as well.

If you're a guy, you may need to learn a bit about burbon, scotch and beer - sorry, but lots of small-talk centers around these drinks. As a female, it drives me nuts, but it is what it is. . .

There is no such thing as Man drinks and Woman drinks.
Drink what you like.

What I'm really wondering is why the need to drink something alcoholic WITH your meal? If you don't like wine or beer, then don't drink them!!! Get a mineral water or something.

Try a berry flavored ale. You might like: Belgian Framboise (raspberry) Beer a lambic made by Lindemans. It's more of a dessert ale; a bit sweet and bubbly. I have no idea what the alcohol content is but I don't get a buzz drinking a few ounces.

I wouldn't suggest the cherry -- too much like cough syrup, I am told! :-)

I don't like wines or beer, or hard alcohol, but I do like a couple of ounces of this ale once in awhile. (Have to be very careful - can't combine alcohol with my meds.)

martini or tom collins just SCREAMS "business" to me. I wouldn't go for any of the frilly foo foo drinks if I wanted to be taken seriously

'Man' drinks? 'Woman' drinks? Oh dear god... people, people...

If you actually care about sexual stereotypes and how people might perceive your authenticity as a woman based upon the gender of your drink, get a cosmopolitan - it's delicious and, most importantly, it's pink. ;-)

Just for fun... Kids in the Hall, "Girl Drink Drunk." About 6 1/2 minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GW22sAElpE

I was thinking about him as I wrote my post! Thanks for posting that, I hadn't seen that in ages!

I love KITH! ( I'm Canadian, it's compulsory. ;-) )

Crown and Coke = Choice of strippers everywhere.

Business should always be conducted with tequila shooters.

Make sure it is Jose Cuervo rather than any of the snooty Patrons

What kind of business are you in?

You shoukdnt feel pressured to have any alcohol by anyone at any occasion. I've become very aware of this lately since discovering that my sister ia a newly dry alcoholic. I'm so proud of her.

Anyway, if you want to be seen as classy, do not allow yourself to get even tipsy. Avoid sweet girly or tacky drinks, like rum and coke or crown and coke. A good sipping drink is cranberry juice, wedge of lime and fizzy water. Delish.

If you must, try a classic daquiri, or something else light and relatively small. Again though, I would never drink at a business function as I'm a notorious light weight. Getting drunk is definitly tacky unless you're at a sorority party, and that's the idea...

I'm a girl too and I work in a very conservative and professional business where I am usually the only girl drinking with the men.

I like wine and I like to order local beers, but if I'm not in the mood for either, my choices are:

Vodka club or Vodka tonic with lime are both great options. I tend to be a bit snobby about my alcohol though and I usually order a premium vodka- not the house. Greygoose and Belvedere are my favorites. You can always just do a club soda with lime and it will look like a vodka club while you aren't drinking any alcohol at all.

Always drink a glass of water between drinks so you aren't that girl that gets drunk- not very classy.

Mojito is good if it's summer and we are outside or at a great Cuban restaurant. Margherita is a nice choice at a Mexican food place- but order a premium tequila with a gran marnier float. Some places do great Skinny Margherita's these days.

I'm not a fan of martini's- too messy- they spill over the sides too much and I don't like gin.

Another great option- buddy up with the bartender, ask them for a suggestion. Tell them what you like and most good bartenders will come up with something fabulous for you.

Do not order a Long Island- it's a college drink no one takes seriously. Definitely not classy. However, from your list of drinks you like- you prefer sweet drinks- I don't. Terrible hangovers with the sweet drinks. Again, this is probably a snobby comment- but I think the super sweet "girlie" drinks indicate a young and inexperienced person.

Develop your pallet. There are some great drinks out there.

If you are working, you're no longer a child, therefore not a girl.

OK, I guess I should not have used "girl"- woman, female, whatever you would prefer...my gender is female. I used "girl" simply because I saw it being used elsewhere in the post. It was a regurgitation- didn't realize it required me to be under 21. I'm 37.

Good suggestions here. Thanks.

Do you not yet think of yourself as an adult?

Bourbon or scotch on the rocks. Jim Beam is a safe way to go for bourbon. Johnnie Walker for scotch.

Gin and tonic. I like Tanqueray gin. Then no confusion about what is in the drink.

Vodka cranberry is nice too if you like it more sweet, but it keeps it simple.

Both drinks seem businessey to me!

You could order a "Tanqueray and tonic." I personally would add "with a twist of lime." "Cause I like it that way.

This would be a before dinner drink, but it may be a couple of ounces of gin and that may be more than you want unless you're sitting at home in your own backyard.

I'm thinking you could just sip the same glass of wine through cocktails and dinner, if you could manage it. It would be simple and not too much alcohol in your system.

You might do some studying and tasting of wines as it is a great way to go at a company dinner. You can develop a taste for it perhaps--like people have to do with beer.

Appleton's rum and Coke....

Ron Burr

Here's my opinion...

Drink what you like at a business dinner...EXCEPT high alcohol drinks like Long Island Ice Teas..

From your list:
Drinks I like:
Mojitos
Cider
Margaritas
Anything with peach
Long island.

Go with the Mojito. If you haven't tried Sangria, I'd recommend that even though you said you don't like wine.

After all this is said and done..(along with others' recommendations..) if you can't figure it out or are "stressing" over what drink to order at a business function, I'd recommend Perrier.

Rum and coke. You'll be able to drink it, if you can get the whole thing down and maybe a second one, you'll get a buzz. Only one, don't worry.

I agree, no law says you have to drink.

Charge water and lime is a great alternative. Trust me I know them all I don't drink for medical reasons.

I've had great success with our own mountain spring water, harvested from a natural spring, at the top of our street. We have two or more glass pitchers of it on the sideboard or on the table, and already poured into the crystal wine goblets. In the pitchers, we chill the water with ice, and add fresh mint leaves and cucumber slices from our garden, plus lemon and lime slices. Sometimes, I put the slices into a mold and freeze, and serve in a punch bowl (with punch in the other bowl.) Punch is fun, and people can serve themselves--some people are thirstier than others. I like a sangria punch, but it depends on what you are serving for dinner.

are Maker's Mark & Coke (just enough to color it), and traditional Margarita on the rocks.
Just order what you like as a cocktail, but to drink WITH your meal, why not just have something non-alcoholic if you don't like wine or beer?

Campari and Soda or my favorite Campari and Tonic.

They are a classy drink. Not too strong. If you really want to impress order a Sidecar, but only if it's a high end restaurant.

Sip slow. It can be fun to get buzzed with friends, but business should never get to that point.

Reconsider the wine. I love wine the most, but I absolutely hated it to begin with.

Have you had a good white zinfandel? A glass of Asti Spumanti? They are good for the naive palette, and soon enough you will find them too sweet and appreciate something drier. There are so many wines. Don't be too sure you really don't want them because they are a social connection and everyone is always serving them at dinner, or splitting a bottle with friends.

There will always be someone at a business dinner that judges you by what you drink and eat. Don't fall into that and try to order something that you don't normally drink.
Perrier with a twist of lemon/lime/orange, chilled mineral water - no ice, or sparkling water, can all get you through a dinner with no side effects.
I've always liked an Arnold Palmer (tea and lemonade)
Love the sideways looks when ordering Safe Sex on the beach (cranberry juice, grapefruit juice and a touch of peach nectar)
You can always experiment with bitters which are kind of an extra flavoring and mixing them with sparkling water.

amaretto sour. or crown&gingerale with lime is great