Dehydrating Coffee?

Thanks to Darcy O’Neil of Art of Drink,  for providing the information contained in the following article

Caffeine in coffee does not increase dehydration during hangovers.

The effect of caffeinated, non-caffeinated, caloric and non-caloric beverages on hydration.
Grandjean AC, Reimers KJ, Bannick KE, Haven MC. The Center for Human Nutrition, Omaha
(Journal of the American College of Nutrition, October 2000)

Conclusion: This preliminary study found no significant differences in the effect of various combinations of beverages on hydration status of healthy adult males. Advising people to disregard caffeinated beverages as part of the daily fluid intake is not substantiated by the results of this study.

Urinary caffeine after coffee consumption and heat dehydration.
Chambaz A, Meirim I, Décombaz J. Nestlé Research Centre, Nestec Ltd, Lausanne, Switzerland.
(International journal of sport Medicine, July 2001)

Conclusion: These results suggest that the rise in circulating caffeine due to delayed metabolic clearance was partly opposed by a sizeable elimination in sweat. Therefore, heat dehydration did not lead to higher concentration of caffeine in urine after coffee ingestion.

Caffeine, body fluid-electrolyte balance, and exercise performance.
Armstrong LE. Departments of Kinesiology, Nutritional Sciences, and Physiology & Neurobiology, University of Connecticut (International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism, June 2002)

Conclusion: The scientific literature suggests that athletes and recreational enthusiasts will not incur detrimental fluid-electrolyte imbalances if they consume coffee beverages in moderation and eat a typical U.S. diet. Sedentary members of the general public should be at less risk than athletes because their fluid losses via sweating are smaller.

Caffeine ingestion and fluid balance: a review.
Maughan RJ, Griffin J. School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK
(Journal of human nutrition and dietetics, December 2003)

Conclusion: The most ecologically valid of the published studies offers no support for the suggestion that consumption of caffeine-containing beverages as part of a normal lifestyle leads to fluid loss in excess of the volume ingested or is associated with poor hydration status. Therefore, there would appear to be no clear basis for refraining from caffeine containing drinks in situations where fluid balance might be compromised.

Rehydration with a caffeinated beverage during the nonexercise periods of 3 consecutive days of 2-a-day practices.
Fiala KA, Casa DJ, Roti MW. Department of Kinesiology in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut (International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism, August 2004)

Conclusion: In summary, there is little evidence to suggest that the use of beverages containing caffeine during nonexercise might hinder hydration status.

MxMo XXXVII: First Time

It’s time for Mixology Monday again, something that I have not participated in for a couple of months.  I have been on a little uncreative spree, so I figured this could be a good way to get back into it.

The theme for this month is “First Time”, chosen by the ladies of LUPEC Boston.

What drink do you suggest for the delicate palate of the cocktail neophyte? Something boozy and balanced, sure – but one wrong suggestion could relegate the newbie to a beer-drinker’s life. To which go-to cocktails do you turn to when faced with the challenge?

To this all important question I have several answers.  First of all, although I am relatively new to the cocktail world, I prefer well made classics to the syrupy/sugary messes that are served at most bars, and as such consume most of my drinks at home because I don’t feel like paying $10 for a drink that tastes like soda water and 7up.

When mixing up a drink for a friend, I will inquire as to their tastes.  Are they a big beer drinker?  Do they prefer wine?  White or Red?  Are they feeling adventurous, or just looking for a little refreshment.

The most common drink I will make for a newbie will be a Collins.  Simple to make, can be adjusted for their tastes, and can be made with different spirits.  Essentially a Collins is a variation on a sour, and is made by adding soda water to the sour’s ingredients.  My personal favorite would be the standard Tom Collins.

Tom Collins
2oz gin
1oz lemon juice
3/4oz simple syrup

Shake up gin, juice, and syrup in a shaker with a lot o ice.
Strain into a collins glass filled with ice, and top with soda water.

This drink can also be made with other base spirits such as vodka, rum, or whiskey. For a slightly stronger drink I would serve up a fizz or sour, although I think that there are a lot of great drinks that be used to open someone up to the world of cocktails.

iPhone Drinking Apps Roundup

There seem to be a plethora of posting on the interwebs lately about the iPhone and drink database integration, so I thought that I would give a quick rundown on the apps, as well as some of the pros and cons for each one. I have 5 apps that we will look at. iBartender, PLBartender, Drinks, Cocktails, and PocketCocktails.

First up, lets look at the rather boring iBartender. This drink app is rather plain. It features recipes for many of the (most popular) mixed drinks, the ability to email drink recipes, search by name, or ingredient. You can also shake for a random drink.

Pros: Searching and emailing recipes.
Cons: Lackluster interface, poor measurements, no bookmarking or editing features.
Result: Probably would not recommend this particular app.

Next we have the PLBartender app. Like iBartender, I would probably look elsewhere for a good drink app. It does feature editing, but the overall recipe content is fairly small, and it lacks email capabilities.

Pros: Favorites and Editing
Cons: Mostly everything else
Result: Not worth the effort of installing on my phone.

The third app we will look at is the Drinks app. With this well put together app, you have access to more than 4500 high quality cocktail recipes. It includes a variety of old classics, as well as modern creations. It features favorites, and editing capabilities to edit any recipe in every possible way, as well as inputting your own. You can also add notes to recipies, search drinks by combinations of ingredients, and has email capabilities.

Pros: Large database, Editing, Emailing, Favorites, Notes, Search by single or multiple ingredients
Cons: Interface design is basic
Result: Definitely a winner. One of my go-to apps for cocktails, and other drinks since I can add my own recipes.

Next is the Cocktails App. Cocktails is the brainchild of the fine folks at Cocktaildb. With over 1400 recipes, Cocktails focus is mostly on classic or classically styled cocktails. You won’t find many college drinks in this baby. That can be a plus or minus depending who you are. Drinks are sorted by ingredients, flavors, base ingredient, more. A nice feature is multiple recipes. Cocktails features some cocktails evolution through time, including the date of the recipe as well as the book in which it was published. It also has a really nice look to it. One of my favorite features of this app, is the contemporary masters category of drinks. This feature includes recipes from todays preeminent mixologists, the first being 78 recipes from Jamie Boudreau.

Pros: Great interface, multiple recipes, email or twitter, contemporary masters, multiple searches.
Cons: No Editing, lack of some modern recipes.
Result: I like this app for sure. If editing or a super large database are important to you, it could be a deal breaker, but the contemporary masters program is a huge plus.

Last up is PocketCocktails. Unlike all the other apps, this one focuses on pictures. The database is relatively small (300+), but every recipe includes a full size, beautiful picture. You can scroll through the drinks alphabetically with thumbnail images, or search by name or ingredient. One beef I have is that even though it includes ingredients and instructions, they aren’t on the same page, so if I have never made the drink before (which is presumably why I need this app), I have to keep switching between pages.

Pros: Great pictures, good instructions
Cons: No email, editing, or favorites, small database
Result: Pictures are really great, and it probably took a lot of time, but there are too few recipes to make this a serious cocktail app. Also, having the ingredients and instructions on the same page would be a huge plus.

So there you have it. 5 Cocktail apps that may or may not be worth picking up. For myself I use the Cocktails and the Drinks. When and or if PocketCocktails gets a larger database and editing features I may consider adding it to the phone as well.