MAPLEWOOD / LIVINGSTON, NJ — The new year brings a lot of aspirations and resolutions, chief among them to lead a healthier life. January sees a major increase in gym memberships, and health food sales go up as well. Despite the good intentions of many wishing to be healthier, there are pitfalls. For many people, their decision to become healthier does not last through their first party.
When people begin changing their diets to be more healthy, many overlook their alcoholic beverages — but not Tara Roscioli of Maplewood and Beth Ritter Nydick of Livingston, authors of “Clean Cocktails: Righteous Recipes for the Modern Mixologist.” The two local health coaches realized there was a dearth of healthy options for the casual drinker and sought to resolve that.
In their book, which includes beautiful photographs that make “Clean Cocktails” perfect for a prolonged stay on the coffee table, Roscioli and Nydick give instructions on how to set up a home bar, define the various terms and ingredients for refreshing and healthy mixed drinks, and give detailed recipes on how to make the various drinks, which come in several categories, such as “Classics (with a Twist),” “Sweet and Fruity,” “Tart and Spicy,” “Fresh and Green,” “Herbs and Teas” and “Mocktails.”
Roscioli, formerly an attorney addicted to cigarettes and junk food, is now a co-owner of Align Wellness, a fitness studio in Millburn. She also runs Highway 2 Well, a nutritional counseling business. Part of Highway 2 Well, Roscioli runs Meals 2 GLO, which delivers healthy food to clients in the New York and New Jersey area. According to Roscioli, Meals 2 GLO is “is a great jumpstart to healthy eating habits.”
Nydick, also a health coach and counselor, runs Blue Barn Kitchen, which sells healthy snack bars and provides resources and information on crafting a healthy lifestyle.
According to Roscioli, Nydick approached her with the idea for the book and she immediately jumped on board, having seen a real need for this type of book.
“Beth and I are health coaches and we do a lot of health counseling about nutrition and eating clean, but we had a lot of clients coming to us individually and asking, ‘If we eat clean, does this mean we can’t ever drink again?’” Roscioli told the News-Record in a Dec. 13 phone interview. “We each had clients who asked ‘well, what can I drink on occasion?’ They wanted to know how to keep a balance.”
For Nydick, this book is needed not just for her clients, but for herself too, as she too had struggled to find tasty alcoholic beverages that fit with her healthy way of life.
“When I went out to dinner, I saw that there wasn’t that availability to eat the way I want to eat. People want these. People are looking for options,” Nydick said in a Dec. 13 phone interview. “As a nutritionist I work with the way people eat.”
But while the two women are healthy-eating mavens, neither was well-versed in crafting a book.
“Beth approached me with the idea and we took it and found an agent. Our agent gave us pointers on how to write a proposal,” Roscioli said, adding that they end up staying with the first agent with whom they met. Shortly afterward they found a publisher, who gave them a six-week timespan to write the book.
When asked about the writing process, Nydick joked that it was “drunk,” before elaborating that the two authors had to experiment, compromise and taste-test.
“Writing the book was long hours of Tara and I together discussing and deciding how the book would be organized,” Nydick said. “And we had to actually try everything.”
“Getting together, making the drinks and taste-testing with friends was a blast,” Roscioli added.
Both health coaches agreed that one of the best experiences while writing the book was styling the many beautiful photographs that appear in the book.
“Styling the photos was great. We loosened up and started having fun,” Roscioli said, reminiscing about mashing up vegetables and artistically splashing grape juice on marble.
While Roscioli and Nydick styled the photos, they were assisted by photographer Amy Roth, who Roscioli said had a great eye and made the process incredibly fun.
“It was a creative outlet,” Roscioli said, adding that she really enjoyed letting her creative juices flow and seeing how far she could push herself.
“The best part was being able to be creative and really express myself. I love flavors and exploring how they work together,” Nydick said. “It was an amazing experience.”
But the experience did not always go smoothly, with some drink experiments just not working. When asked about less successful drinks, both women laughed, clearly remembering some of the tastes they did not relish.
“There were some profiles that just didn’t work. Mixing tequila with the vegetable purees just did not make for a tasty cocktail,” Roscioli said, adding that matching ingredients to “bourbon was a bit more challenging.”
Nydick was very quick to point out that, in addition to bourbon, kale was difficult to incorporate into recipes.
“Kale didn’t work,” Nydick said. “And some of the herbs didn’t; thyme and sage have very predominant flavors that don’t always mix well.”
Despite the few recipes that did not work out, Roscioli and Nydick created some drinks that quickly became favorites.
Roscioli’s favorite drink is the Meyer Lemonade, which involves the perfect blend of lemon juice, honey syrup and vodka.
“You would have those ingredients in your house at any time. It is so easy to make and so refreshing,” Roscioli said.
Nydick agreed that accessibility is important in a drink recipe. Though she is a DIYer, Nydick stressed that all the ingredients, such as the bitters, can be easily found in area shops. Nydick’s favorite drink is The Day Drinker, a of lemons, grapefruit juice, coconut sugar, sage and gin. According to Nydick, this beverage has become their go-to at book signings.
“I’m really proud of the book and proud of the response we’ve gotten from people,” Nydick said. “It isn’t just recipes. We explain how to set up a bar, how to use garnishes, which glasses to use. This book is accessible to everyone, whether you are a 25-year-old with a first apartment trying to set up a bar for a party, or parents and grandparents. There is nothing complicated.”
“Clean Cocktails” is published by Countryman Press and can be purchased online at www.countrymanpress.com.
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