IdeaWave

Everything in Moderation: Are we entering a new Temperance Era?

Janice Mansfield

We have recently seen swings to the right in the political landscape, across North America, and with that pendulum swing, we have also seen a rise in concerns about consumption of products that are deemed harmful to ourselves our society.

One of those products coming to the fore again is alcohol, sparking public debates about the dangers of alcohol consumption. Yes, there are definitely tragedies to be avoided — drunk driving, fetal alcohol effects to name two — but increasingly, opponents of alcohol consumption are teetering close to the precipice of total abstinence. Alcohol is being demonized once again as the root of all evil, and drink being cited as the start to a life of drug use.

Perhaps this is human nature, to see things in black and white rather than shades of grey, but those in charge of public policy making are also under pressure to make parallel policy changes. We have been (unsuccessfully) down the temperance road before.

As a counter point, consider the fact that our ability to make alcohol has meant the survival of the human race! What does temperance mean to you? Will the cocktail be driven underground again?

About Janice Mansfield:

Janice Mansfield is the personal chef behind Real Food Made Easy, providing catering services and meal planning and preparation for people with restricted diets, after working 18 years in government as an economist. She also enjoys classic cocktails, and began incorporating cocktails into catered dinners and special events.

In 2009, she began experimenting with bitters, in order to create products she was unable to find in Canada, and found demand from others experiencing the same frustration. Those first bitters experiments have evolved into “House Made” bitters, a line of micro-batch, artisinal bitters, with a distinct culinary edge. “House Made” now produces 8 standard flavours of bitters, with a changing selection of one-time, seasonal flavours, and produces a line of cocktail syrups.

Janice enjoys a well crafted cocktail from time to time, and while not a full-blown barfly, is certainly working hard on being a bon vivant!

2011 IdeaWave