By Erin Vallely, CANDLE Coalition Administrative Assistant

Drinking any amount of alcohol comes with risks.  “Dry January” is a health movement that encourages people to not drink alcohol during the first month of the new year.  People choose not to drink alcohol for many reasons besides recovering from alcohol misuse.  Other reasons include not liking the taste of it, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, avoiding negative reactions from medications, saving money, and volunteering to be the designated driver.  Drinking alcohol has been connected to heart problems and cancer. 

CANDLE is supporting “Dry January” by sponsoring Cortland Prevention Resources’ “Mocktail Magic” event on January 16th at the Homer Center for the Arts.  A mocktail is a non-alcoholic drink that resembles a cocktail in appearance and taste.  Mocktails allow people to join their friends in an evening of fun without being left out of the fun of fancy drinks. 

At the event, local restaurant staff and attendees will compete to make the best mocktail. Attendees will vote for their favorite, and the best professional mocktail and best amateur mocktail will each be awarded a plaque.  Tickets are $25 each and semiformal attire is expected.  In addition to the competition, there will be a DJ and food. 

To learn more about the event and to buy your tickets, please go to https://familycs.org/events/mocktail-magic/k. 

We hope you will join us at the event!