Spring comes a little quicker in the South. As Winter sheds its grey-brown shell for something a little warmer and greener, more and more of us find ourselves drawn to the day-time get together. Whether you find yourself on a shady porch or in a sunny yard, day drinking is a great way to spend the sunshine with the people you love. 

As it goes with all things, there are more than a few familiar pratfalls waiting for the unsuspecting daylight tippler. 

DO go outside.

It’s spring! You’ve been inside all Winter and the days are finally getting longer. There are few better moments than the first couple of warm, sunny afternoons in the spring, and there are few better ways to spend these days than with an adjunct lager and a couple of friends. Plus, in the face of an ongoing pandemic, spending time with others outside is the safest way to connect with friends and family in person. So dust off the shorts and sandals, dig the frisbee out of your closet, and call a few friends over for a yard party.

DON’T invite too many people over.

Maybe you disagree with this one already, but hear me out. Even if they’re all friends and they’re all courteous, any time you have too many people drinking at one place, things are going to tend to get out of hand. Keeping a group on the smaller side leads to less shouting over each other, less over-drinking, and less mess to clean up on Monday morning. Temper the excitement of nice-weather-fun-times with the knowledge that, at the end of the day, you’ll still have to pick up after your drunk friends. 

DO drink cheap beer.

Don’t think of this as preaching, think of it as loving, caring advice. Cheap beer is great, and you know that somewhere deep down, even if you don’t want to, you agree. I’m not saying don’t buy some local, more expensive stuff to enjoy here and there throughout the day – obviously you know what you like better than I do. But when you’re entertaining, you don’t need to break the bank in order to please everyone or show off your incredible taste. At its core, day drinking is about having a peaceful, carefree time, and nothing says that better than a bunch of beer that you didn’t have to check your bank account in order to buy. Grab a couple of limes while you’re at the store, every cheap beer is better with lime juice.

DON’T skip water.

I find myself repeating this mantra again and again, at home and at work, in Winter and Summer. Drink more water. Seriously, all of us need to drink more water all the time. It’s not only one of the vital necessities of life, in fact it has many other benefits, the least of which is keeping you from feeling like absolute crap after a day of drinking. There’s no true cure for a hangover, but water comes damn close. It is incredibly easy to forget water while you’re caught up in the party, but we all owe it to ourselves to at least try. I’ve found that the more I talk about water and make a point to get others to drink water, the more hydrated I am myself. Catch me at your local day party, pressuring everyone around me to drink entire quarts of water at a time.

DO focus on lower ABV refreshments.

Cheap beer is the undisputed king of the yard party, sure, but you don’t have to feel stuck to your beloved Busch. Wine and especially Liquor are – outside of the Mimosa and Bloody Mary crowd – often overlooked in the day drinking department, but can easily be adapted to be refreshing and enjoyable without putting you to bed while the sun is still out. Soda water is your best friend when it comes to long days of drinking – as both a way to cut your higher-proof drinks as well as a fun source of much-needed hydration between libations. A little vermouth topped with soda water is a delicious and refreshing way to mix up the monotony of endless ice cold beer, add a slice of lemon or lime and you may not even want to switch back to beer. 

DON’T over-do it.

Day drinking is a marathon, not a sprint. Shots have no business being poured while the sun is up, and it’s a pretty good rule of thumb to keep them off the menu for Sunday Funday. Remember, this is about hours of peaceful lounging with friends and family, not getting your friend so drunk that they throw up in your flower bed and pass out on your couch clutching a towel and a trash can. A nice buzz is better than a stammering, stumbling drunk no matter what time it is, but getting hammered is especially less fun while the sun is up. Obviously there’s a time and a place for everything – including over-serving yourself at 1pm – but when the goal is hours of fun, falling asleep in the afternoon while the rest of your friends continue to have a good time without you is the definition of missing the mark. Take your time, you probably have to go to work tomorrow anyway.