This gift has really affected father. First of all he can't bear the thought of alcohol going to waste. If he twigged to the half bottle of ginger vodka in the kitchen (epic fail by me, it is horrific and currently reserved for cleaning purposes) then he would want to see it drunk. He sees a full bottle as a challenge and a duty. I am exaggerating a little bit, but less than you would think. Besides, he is 82. I think he is old enough to know his limits.
The second problem is that he couldn't bring himself to drink liqueurs. Something sweet and 14% is really not him. He couldn't do it. However he knows I like sweeter drinks, and I do usually like the lower alcohol liqueurs to drink neat so this is obviously ideal for me to drink. He put the bottle pointedly next to my chair.
I am actually not much of a drinker. Before father came to live with us I would have a drink once or twice a year. When father moved in it climbed to me having a drink once or twice a month. The last month or so has seen it get worryingly close to once or twice a week and it isn't really me. Father found I liked Cointreau and on Christmas Day I had four bottles lined up for me. These have been moved out of the way and the bottle of Amaretto has been edged closer and closer. It is a full litre bottle as well, and it is starting to loom.
Father has also started to hint, asking whether I needed a glass, did I need a drink, this Amaretto looks nice... So last night, New Year's Eve, I started on the Amaretto.
The stuff is foul. It is far too sweet for me, and it feels like I have just eaten four boxes of marzipan fruits. I think I have overdosed on almonds. I managed far too much and woke up feeling like I had been mugged by the topping from a Christmas Cake while father and DH were still quite fresh despite the bottle of Black Grouse they shared.
I know that father will still want the bottle drunk and would be devastated if I didn't work my way through the syrupy stuff, but I think every night I will wait until father is nearly on his way to bed and pour myself a measure of the vile stuff as a nightcap. Then I can safely pour that measure down the sink and I hope it cleans the drains. The bottle can't last for ever.
Image from Aldi, the apparent source of the problem
Please let father not buy me a bottle for myself.
Rather than waste the Ameretto, why not keep it for cooking? Lots of recipes call for small amounts of liqueur for flavouring. Otherwise, find a friend who likes it and give it away. I hate to disagree with you, but as the body ages, the ability to know one's limits when it comes to alcohol and other toxic substances diminishes rather than increases. The reason elderly people are overdosed with pharmaceutical drugs is that those who prescribe them often forget that they need less of a medicine rather than the same dose as a healthy adult.The dosage for someone in their 80s is often the same as a child under 12 years. A compromised liver doesn't just fade slowly, it goes until it can't go any longer and then it fails. You can't improve a failed liver without a transplant. I remember having a discussion about how the liver worked with someone who regularly downed 7 bottles of whiskey per week and who claimed never to have learned anything about liver function. He agreed to try drinking much more water in between the whiskey in an attempt to improve his fitness levels. I never knew if his strategy worked as I left the agency before he completed his therapy. Apologies if this is not something you wish to think about, but if you are caring for your father, his total alcohol consumption may be something you need to consider since you comment about it on your blog regularly.
ReplyDeleteThis is really helpful for me to keep encouraging DH (who was starting to keep up with father) but I can't control father. I couldn't get him to go to A&E when he knew he had had a stroke. At least his recent tests have shown decent liver function. tbh I downplay what he drinks on here. Thank you for the heads up re the cooking. I may smuggle the stuff into the kitchen next time father is watching late football in his room and claim it drunk. WS xxx
DeleteSybs I have a bottle of Amaretto and it mixes well with other things and doesn't taste half so bad.Give cocktails a google and you will find quite a few that contain Amaretto and aren't terribly alcoholic.Off the top of my head Cranberry cooler and Disarrono and Coke come to mind.Cant you just tell I used to work in a posh Cocktail bar lol
ReplyDeleteLesleyxx
After New Year's Eve I feel it would sully the cola to mix it with the marzipan syrupy stuff, but I may come round to it. I'm also considering Sarah's suggestion of smuggling it into the kitchen and using it for cooking. Love the idea of posh cocktails. btw white wine and pernod is surprising pleasant and incredibly lethal, just in case that was one you hadn't tried. WS xxx
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