Health Check December 2012

Celebrate Responsibly

Guest Article by Laura Webb
Brand Director, Chambord & Little Black Dress Vodka, Brown-Forman

With the holidays quickly approaching, schedules are filling up with parties, gatherings and time with loved ones.  Brown-Forman has long promoted a culture of responsible consumption and we believe that being ambassadors of responsible drinking is everyone's responsibility.  We encourage those who enjoy our brands to do so responsibly and have compiled some quick tips for smart celebrating.

1) OFFER A WIDE ASSORTMENT OF ALCOHOL-FREE REFRESHMENTS. When offering a signature cocktail or punch, have an alcohol-free version available. And always make guests feel welcome, regardless of what they drink.

2) HAVE PLENTY OF FOOD OFFERINGS FOR YOUR GUESTS. Avoid overly salty, sweet or greasy foods as they tend to make guests thirsty and more prone to over-consumption. Cheese, meats, veggies, breads and light dips are especially good choices.

3) MIX OR SERVE DRINKS YOURSELF, OR DESIGNATE A RESPONSIBLE BARTENDER. Smaller glasses and measurements can help reduce the likelihood of over-pouring and excessive

4) SET THE TONE FOR YOUR PARTY BY DRINKING RESPONSIBLY. If your guests know how you feel about responsible drinking, they will probably be more likely to make responsible choices themselves.

5) MAKE SURE YOUR GUESTS HAVE A SAFE WAY HOME AND HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE TO HANDLE ANYONE WHO DRINKS. Know the phone number of your local cab company (or designated driver service) and have cash on hand to pay up front.

To further support a safe holiday season, Brown-Forman has teamed up with CityScoot, an innovative service for the Louisville area dedicated to the prevention of drunk driving by providing a safe, reliable and low-cost alternative, to promote and reward responsibility.  To help encourage the use of a designated driver, Brown-Forman will pay $10 toward your next CityScoot ride home. Check out www.reward-responsibility.com for more details. CityScoot owner Mark Roberts states, "We provide a safe, reliable and low-cost alternative to drunk driving. We drive you home in your own car. With Brown-Forman's sponsorship we are also making it even more cost effective for our customers. We hope this new reward/referral platform will encourage the use of a designated driver and help engage consumers in the conversation so the topic of designated drivers could go viral."

At Brown-Forman, we believe being a responsible host and guest is important to ensuring the holiday season is an enjoyable and safe one.  We encourage our community to join together and make a pledge to celebrate responsibly this holiday season.  Making a pledge is simple but requires everyone to play a part.  Just fill out the pledge form below by selecting one or more of the following actions, and share with your friends and family to convey your commitment.

Whatever your plans this season, we wish you a happy, joyous and safe holiday.

Health Check

By Misty Cruse, Director of Marketing and Communications

One of my favorite holiday traditions is baking cookies and holiday treats with my family. One of my least favorite traditions is trying to work off all those calories I consumed from all of those treats! If you enjoy baking holiday cookies then you'll enjoy this "lighter" version of cookie dough below. So find your butter and sugar and enjoy some today!

Lightened up Holiday Cookie Dough
Recipe from TasteofHome.com

Ingredients

• I cup butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, oil and vanilla. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
• Divide dough into four 1-1/4 cup portions. Shape each into a disk; wrap individually in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle or refreeze for up to three months.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 6 to 7 minutes until bottoms are lightly browned.
• Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
• Decorate as desired.