AAA Offers holiday safety tips, services

 “During the year, about 35 percent of all traffic crashes involves a driver who has been drinking,” said Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma. “Over the holidays, that number can exceed 40 percent. Not only can most of these crashes be prevented, the means of doing so are free and readily available.”

 TIPSY TOW starts in Oklahoma at 6 p.m. this Friday, Dec. 14 and runs through New Year’s Day until 2 a.m. on Jan. 2, 2013 in metro Tulsa and Oklahoma City, as well as Lawton, Shawnee, Enid, Bartlesville, Muskogee and Tahlequah. If you feel unsafe behind the wheel after drinking, AAA will send a tow truck to give you and up to one more person – plus the vehicle – a free ride home within 15 miles of point of pickup. The community service is open to AAA members and non-members alike. Call (800) 222-4357 to request a Tipsy Tow. 

 MOCKTAILS are zero-proof beverages that can add life to holiday parties when interspersed with regular cocktails, plus they provide non-drinkers and children a festive way to celebrate. Here’s the winning recipe from this year’s AAA Great Pretenders Mocktail Mix-Off, held last month at the Oklahoma City Marriott. It’s a concoction invented by Alexis Zeigler of the OKC Marriott and Remington Park that she calls “Mistletoe.”

Ingredients:

4 Mint leaves

Juice of one-half orange (fresh squeezed)

2 oz. Pomegranate juice

1 oz. Agave juice

Sierra Mist or soda water

Muddle the mint leaves five times, pour the orange juice into a glass and add the pomegranate and agave juice. Give it all a good shake and pour over ice. Top with Sierra Mist or soda water and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

 For a downloadable copy of all the recipes entered in this year’s mix-off, go online to www.AAA.com/partyguide or call Danial at (918) 748-1074 for a free mailed copy. And for the 2010 and 2011 recipe guides, go to Safety Brochures in the AAA News & Safety section of AAA.com.