The Last Word

This isn’t my first draft of this post. It’s more like my fifth. I’ve been feeling the weight of everything and I unloaded a lot in those words… all in a long, somewhat sensical paragraph. It was good to get it down, to express my heartbreak over the pandemic, to share a bit about these complicated emotions that I (and so many others) are having to deal with. What came out was something along the lines of “Everything is awful. How will anything get better?” Elements of this linger in my thoughts. But I don’t want to leave out the good, the joy, the gratitude. When I revisit this entry years from now, the mixture of devastation and hope and uncertainty and warmth is what I wish to remember.

Support. Laughter. Anger. Learning. Tears. Books. Connecting. Dancing. Hugs. Alone. Together. Fear. Confusion. Singing. Volunteer. Distant. Zoom. Birthdays. Backyard drinks. Bread. Companionship. Masks. Walks. Funerals. Debates. Tension. Vote. Relax.

The Last Word

Yield:
1 cocktail

Ingredients:
3/4 oz gin
3/4 oz green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur
3/4 oz lime juice
Lime twist (optional garnish)
Maraschino cherry (optional garnish)

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled, about 10 seconds. Strain into a coupe (or cocktail glass of an equivalent size).

Garnish with lime twist and/or maraschino cherry.

Cilantro Jalapeno Margarita

I’m going to be up front and admit to you all that this was pulled out of my drafts folder. It’s been sitting in there for over a year, just waiting to be shared with the world. While I’ve been trying to monitor my alcohol consumption during this time (at least on weeknights), when the weather is warm enough and the sun is shining bright, Eric and I will pour a cocktail and sit outside and chat… or just listen at all the sounds of the world.

A perfect margarita, for me, is one that hasn’t been messed with. But, I do adore anything with a little kick and this I had my first cilantro drink the other week, and I realized it'd be the perfect addition to a spicy margarita. Now, I know a "perfect margarita" is just tequila, lime and Cointreau, but this is my idea of the perfect margarita: herbal, spicy, savory, tangy and just a little sweet.

Cilantro Jalapeno Margarita

SERVINGS
1 drink (but can easily be multiplied)

GLASSWARE
Rocks glass

INGREDIENTS
2 oz tequila
1 oz lime juice
1/2 oz Cointreau
1 slice jalapeno (with or without seeds, depending on how spicy you'd like it)
5 cilantro leaves

Lime wedge (a used one will do just fine, it just needs some juice in it)
Salt (I used Tajin Clasico with Lime, but Kosher salt works fine)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Pour salt onto a plate. Rub the rim of the glass with the lime wedge and then dip the rim into the salt, spin slowly until rim is lightly coated in salt.

2. Pour tequila, lime juice, Cointreau into a mixing glass, along with the jalapeno and cilantro.

3. Using a muddler, mash the jalapeno and cilantro until it's thoroughly broken up. 

4. Fill rimmed glass with ice and strain drink into the glass.

Mezcal Paloma

The majority of the time, I'm the one who prepares dinner.  It makes sense. I'm home before Eric, I can often get to the store... plus, I enjoy doing it. It's not that he can't cook or that he's not good at it (he's actually very good), it's just become a task that I've taken over. But why not find some time to cook together? The idea has been lingering in my mind ever since I read Ashley's Date Night In, a cookbook featuring recipes and stories from the evenings she and her husband spend preparing dishes. I found the whole thing truly inspiring and at one point even suggested it... but over a year went by gone and we never followed through. A few weeks ago, however, after a particularly hectic week, Eric suggested that we spend our Saturday night at home. The lightbulb flickered on. "Hey, we have all of these cookbooks around. Why don't we make something from one of them?" We pulled out a recent addition to our collection that features authentic Chinese recipes, made a list, went to the store, and cooked up a storm. The food was incredible. Probably the best we've ever made. And we did it together (all while sipping on palomas). This past weekend we did it again, this time going in a more Mediterranean direction: braised octopus, roasted eggplant, whipped goat cheese, and homemade pita (that evening we went with martinis).

The paloma, featured here, is an easy, refreshing drink. Typically it includes tequila, but I like the slightly smoky notes the mezcal provides. A simpler version of the recipe can be made by using grapefruit soda instead of the fresh grapefruit juice, sugar and soda water, but if you have grapefruits on hand, I prefer this method. 

MEZCAL PALOMA

GLASSWARE
Highball or rocks glass

YIELD
1 drink

INGREDIENTS
Kosher salt
1 lime wedge
1/4 ounce lime juice
2 ounces grapefruit juice
2 ounces mezcal (or tequila)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 ounces soda water
1 grapefruit wedge, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
1. To rim the glass, pour salt onto a plate. Rub the rim of the glass with the lime wedge and then dip the rim into the salt, spin slowly until rim is lightly coated in salt.

2. Pour lime juice, grapefruit juice, mezcal and sugar into a glass. Using a spoon, stir until sugar has dissolved. Fill glass with ice cubes and top with soda water.