Brews You Can Use
Whew. The holidays come to a close. There are lots of downsides to leaving childhood, but this time of year isn't one of them. When I was a kid, I'd have the post-holiday blues. As an adult with a frantic need for down time, I have the post-holiday shrug. I like the holidays, but I also like to get back to normal and a modicum of relaxation.
I also like getting back to a modicum of sobriety. At this juncture, I'm seriously entertaining the thought of never drinking again. That won't happen, of course. Lots of reasons: (1) I'll get the itch; (2) Social commitments that can't be handled deftly without a buzz; (3) Expectations from friends and family; (4) I don't want Marie to set me on fire:
A 46-year-old Arizona woman faces charges of aggravated assault and criminal damage after she allegedly tried to set her boyfriend on fire. Kathy Jones was drinking to celebrate her new job at Subway. Jones reportedly told police officers she'd been drinking rum, and Smirnoff ice.
She invited her boyfriend to join her, and he declined. Jones allegedly squirted lighter fluid all over the man, and threw lit matches at him. Link.
A fifth reason: I got a lot of gin for Christmas, including a bottle of Hendrick's Midsummer Solstice, which "kills it" in all the reviews. Sample:
Hendrick's Midsummer Solstice Gin is the upscale answer to the Pink Gin fad. Any drink that people have been enjoying with a pink fruity gin can easily swap in Hendrick's Midsummer Solstice Gin and you'll have a lovely floral gin and tonic or martini without the garish pink color.
I know that floral/fruit-forward gins have a lot of fans, but the overt pink hue might make drinkers self-conscious.
I think this has great mixing potential with citrus, as well as other floral, fruity gin drinks. Try a Tom Collins, Gimlet or a delicious Gin Bramble.
A sixth reason: My eldest son, Alex, got engaged last week, so it's time to open the bottle of Monkey 47 gin he bought me a few years ago.
Monkey 47 is a bit of an outlier. Bartenders often reach for a classic London Dry, or a local American brand; this German-made gin is neither. Gins are distilled with flavor-rich botanicals, which generally number 12 or fewer; Monkey 47 uses an incredible, wait for it, forty-seven. Most gins in the States are sold in standard 750ml bottles; Monkey 47 generally comes in a dainty 375ml, which retails up around $40 or above.
But there's a reason that bartenders go nuts for the stuff. The array of botanicals is unmatched – from traditional juniper and lavender, to fresh citrus peel and lingonberry, to wildly unusual ingredients like spruce shoots and bramble leaves foraged from the Black Forest, where the distillery is located.
So it would seem teetotaling sobriety will have to wait at least a few more days.
Have a great 2020.
