My Love...

I guarantee I will disappoint veritable romantics with my misleading header. Rest assured, you sonnet memorizing would be fawning idealists, a future post will chronicle my love life (I'm lying). For those remaining readers, this post is on my latest fascination: cocktails.

The Southern Staple

Mint Julep. Young writer looking to channel the American classics? At the bottom of your julep cup you may catch Twain reciting his recipe: "First, take the best damn bourbon you can find . . ." Despite my lapse in historical accuracy (the quote above is almost certainly apocryphal), the drink conjures images of graying men, reclined on a whitewashed porch, drinking and dozing themselves back to a simpler time. Their simpler time may have included segregation, but I am modern man hoping to glimmer understanding from a past generation's simple pleasures, regardless of their complex vices. So, pour your way back to those less stressful days. If this libation offers a means to travel back in time (it must be how Twain's Connecticut Yankee arrived in King Arthur's court!), be sure to ask the author for his actual recipe.

The Classic

Martini. Classic tuxedos, beautiful women, dangerous men and Walther PPKs come to mind. If your mental image has yet to materialize, let me offer a helping hand. Differences of opinion endure despite the drink's lengthy history, and Bond's flippant order ("Vodka martini, shaken not stirred.") breaches the two overarching debates. Gin or Vodka? Shaken or stirred? Every would-be mixologist harbors personal preferences (Vodka, not Gin. Stirred, never shaken.), but a universal understanding persists: the martini offers an easy classic for all occasions.

The Long-Dead

The Sidecar. I maintain a secret hope that the motorcycle sidecar's inherent thrill is eponymous for the danger in imbibing a few too many of these sweet drinks. My experiences at Original Joe's, an Italian restaurant reminiscent of the restaurant scene in "The Godfather," demonstrates the decline of this beverage. My order of deep fried oysters and a Sidecar caught the waiter's attention. Apparently, in my server's previous 40 years of experience, both of these orders border on extinction. While the Sidecar no longer holds a position of prominence in the cocktail world, glimmers of its influence persist (See the California Cafe's "American Sidecar.") If you want a means to show bartender your "spirited" knowledge is greater than their own, order a sidecar. Smart money says their response contains some form of "What is in that?!" Enlighten them, and enjoy.

The Two Note Favorite

The Seven and Seven. I am not going to offer a long explanation here. It is simple to make, difficult to truly enjoy, and something both men and women should feel comfortable ordering. Trust me, order this drink at your next visit to the bar. It will not disappoint.

Cocktails are the liquid variation on fine dining. If fruits equate to wine, vegetables to beer, the greatest room for expression, and thus perfection, comes through the combination and manipulation of these two subclasses to create cocktails. With these few recipes in mind, I challenge each reader (all two of you) to experience a bit of "fine dining."

Should you stumble across a recipe you find worthwhile, please share. Who knows, after a drink or two (or ten) the sonnets may flow freely.