Friday Musings: Now that’s a first!
When you’re a parent you experience lots of firsts with your children. There are the ones that you totally anticipate: first steps, first words, first day of school. These are wonderfully warm and fuzzy moments that fill your heart with joy and remind you why you wanted to have kids in the first place. You feel as those your heart will burst. Then there are those firsts that are a bit more unexpected: you open your eyes in the middle of the night and find a toddler staring at you, just inches from your nose. It takes everything you have not to scream out loud. You feel as though your heart may have stopped. Or how about the first time your teenager drives away alone in the car? You don’t know what your heart is doing because you can’t find it. It seems to have fallen down near your feet somewhere.
And then there are those firsts that just feel strange: you’re heading out to buy some obscure ingredient that Thirsty Camel told you about and your 22-year-old son says, “I’ll come too – I have to grab something for the party tonight.” Weird, right? This happened to me not long ago when I found myself driving to the liquor store with my youngest son all the while wondering what he could possibly be planning to buy. I know which of my cocktails he likes at home, but I doubted that Hendrick’s gin, St. Germain, and Fever Tree tonic were on his list. I’m thinking a middle of the road whiskey to make whiskey gingers, or maybe a rum for rum and cokes. Or maybe just a good craft beer. Knowing what a purist I am when it comes to alcohol, it’s impossible that he could be anything but the same. Or is it? When I get to the register he’s already checked out. “What’d you buy?” “Just something.” Oh boy. When I finally wrestle the bag away from him in the car, I discover some hideous concoction in a bottle that claims to be a Long Island Iced Tea. Oh the horror.
I will tell you that I haven’t missed an opportunity in the last couple of months to remind him how disappointed I was in his beverage choice that day. Truth be told, I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of it and it’s been quite entertaining. He gives it right back though by leaving empty bottles in the fridge to let me know that this transgression is still going on. Last week when I was doing my photo shoot for my Thursday Barlogue about Gorshin Trading Post, I was excited to discover that the Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. makes a sweet tea syrup, an ingredient in their recipe for a Long Island Iced Tea found on their website! Now I could convince Connor that there was a truly superior cocktail he could try. I had it ready for him when he got home from work tonight. He took a few sips, looked at me and said, “Wow Mom, you were right.” Now that’s a first!
Seven Island Iced Tea (from Jeff Bell of the NYC speakeasy PDT)
1.5 ounces Mount Gay Barbadoes Rum*
.75 ounces Jack Rudy Sweet Tea Syrup**
.50 ounces fresh lemon juice
.50 ounces Cocchi Americano
5 drops Bittermen’s Elemakule Tiki Bitters***
Place all the ingredients in the bottom half of a shaker tin. Add your 1 large cube and 2 small and shake vigorously for about 15 seconds or until very cold. If you don’t have the large format cubes on hand, just fill the shaker 2/3 full with regular ice. Top with 1 ounce of a good quality club soda like Fever Tree or Q and garnish with a lemon twist.
*The Jack Rudy recipe calls for Banks Golden Age Rum.
**Purchased at Gorshin Trading Post.
***Found these on Amazon!
Have a great weekend everyone! See you on Monday when we’ll be talking about Vodka!!