Back on March 20th we had a winter storm here on the East Coast that left us with a decent amount of heavy, slushy snow. As I was walking carefully to my car that afternoon, I was rendered speechless by two sets of identical tire tracks that were shaped like interlocking hearts. I took a picture of them, and since I do admit to enjoying social media just a little bit, I quickly posted it on Instagram where it received lots of love and a number of comments. In the days that followed, I thought a lot about those hearts and what significance they might eventually have for me. They’d made me happy and hopeful, and since they had appeared on the first day of Spring, which is always connected to new light, new life, and new beginnings, I carried them around in my own heart like a sign sent to me by the universe. What struck me the most about them was how perfectly they had fit. Symmetrically shaped and intertwined, they’d seemed oblivious to how amazing they were, and appeared content to lean in towards one another and just be present and balanced in their moment together. They were gone by morning, along with the spring snow, but they’ll be with me forever.

The term “perfect fit” is part of our everyday rhetoric and is something that we’ve all said and heard many, many times. Van Morrison sings an entire song about it, there are a surprising number of movies named after it, and it’s currently a reality TV show about wedding dresses for curvy brides. What does it mean for something to fit us perfectly? We can start answering this question by thinking about the things in life that really should be a perfect fit. Shoes come to mind right away. If the shoe doesn’t fit, pain will surely follow. Bras are definitely in this same category, as are jeans. Let’s face it, the right bra or a great pair of jeans that really fit well can be life changing. How about the things that never seem to fit quite right? Bowling shoes. Clearly. While we’re on the subject, how about bowling balls? When your fingers actually go in the holes, they usually end up being too close together. It’s one of life’s great mysteries. And then there’s someone else’s baseball glove. If you weren’t the one who broke it in, you’ll never feel quite right being the one who uses it. All of these things have to do with feeling comfortable, with feeling good, and with feeling like you’re able to do better and be more. I have a pair of red heels that really fit me, but I also can’t help smiling from ear to ear when I wear them. I don’t know what they do for anyone else, but they make me feel immensely happy and utterly invincible.

What do we mean then when we describe something a bit more abstract, like a person, as a perfect fit for us? Does it start with attraction and excitement, or does it begin with comfort? Maybe it’s a little bit of both. After all, we want someone who fits us like our most comfortable pair of jeans, but also makes us feel as good as those red heels. As the relationship deepens, we begin to look for symmetry, for compatibility, and for matching values. We measure how balanced we feel, and we acknowledge the weight and importance of consistency. We marvel at how we can be completely oblivious to our surroundings, and the way in which hours go by like minutes, and how much we miss the person as soon as we say good-bye. We listen for that audible click, that moment when we know that all the things we need to take are all the same things the other person wants to give, and vice versa. We begin to consider the idea of longevity, of a future. We nudge it gently and allow it to awaken, without expectations, and without articulating the questions for which there are no current answers. We remain content to lean in and allow it all to unfold at the pace that it requires. Above all else, we trust in signs from the universe. We are amazed. We are comfortable. We are more.

For today’s cocktail, I wanted to go with ingredients that were a perfect fit for one another. I began with tequila, which always works perfectly for me, and paired it with grapefruit juice and Aperol, because of their natural affinity for one another, as well as for the base spirit in this drink. I realized at that point that I was working with a riff on a Naked and Famous, created by Joaquim Simo of Death & Co., and so I needed an herbal component to complete this equal parts equation. I chose to go with Suze because I feel as though it has a bracing quality that echoes the brightness of the grapefruit juice. As a whole, this cocktail was nothing short of amazing, but it was because of the strength and perfect harmony of its parts. They were, indeed, a perfect fit. Cheers everyone. Happy Friday! Who fits you perfectly? Do they know it?

A Perfect Fit

¾ oz Espolon tequila blanco
¾ oz Suze
¾ oz Aperol
¾ oz grapefruit juice

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously until very cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with grapefruit peel and something herbal. Enjoy!