I think it’s fairly common to think of love in terms of analogies. Writers, poets, and song lyricists do it all the time. I’m particularly fond of comparisons, like those I made over the summer in the Parallel Tracks and Head-On Collision posts that talked about the different ways in which relationships begin. I found myself thinking about love recently in terms of clothing. Strange, you think? Maybe. But hear me out. Some loves are like that fabulous black dress that you wear on New Year’s Eve. It’s tight and short and strapless, and with the shoes, bag, and stockings to match, you feel absolutely amazing in it. You are the greatest thing since sliced bread. And when you’re wearing that dress, your heart beats faster, and you think that you want to feel that way all the time. But there are some issues with that, right? First of all, let’s be honest, you can’t wait to get home and take off those shoes. Your feet could care less about how great you look, they’re focused on how long they have to wait before slipping themselves into your fuzziest socks from Target, hopefully in a ridiculous color or animal print. Secondly, although you had a few moments throughout the night when you caught a glimpse of yourself and thought “Wow!” you had just as many when you asked “Who the hell is that?” The idea that this dress makes you feel a bit unlike yourself has definitely crossed your mind. And, once again in the interest of honesty, this dress is demanding. You have to pull it up every time you stand in as ladylike a manner as possible, or you’ll suddenly find yourself the center of attention. You have to pull it down every time you sit, or a similar consequence will ensue. You had better be standing up straight, or you’re going to look all slouchy and sloppy, and don’t even think about eating, or you will run the risk of having the dreaded pooch appear, causing the Spanx you’re wearing to shift into overdrive. A dangerous thought since it’s already compromising your ability to breathe and the blood supply to your legs. Long story short, should love be this hard? Probably not.

Now, on the flip side of the little black dress, there is your favorite pair of jeans. You put them on and everything is right with the world. They hug you just the way they are supposed to, there’s no need to pull them up or down, and there are no accessories required. And thankfully, no Spanx either. Maybe they are your tightest pair, or maybe they’re not, but that’s the beautiful thing here. They make you feel like the best version of yourself. And you can wear them often. They can adapt, no matter what the situation. You can dress them up with boots or high heels and look bad-ass sexy, or you can throw on a pair of Converse or flip-flops and be totally casual. Either way, you are you. Completely, inarguably, 100% you. But should love really be a pair of jeans, you ask?? Listen, when all is said and done, we all think about the little black dress. We’ve all had one that makes our hearts beat faster, sometimes uncontrollably so. We have a hard time letting it go. It hangs in the closet and mocks us. Even if we shove it all the way in the back, we can’t fight glancing in its direction every time we open the door. Donate it. Take it to Goodwill. Or wrap it up and put it in a box until you’re ready to do either of those things. And then go find your favorite pair of jeans. Love shouldn’t be that hard. It shouldn’t demand things from us that make us feel upset or uncomfortable. It shouldn’t require accessories to look exactly right. And it should never, EVER, make us feel like anyone other than who we really are. It should feel like home.

For today’s cocktail, I went with a combination of some of my favorite things. I started with a base of Del Maguey mezcal, just because I love its smokiness so much, which I combined with Licor 43 and its spicy combination of vanilla, herbs, and citrus. Next I added some grapefruit juice, simple syrup, and DRAM black bitters. These flavors together conjured up things that truly made me feel warm, comfortable, and loved. And yes, I do believe a cocktail can make you feel loved, especially when just the right person makes it for you. Go ahead, insert the winky emoji here, or the Swiss cheese if you think that’s more appropriate. Cheers everyone. Have a wonderful weekend! I hope you get to spend some time with your favorite pair of jeans.

Your Favorite Jeans

2 oz Del Maguey Chichicapa mezcal
½ oz Licor 43
¾ oz grapefruit juice
¾ oz vanilla simple syrup*
1 dash DRAM black bitters

Shake everything over ice and double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist. Enjoy!

*Make your simple syrup using the standard 1:1 ratio. While it’s cooling, add a vanilla bean split lengthwise. Remove it and keep in the fridge in a Mason jar for 2 weeks or so.