“He drinks you know.”
I’m sure that’s what the neighbors say behind my back. Oh well. It’s not defamatory if it’s true. I confess I do enjoy a cocktail from time to time. I only drink for medicinal purposes, mind you, and only on special occasions; weddings, the anniversary of Stonewall, success in the World Cup, ……days ending in ‘y’.
The drink it not as orange as it looks. The glass is orange where the stem connects.
I wouldn’t say I have a particular drink. It varies with my mood. I dislike most variations of whiskey; scotch, bourbon, etc. My tastes run more toward what Madame Arcati referred to as “concoctions”. Rum. vodka, gin, NyQuil, sterno; are all good. They can be mixed with things to create interesting tastes. Then all I need to do is pour it in a cocoanut shell, add a fruit garnish, an umbrella, and possibly a sparkler, and I am ready to face enjoy the afternoon.
One cocktail that I do enjoy, from time to time, is the Cosmopolitan. I am a little fussy about my Cosmos however. I like them with just enough cranberry to make them the palest of pinks. If I order one in a bar or restaurant and it arrives bright red, looking like Kool-Aid, I am unhappy. Oh sure, I’ll choke it down rather than making a scene. That’s only polite. I might order a second one just to give the bartender another chance to get it right. That’s fair. I think it’s what Jesus would do. But if the second one arrives the same color I’m disappointed. I might be so disappointed I need to drown my sorrows with a third.
Harper’s Other Dad recently bought some of the Scottish soft-drink Irn-Bru. I had the inspiration to see what a Cosmo would be like made with Irn-Bru instead of cranberry. I found a recipe for a classic Cosmo in the Mixology app:
1.25 oz. Vodka
.25 oz. Triple Sec
.25 oz. Lime juice
.25 oz. cranberry
I replaced the cranberry with an equal amount of Irn-Bru and reduced the amount of lime juice.
It wasn’t awful. But, on the whole, I would call it a failed experiment. It is not something I am likely to make again. On the other hand, Harper’s Other Dad liked it quite a lot. My theory is he will drink anything with Irn-Bru in it but I could be wrong. Who knows? It may make another appearance sometime before the Irn-Bru runs out.
Harper's Valley 
nope, sassybear would NEVER make a cosmo with irn-bru. irn-bru looks like orange soda, of which I am NOT a fan. gimme a real cosmo or a gin-n-tonic (no rubbish) and I am happier than a pig in mud! oink oink!
Well you know, ‘nothing ventured….’ and all that. I share your fondness of the a good G&T. I am not a fan of straight gin but a good gin and a good tonic (no rubbish 2X) brightens any day
The inconsistency of mixed drinks is one of the factors in being beer and wine guy. It is hard to fuck up either of the latter.
I do have an affinity for Sangria though. However a bartender friend makes a heavenly sangria – she selects the best wine, triple sec, etc. They go down nice and smooth and a couple will knock you on your ass. The way a drink should!
But I made the mistake of ordering one in a chain Mexican place – it had RUM in it. Rum is of course my downfall.
I have seen a number of recipes for Sangria that include spirits to boost the alcohol content though I have never done it.
You know who sells a surprising good sangria? Target. They sell both red and white sangria in their boxed wines and it is actually quite decent. We just add fruit.
Interesting. My experience with boxed wines has been pretty bad. Most recent was a Bota Box. That shit was nasty. It’s the kind of thing you get drunk on good stuff first then drink that one.
And one wine I cannot drink is Yellowtail. In fact a number of friend also abhor that one.
Oh and around here – the big boxes and supermarkets aren’t allowed to sell alcoholic beverages.
I am sure the neighbours would never say that you drink behind your back. You being the image of sobriety. With your talents to mix cocktails you could well become the best Pool Party Host in Phoenix.
If the neighbours are going to talk I think Dr.Spo should be the one to worry, you know with all those funny imported drinks he buys, well I think the Tea Party is on to him.
After today’s SCOTUS rulings I think the Tea Party is on to us all. On the other hand it certainly gives one a reason to drink. There’s the silver lining
I know this is a sad day.
🍹🍷🍸I too have a pharmacopeia of drink preferences, and find a libation keeps me young🍻👵or at least happy😉
practically a health food!
Isn’t Arizona law something like: cocktail research done within the privacy of one’s own home is OK. One should just not do it in the middle of the street where it could frighten the horses!
That’s pretty much it. We aren’t allowed to do anything that would frighten horses…or the people at Hobby Lobby
That’s an image I like – Jesus ordering a second cosmo. And why stop there? Another….. and another…… till he’s writhing on the floor – and puking. Well, he was only human, wasn’t he?
Well that touched a nerve, I see 🙂
More the funny bone than a nerve, H.K. (We likes to be irreverent now and again, just to annoy a certain section.)
Nothing wrong with tossing one back in the evening or when ever the mood strikes.
Try replacing the Triple Sec with Cointreau and skip the Irn-Bru or the cranberry. Just a drop for color if you must.
Intriguingly, I have substituted Cointreau for Triple Sec making margarita but never thought of it for Cosmo. There does need to be a drop of something for me. I don’t enjoy the fully saturated, Kool-Aid color but there needs to be a little color or it wouldn’t feel like a cocktail.
This experiment notwithstanding, Cosmos are something we rarely make at home.
The thing about cosmos: you like them the way you like them. I used to like them red as Kool-Aid, now I’m more favorable to the way you like them, with maybe a hair more cranberry. I’ll Make you a blood orange Cosmo the next time I’m fortunate to cross your path.
I’ll look forward to that. There is a pub we go to sometimes that makes blood orange margarita that is quite tastey.
And thanks for checking out Harper’s Valley. I appreciate it
I love your droll humor 🙂