I’ve been home alone for two solid days now. Yesterday, I went outside to walk to my neighbor’s house to pick up a dozen eggs from her and had a bit of social interaction. I continued walking for the exercise, although the weather saw fit to remind us that it’s still winter in north Idaho, and blew bitterly at me. I ran into another neighbor and she told me all about how she wasn’t worried about the virus because “it’s just a virus,” even though her husband is a flight nurse and brings everything home to her. I told her I was trying to avoid it because I’m trying not to die and she looked slightly sheepish. I called my mom and my brother. I spoke to my DH in the evening. I wrote, I folded laundry, I fed the cats and played with them. I did some online shopping even though I’m trying to resist.
We were supposed to go to Arizona for spring training next week, and then the Grand Canyon and Arches. We were supposed to be with our oldest daughter for her 30th birthday. I know that these complaints are trivial compared to what has happened elsewhere and what will happen here, nevertheless they are disappointments. And the contrast of the dull solitude of gray March days vs planning for a stimulating jaunt in bright sunshine is depressing. I don’t do well when I’m not busy.
The cocktail snobs out there might groan, but if you read to the end of this post, (or just scroll, I don’t care) you will find my personal home recipe for this most delicious of all cocktails, the one I turn to when I just want my favorite thing, not adventure. I told my husband very seriously, that when my death becomes inevitable and I want to end it quickly without going through the slow agony of waiting for the end, I’m going to grab a large handful of opioids and wash them down with my last old fashioned.
In those magical times when I watched Mad Men for the first time, when Jon Hamm was new to me, I tried my first old fashioned, inspired by Don Draper’s bad behavior and handsome nonchalance. The first time I made it it was fairly traditional. Then I learned that bourbon, bitters and sweet were the parts that led to the transcendent sum and I combined my favorite flavors to create even more deliciousness.
On my way to my dad’s funeral, in August of 2016, we met our son, our middle child, at the Denver airport, and I sent him to the bar to get us drinks. The old fashioned that he brought me was a disaster of maraschino cherries and orange slices, floating in a fish bowl sized goblet of brownish simple syrup and ice that smelled faintly of bourbon. It was undrinkable. I have since learned to be very specific about this drink when I order it out.
Should you want a very basic and traditional old fashioned, you can find it here https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drinks/recipes/a3880/old-fashioned-drink-recipe/
It will be delicious.
Here is the recipe from my kitchen.
2 oz bourbon. I like Knob Creek
1/2 tsp maple syrup
1/2 orange slice with peel
2-4 dashes of bitters
2 Tillen Farms Merry Maraschino Cherries
A splash of soda
A tiny splash of syrup from the cherry bottle, optional
Large ice cube if you have it or whatever ice you have
Put on a pencil skirt, heels and your best retro lipstick, or a charcoal suit and a skinny tie. Load an early episode of Mad Med on Netflix. Mix the maple syrup and the bitters in an old fashioned glass. Twist the orange slice over them to release some oils and drop the slice in the glass. Pour in the bourbon, stir, add the ice, stir to chill, add the soda and cherries,and optional cherry syrup if you want it. Hearken back to the Eisenhower administration, when Republicans believed that the government could and should provide safety and opportunity, and sip the taste of nostalgia, leaving a lipstick stain on the glass.
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