The startling news of yesterday was that several senators warned wealthy constituents of the severity of the pandemic before telling the public, and sold off stock holdings, converting them to stock in companies that provide telecommuting services. This was a week before the big crash. When my mind goes to its most conspiratorial thoughts, I wonder if this was market manipulation. Maybe not. But people who had inside knowledge are profiting off of the crisis, you can be sure.
We went for a drive that included a trip to Costco. I mostly sat in the car and gave DH hand sanitizer (which he hates) as soon as he returned from each errand.
In the evening we went for a walk. It was the first day of spring. The western sun made the windows of the old red barn across the street from out house glow golden. The winter wheat is washing the hills with green. The birds were sparse, but a song sparrow vocalized from the shrubs along the creek. Even though it was a spring evening my mind turned to thoughts of summer.
When I think of summer, I think of raspberries whose flavor captures the essence of summer for me. And I think of my favorite rose bush, the one I grew from a cutting that I took from the old farmhouse we lived in when the kids were tiny. It is an unknown old variety that blooms once each summer and has a heady old rose fragrance. I make a tincture from its petals to flavor drinks and pastries.
The first time I had a pastry flavored with raspberries and roses, I was visiting my oldest daughter during her year abroad in Paris. She took me to Laduree. I had never heard of a macaron before. We sat in the tea room ant I ate a napoleon flavored with raspberry and rose water, and drank orange blossom tea. Later, I made a birthday cake for my youngest with those same flavors.
This drink is called a Red Barn because, in a Proustian way, that barn brings up all of those memories for me.
St. George Spirits, a distillery in Alameda, California, makes a raspberry liqueur that is the richest, most concentrated and wonderful raspberry liqueur that I have ever tasted. Use it if you can, or substitute Framboise, or even raspberry syrup. Alternatively, you could make a syrup from frozen berries, if you have them.
Dryfly Vodka is an award winning vodka made from Palouse wheat. You can use any vodka, but I like including something local in this recipe.
In the bottom of a tall glass muddle 1/4 cup fresh or frozen thawed raspberries with 1 teaspoon of sugar. Add ice cubes, 1 1/2 ounces of Dryfly vodka or whatever you have on hand, 1/4 cup of St George raspberry liqueur or a substitute, 1-2 teaspoons of rose tincture, or another rose flavoring and top with sparkling water or club soda. Stir to blend. Sit on the front stoop and look at the view across the street, whatever it is. Wave at someone from 6 feet away. Enjoy the essence of summer in a glass.
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