Month: March 2020

Exit Strategy

Exit Strategy

Forget MAGA, we need MANA, Make America Normal Again. That desire likely accounts for a lot of the support that has gone to Joe Biden. That desire for normalcy was already strong before the Corona Virus, but now with so much of the country shut down to flatten the curve of new cases, such as New jersey’s Go the Fuck Home and Stay There Order from the Governor, the strains of social distancing are really starting to show as people look for an escape.

The biggest strain is coming from Trump’s desire to go golfing. Since the shutdowns and social distancing is interfering with that, he now wants everything to open up again by Easter. The medical community advises that would be disastrous, but the Trump Cult (one-time “pro-life” Republicans) says the deaths of older people is a sacrifice worth an improving stock market as we head toward the election. Trump has the wrong exit strategy. Instead, make an Exit Strategy cocktail, and dream of sitting in the ballpark with an Old Style beer in your hand, the warmth of the sun on your face as you hear the crowd roar as Kris Bryant sends another ball into the Wrigley Field bleachers.

The Exit Strategy comes via Kara Newman’s great book Nightcap, a cocktail from Natasha David at Nitecap in New York. It is:

1.5 oz Amaro Nonino

.75 oz brandy

.25 oz Meletti Amaro

pinch of kosher salt

orange peel for garnish

stir, strain onto a large cube in an Old Fashioned glass

Cheers!

Endeavor to Persevere

Perseverance

Local and state governments are putting large parts of the country on lockdown. Who knew that being stuck in the house could be so tiring. With no end in sight, it is getting hard to look on the bright side of life. But my inner Terry Jones reminds me I have a fully stocked bar and lots of movie channels, so I shall endeavor to persevere. I have not reached the point where I miss the NJ Transit commute yet, but I can see that day coming. At least Gov. Murphy has allowed us to go out and take walks while practicing appropriate social distancing. That should help keep a level of sanity.

While our “leaders” in Washington look for ways to prop up stock prices, make yourself a Perseverance cocktail, because we may be here a while. Via Kindred Cocktail, the Perseverance is:

2 oz rye

.5 oz Ramazzotti

.5 oz Dubonnet Rouge

.5 oz sweet vermouth

2 dashes orange bitters

Stir over ice, strain over a large cube in a rocks glass, garnish with an orange twist.

Cheers! Stay safe!

Stupid and Contagious

Home range

I am by nature rebellious and insubordinate (my Army personnel file would confirm that), and it is not simply because I’m Gen X. But Gen X is also nothing if not pragmatic, with a “whatever it takes” attitude, (it’s time to do what they tell ya!) so the images from Florida of Spring Breakers gathering in large numbers in a state full of old people, or hitting the bars in NYC (endangering some of my favorite bartenders), got me a bit pissed off. There are some older and immuno-compromised folks I’d like to keep around a while longer.

Even Moronavirus Patient Zero in the White House may be starting to grasp how serious this is (but probably not) and the need for social distancing. Now that state and local governments are closing bars and restaurants, and setting curfews, you’ll need to do your drinking at home. Hopefully, while you were stocking up on toilet paper and canned goods, you made a stop by your liquor store. Gen X did, because we drink and we know things. While you’re doing your drinking from home, don’t forget to pay attention to what Cheeto Mussolini is trying to slip through while we’re distracted, like helping Putin and abandoning prosecution of the Russians Mueller found to have interfered in the 2016 election.

As you stay home to work on your home bartending skills, try the Home on the Range cocktail. Via Kindred Cocktails, The Home on the Range comes from the 1945 Crosby Gaige’s Cocktail Guide. And it’s worth keeping in mind how sacrificing for the good of the country in 1945 meant a lot more than staying home on the couch and watching NetFlix.

See you at the bar in a couple months when we get through this.

The Home on the Range is:

2 oz rye

.5 oz Cointreau

.5 oz sweet vermouth

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Stir and strain into an Old Fashioned glass over a larger cube, garnish with an orange twist. (If you don’t have these ingredients but do have more than three rolls of toilet paper per person in the house, you need to rethink your priorities.)

Cheers!

The Getaway

Escape Hatch

Even before the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020 was shaping up to be a pretty crazy year, we could all use a vacation by now. Of course with all the social distancing and cancellations of cultural and sporting events that draw any sizable number of people together, it will be hard to take a break.

Going out for dinner or a drink has even become taboo. Despite the fact that my favorite NYC bars (Amor Y Amargo and Blue Quarter) are small, and could never physically be accused of holding a mass gathering, my home bar will be my watering hole for the Duration. Air travel is certainly too risky right now, and don’t even think about taking a cruise, we’ll have to find our escapes where we can.

If we had an accurate picture of where the Corona virus is, it would be easier to avoid it while searching for our escape. Trump, however, is still getting his taxpayer-funded trips to Mar-a-lago for golf, but he keeps running into COVID-19 infected people there. While we have no baseball, hockey or March Madness to watch, Trump has his golf escape hatch while his pals in the shale oil industry who are hurting in the price war between Trump buddies in Russia and Saudi Arabia will get a Corona virus related bailout. We just have to stay healthy enough until Jared figures it all out like he did Mideast peace.

In the meantime, create your own Escape Hatch. The Escape Hatch cocktail via Kindred Cocktail is:

1. 66 oz Bombay Gin

.5 oz Lychee liqueur

.5 oz Cointreau (triple sec)

.66 oz lime juice

Shake over ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with an orange twist

Cheers!