One thing that the end of year brings us is a rash of cocktail books. Lovely little volumes filled with clever ideas for us to enjoy at parties or in private. This significant book, Drink Me Now, has a very direct subtitle: 150 Cocktails for Any Emergency. What kind of emergency? Not a car accident or anything intense. No, these are the everyday emergencies that we get through with a “grin and bear” it mentality. Now, however, you can “grin and sip” your way through these bumps in your daily life.
- The chapter titles have a tinge of humor:
- Long Day at the Office
- A Friend in Need
- The Midweek Slump
- Something for the Weekend
- Party Time
- Sweet Fix
- Can’t Go Wrong with a Classic
There are 150 recipes here, some brand new, some variations on classics, and some repackaging of the classics in that last Can’t Go Wrong chapter. The recipes themselves are short, simple and easily put together in just moments. Four to six ingredients with a liberal use of fruits and citrus. [Yes, I know, citrus things are fruits!] Here are some typical ideas:
Fresh Paloma made with fresh grapefruit juice
Long Brush combining vodka, honey, and pomegranate juice
Primrose Fizz with elderflower liqueur, apple juice and champagne
Spice Berry with Captain Morgan Spiced Rum alongside raspberry puree and simple syrup
Storm at Sea blending cranberry juice, pineapple juice and elderflower cordial
These are lovely, lively new ideas that are bright in flavor and color. My favorites in the book? There are two: Watermelon Punch and the Mexican Marshmallow Mocha. The punch has you scoop out a watermelon half, puree the flesh in blender with vodka and lemon juice and simply syrup, and then pour that drink mixture back into the watermelon half. The Mexican Marshmallow Mocha is combo of cocoa powder, Kahlua, coffee, marshmallows and whipped cream. I’m posting that recipe right now. And I’m making it tonight.
Drink Me Now can sound like an order but it really is just a gracious invitation to cocktail nirvana.