Violets

Being that I have failed miserably in my attempts at sobriety, I thought I might as well go off the wagon in style. Floral drinks are all the rage, I hear, and there are violets springing up everywhere. Why not forgo the expensive liquers and simply shake the hell out of fresh flowers with ice, nice gin, lemon juice and a little simple syrup? Or better yet, make a violet simple syrup? The Blue Gimlet? The Fairy Gimlet? Whatever I wind up calling it, I like it!

No-Fun February

Alcohol never looked so good. We are abstaining for the month, as we try to every year, and it always leaves me flat.
Supposedly, it's better for you not to drink. You don't get liver damage, your immunity is higher, your skin less wrinkled, and you aren't as confrontational. I don't know about all that. It feels terrible to me.
What do sober people do for fun? Food is ruined. The magic of a great meal truly lies in the interactions of the victuals and the alcohol. Champagne as an apertif gets you ready for dinner, red wine eases it down, and a good shot after makes digestion a snap. Yoga helps me relax, but not as quickly as a nice cocktail. Life seems longer without booze, but much narrower.
Sure, you're saying to yourself, that's the addiction talking. Maybe so, but I wager that if I were to quit forever, not a day would go by that I wouldn't have rather had a drink.