Dirt Never Sleeps

Man! Cleaning again. I just go round and round in this little house. Catch up on the laundry only to find that the dust cropped up under the couch again. Clean the dishes, and the sheets need a 'changing. It's enough to keep me on the edge of crazy! I do love a tidy home, but for just one day, can the dirt take a break?!#
  Ah well, it's my new hobby. Cleaning. I need to remember that when I signed up for this Homemaker shit, I joined the cleaning club. When I'm done folding that laundry pile, I'm gonna go buy some beer and start in on the boys' room. What a hole that is. It is all worthwhile for that moment when you manage to catch the monkey for just a second, (before the debris hits the floor, and the beds rumple) and sit on the couch amidst all that domestic perfection, and just be. That is my drug.

Friday Night Splurge

     I splurged on a bottle of De Chanceny Cremant de Loire Rose Brut for Friday night! It was only $16, but I don't usually go over 12. I read an article about how $20 was the magic number with wines; that good wines can be more cheap, but at 20, you can be really inspired. I hate that this is becoming apparent to me! As soon as you get into something, you're no longer satisfied with the baseline. I think it's also true, that you might find terrible wines for $20. Either way, I won't be able to test this theory until my income rises significantly, at which point I will probably drink $50 bottles of wine. I'll just look forward happily to my sweet $16!
    I have a weakness for sparkly pink things, and I think it will go well with Chile Rellenos a la Locomotive, with Arroz Verde. Another dinner the kids will hate... oh well, more for me!

Brandy is Dandy

Gosh, where have I been all my life? I am just now being initiated into the world of brandy. It's a wide world, seemingly. From what I can discern, most liqeurs are brandies, and then you have the Armagnac, cognac, Pisco and my favorite, Calvados. A brandy is a distilled wine, or distillate of fermented fruits such as apples, pears, berries, etc.
Brandy has been around for almost as long as wine. It is a handy method of preserving wines, and honing them down to their essence. The spirit has been used medicinally, and also put to great effect in the culinary world. I first fell for Armagnac in Lee Zucker's dynamite Armagnac cake; a spice cake soaked in the famous brandy from northern France. Delicious. Yet, even more satisfying is a nice shot of Calvados, a double distilled apple brandy, also from northern France. This stuff is serious: 80 proof, with a rich flavor, a smooth mouth feel, and insight into the heart of the apple.
I'm not sure why brandy is so overlooked in this country. Aside from black people, and some high fallutin' types, I hardly ever sell much at my bar. I hope this is isn't taken as racist, but I've noticed that black folks love Cognac, and it appears in many rap songs. It is also huge in Asia, and Europe, as an after dinner drink. The Europeans prefer theirs warm, while the Asians drink it on the rocks. Maybe Americans just need to be educated. It makes a great mixer, or a simply wonderful way to close a meal.

Ah, whiskey...

On St. Paddy's Day, I look back on my love affair with whiskey, as I sip a Jamison's neat with a beer back.
I forget how I first fell for her, that firey gab water. My father's always drunk it, but he didn't introduce me. Maybe it was hanging out with Kelani and her Maker's. It's just that, for some time now, I've loved the buzz and convivial spirit that a nice whiskey gives.
The Irish whiskeys are so pure and bracing, like a lonely moor. The Scotch a touch hoarier, with highland bite and peaty crunch. In the Canadian blends I find a calm, open smoothness.
I don't care what kind you hand me, Manhattan, Old-Fashioned or neat. Just let the whiskey flow, with good people, good music and eats.

Vermouth

When I misguidedly tried to abstain from drink, I had none in the house. Except, that is, for the vermouth.
I have always looked down on vermouth, and seen it as a culinary spirit, not fit for drink. In the league with marsala and sherry, it sat, dusty on the rack, to occasionally freshen a saute, or deglaze.
I pulled it down. It was a good brand, as expensive as the wines I drink. It recommended itself as a "long drink over ice". I poured it half and half with lemon soda water and a twist, over ice. So nice. Clean. Crisp. Refreshing. A wonderful bridge from afternoon to evening.

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.