It's Friday evening and I am exhausted. I've made myself a drink and I plan to be French for an hour (snacking on French bread and smelly, smelly cheese) while I fix myself some dinner (shepherd's pie). I wish you a wonderful holiday weekend (if you're lucky enough to have Columbus Day off). See you next week!
The Gimlet
Not exactly a menu for one, but it is a drink for one, and a simple one at that. For those of you who are new to mixing your own drinks, the is a great one to start with. What you'll need:
- Gin (2 oz., approx. 1/2 c.) My local liquor store recommended Broker's Premium London Dry Gin as a nice, inexpensive gin. Plus, the bottle has a little bowler hat on it, just like Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins. Geez, I am such a sucker for packaging.
- Lime juice (1/2 oz.) My brother (who has bartending experience) explained that nowadays, gimlets are made with a blend of fresh lime juice and Rose's Lime Juice. Today, I just used the fresh stuff, producing a slightly less sweet version of what you might be served at a bar.
Place the gin and lime juice in a large glass filled with ice and shake James Bond style, then strain over a glass. I think gimlets are traditionally served straight up in chilled martini glasses, but I don't own any. Any glass will be just fine. Turn on Stan Getz's The Girl From Ipanema and enjoy.
* Interestingly, I hear that if you top it off with a little bit of soda a gimlet becomes a gimblet, greying, in my opinion, the line separating the concoction from a gin and tonic.
