Bottom Line You can probably make this with whatever you have in the fridge and on the bar, and it's good.
Have you been drinking more lately? We have.
This foray into work from home has really had me thinking about our alcohol consumption. I don't drink most weeknights, because getting up at 5:45am and facing 36 emotional 7th graders is IMPOSSIBLE if I am even slightly hungover. I'm talking "I had more than one glass of wine and I'm a little less functional than usual" baby light hangover - these kinds are impossible to deal with above age 25 when in front of 7th graders. So, here I am in this new reality, where, if I want to "get a jump start" on my day I get up at 7:30am, almost a full two hours after I regularly would, and where I can literally mute children on google meet or zoom or whatever my school network decides we should use today. It is NOTHING like teaching in real life, and so much more chill.
Disclaimer: I don't want anyone walking away thinking that this whole online distance learning thing is easy or fun. It is not. I miss my students tremendously; it's hard to picture what I'm working so hard for from my couch. I miss their humor and grace, which are so much harder to feel via google classroom. But, honestly, there are some upsides that I'm grateful for. First, I have a super stable and secure job that comes with health insurance. A literal third of the country can't say that right now. Second, I am getting so. much. more. sleep. It's insane. Third, only dealing with 3-5 students at a time is like a breath of fresh air. My class size has been no less than 30 and upwards of 39 in the past 5 years, and I these small groupings and one on one time with kids are fantastic. It is my hope that we evolve after this forced period of innovation - and class size is something I hope we prioritize.
Digression aside, because of how much different work has been for me, I've found myself drinking a bit more. This has been fun. I've enjoyed some super dry ciders, a glass of limestone-y Chardonnay from our friend Steph, and experimented with cocktails. It's like cooking, but drinkable (and not a smoothie or baby food). We've mostly played around with the coffee gin discovery of our honeymoon, but one night, when the coffee coffer was dry, and I felt inspired by Al Culliton of Bon Appétit I ended up with a delicious bourbon and blackberry jam concoction. After a few rounds of refining, I've landed at an awesome happy hour cocktail to signal the end of my work week. It's sweet and tart from the jam, rich and woody from the bourbon, and bright and bubbly from the lemon and seltzer. The best part about it, you more likely than not have all the ingredients in your kitchen already.
So, cheers. Because during quarantine, a new cocktail is keeping us all going.
Ruth approves.