old-fashioned

On Sunday afternoon David and I availed ourselves of some free babysitting (thanks, mom!). Our plan was to see Waltz for Bashir, but despite arriving an hour and fifteen minutes early, that, and every film that fit our time frame, was sold out. What were we to do? Drink!

This was Sunday afternoon in the suburbs, though; not a lot of choices. Upon entering the first establishment, the host told us that the kitchen was "getting ready to close." We don't want to eat, we said, would it be alright to have a drink at the bar? "Well...the bartenders are really anxious to close out and go home," was the reply.

Really.

Whatever happened to, "I'm sorry, we're closed."?

So we went to the brewpub next door. Since our plan was now to have an early dinner, a beer would have been too filling. We've been enjoying old-fashioneds at home lately. Did we dare order them, at a bar?

We did.

The first sign that we'd made a mistake came when the bartender procured a shaker. The second, when she poured the drink into a MARTINI GLASS. The third indication was the color; maraschino red, with bits of pulp floating in the glass. The final proof, however, was in the tasting. It tasted like a fiery glass of pulpy bitters. It wasn't a good drink in the wrong glass; it was a bad drink in the wrong glass.

This was a shame, because an old-fashioned couldn't be simpler to make:

Place a sugar cube in an old-fashioned glass.
Douse with 2 dashes of bitters, a teaspoon of water, and muddle.
Add 2 oz bourbon or whiskey, an ice cube or two, and stir gently.
Garnish with a maraschino cherry and orange slice, or, not.

I did not have the heart to send it back, because our bartender was clearly excited to be asked to mix a proper drink rather than pour another beer, and proud of her handiwork. So I drank my medicine, and, it turns out to have been good for me. Because yoga has taught me to look for the good (if not to give up alcohol), the story has a happy ending. First, there was enough booze in the drink to dissolve the edges of my sour mood, and second, because as we sat at the bar, we heard this song, which I hadn't heard in ages. And, a silly video to boot!