Creativity

Ted has prodded me into another update. I suppose keeping busy has kept me from updating this in quite some time. That and the untimely death of my laptop. At any rate, my phone has essentially become my portal to all things on the interweb as well as communication. I now manage my e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, and Blogger accounts via this phone. Data plans are rad.

Work has been work. I will have been with the Olive Garden for one year come March 10th, marking my longest stint with one employer (among 5). I am making good enough money to pay my bills and enjoy a moderate amount of leisure time. However, after going over my monthly schedules and budgets, it has become alarmingly clear how short of time I have until I leave for boot camp.

At the time of this writing, I have 49 days until Easter, on which day I will leave for the San Antonio MEPS. From there, I will embark for boot camp the next morning on my ship date (April 13th). 49 days seems like a lot. It's actually 7 weeks. One week with my dad and sister in Colorado puts that at 6. Go ahead and subtract the final week for last second preparation and other miscellaneous Navy business, and I'm at 5 weeks of civilian life before I give up the next 6 to 35 years. Compared to my one year with the OG, those numbers seem daunting.

The title of this post, though, deals more with alcohol and less with all of that. The last quality time I had to play with fire water of various types, we had not stocked up on mixers as well as we should have. One bottle of lime juice will only last about 10-15 cocktails before being exhausted, and with that many thirsty college aged people around, the task seemed daunting. So my mind begin to search for a solution. Playing by the recipe books only meant a recipe for disaster in the form of straight shots due to no more mixers. Reducing the quantity in each drink would either hurt the quality or postpone the inevitable. What to do, what to do?

It's elementary, my dear Watson. You must think creatively.

I surveyed the ingredients. Gin, rum, tequila, vodka, whiskey, bourbon whiskey, and scotch. Half a bottle of Rose's lime juice, a full bottle of Rose's grenadine, lots of lemon juoce, a bag of sugar, and about 3/4 liter of triple sec mixer.

Then my mind began to work. Gin, although dry, is based from the junniper berry, and would require a good dosage of sweet mixer or a dry compliment. Rum is already fairly sweet, so small dosages of several mixers could dull the sting for a pleasant concoction. Vodka mixes with anything. Whiskey needs a sidekick for most people. Etc.

Thus the night was saved without anyone braving cops and injury for a bottle of lime juice. The key is to know the liquors. Know what tastes well with what, know how they are made to get a good sense of what flavors would combine well. In the end, you can make a good drink. Like this one:

Carrie's Last Stand
1.5 ounces of nasty $5 vodka
1 ounce of triple sec
.5 ounce of lime juice
.5 ounce of lemon juice

Shaken, strained into a reused red plastic cup, and chugged mercilessly. Named after Carrie, a girl who typically forgets her weekends and who attempts at good bartending are wasted upon.

Cheers