I’ve been out cruising the backroads most of the day and I enjoyed that immensely. I don’t get out much these days so a full day on the road was a bit of excitement for me. I got to go all the way to Celina on backroads in no particular hurry, listening to my music with the sunroof open and I didn’t have to use my AK. It was a good day. So in the spirit of a slightly different kind of cruising won’t you please join me as we stand and make the Avenue Scotch Cocktail. 

The first thing you need to know is that the Avenue Scotch Cocktail is not the Avenue cocktail. As it turns out I was thinking of the non scotch version which is a whiskey apple brandy thing. You know how you kind of go on autopilot sometimes? That’s what I did here. I was thinking about the Avenue but I looked up the Avenue Scotch Cocktail and just went right along making that, fully aware that this was a very different drink from what I had planned. Guess we could take it as a cautionary tale against just following orders or going along with whatever they tell you instead of doing your own research. Anyway, let’s make the wrong drink.

Grab your tins and pop in 1 1//2 ounces of scotch, I went with Dewar’s Blended after considering a couple of other much more interesting options. To that add 1/2 an ounce of ginger simple syrup, 3/4 of an ounce of fresh squeezed lime juice and 1/4 ounce of passion fruit purée. Add ice and shake to the beat of “Been Here Before“ by Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. If you aren’t rocking the Kingfish, get with the program. He’s all kinds of awesome, especially on a pretty fall day cruising through the hills with the sunroof open. When your tins are frosting up, double strain into a chilled Nick & Nora and garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel. 

So, it’s not what I expected, which makes sense considering I literally made the wrong drink. That said, this one is not as good as I had hoped. It’s not bad but it is pretty sweet and that passion fruit dominates. Had I chosen a more present scotch, like a smoky Islay, I think it would have gone better. Yeah, smokier scotch and back off the passion fruit. Laura loved it for the same reason I didn’t, cause it is sweet. 

What can I say, I messed up. At least I can admit I made a mistake. Not only made a mistake, but leaned into it. A lot of folks would have just made the right drink and acted like nothing happened, but I figure mistakes are a part of the process and why not admit it when you go down the wrong path. We’ve all done it. If I live through the night, I’m gonna do it again. That’s life, living, learning, owning your mistakes right along with your successes. I wish it had gone better, but it didn’t, suck it up, move on and be better next time. Stay safe, stay hydrated and stay sane, my friends.