We haven’t done a brunch drink in a while, so that’s where we are going today. The wife surprised us this morning with some avocado toast, yeah, we are kinda bougie like that sometimes. This one would have actually been more appropriate yesterday when the boy harangued her into French Toast, even though she’s not a fan. I guess she figured it was a step up from his usual Cinnamon Toast Crunch. So, if you are feeling a little extra and want to do something decadent, join me now as we stand and make the French Toast Flip.

A flip is an early mixed drink, figuring prominently in Jerry Thomas’ 1862 “How to Mix Drinks” which I am reading currently. Funny how events in my life seem to inform my choices, huh? This particular one comes to us not from the larger than life Mr. Thomas, but is a modern interpretation from Erick Castro at San Diego’s, Polite Provisions. Anyway, flips have been around a long time, they started as hot drinks and usually feature an egg. They were named for the way they were originally mixed, by pouring the drink back and forth from one tankard to another. I am really tempted to get a couple of tankards and learn to do this. Cocktail Kingdom even sells a set made specifically for another Jerry Thomas original drink, the Blue Blazer which is mixed in this same flamboyant fashion, while on fire. Some day, my friends, some day.

I don’t have a set of matched Blue Blazer tankards, so we are going to shake this one in our tins. We are also going to need to make some allspice syrup by boiling 1/2 a cup of water, 1/2 a cup of sugar and 3 teaspoons of ground allspice. Once that cools, grab your tins and pop in 3/4 of an ounce of Scotch, I chose Dewar’s 12 year; 3/4 of an ounce of Laird’s AppleJack, 1 ounce of sherry, 1/2 an ounce of maple syrup, 1/4 ounce of allspice syrup, a whole egg sans shell and 3-4 stabs of El Guapo Tricentennial Barrel-Aged Bitters. This one is going to want a dry shake so assemble the tins and shake well to the gentle strains of “So What” by Miles Davis, because who doesn’t want a little classic jazz to go with their brunch beverage. After 30-45 seconds of dry shaking, add some ice and go again with a shake that is, presumably, wetter than the first. When your tins are well chilled, strain into something pretty with a stem, shave a little fresh cinnamon on top and garnish with the cinnamon stick and some sourdough toast, snatched from the brunch prep.

This is kinda low-key wonderful. I don’t want it everyday, but I have not found a brunch drink yet, that I’d add to my morning routine. There is nothing wrong with that, brunch is supposed to be kinda special anyway. That go ahead and sleep in, we are gonna do a decadent thing and take our time with a leisurely meal than spans two periods is special because we don’t do it that often. This drink kind of surprised me, I expected it to be a little too sweet, but it is nicely balanced. The sherry actually pushes through way more than I expected, in a very good way. It’s got a whole egg, so it is rich and creamy, in spite of having no dairy. This one works, though I may try it with Allspice Dram in place of the the syrup, that’d be easier and might be extra nice.

That’s all I have got today. I could go into how I was bummed when my team got knocked out of the playoffs and how it made me angry for a minute, but then I got over it and recognized that the other guys just played better this time and that I’ll hope for a better run next year. There could be a lesson in there about how to accept a loss gracefully, especially since it is not like I lost. I mean, I have not played any football in a long time and I don’t have any particular connection to any of the guys actually involved, except I kinda like them, like the way they play. If I am honest, the fact that they are my local team has an awful lot to do with me choosing to put my support behind them and identifying with their style. Sure I was disappointed that “we” lost, but it would be straight up crazy for me to lose my mind and shoot the tv, a’la Elvis. So, I’m gonna see how the rest of the teams fare, not really care as deeply as I had, but see how things turn out. I don’t know, maybe I’ll go for a walk, read a book, make some plans on what kind of work I need to do around the farm during my suddenly free Sunday afternoons. As Lin-Manuel said, “the sun comes up and the world still spins”, so ya’ll stay safe, stay hydrated and stay sane, my friends.