They say that if you remain open, life provides. I don’t know if that is true on a large scale, but that’s how things have gone for me, generally. You know how it goes, all hope is lost and suddenly, the thing you need drops in your lap all deus ex machina-y. Or you are sitting thinking about things, all lost in your head when the phone rings and it’s the person you need to hear from, even if you did not know it. Some folks call it kismet, I call it a slingblade. No, that’s wrong. I call it life providing. Anyway, the thing is, it worked out for me today, so please join me now as we stand and make the Morning Man.

It’s Farmer’s Market season again, hallelujah! I never thought that I would look forward to getting up early on Saturday morning to go to market, especially since we grow lots of stuff on our own, but there is something so fun about seeing what everyone else is growing and adding it to our menu. This also means I often switch up my planned cocktail menu in order to use some special ingredient that is in season, which is what happened today.

The Morning Man was created by bartender Adrian Nino from Paris’ Bar 1802, after failed attempt at breakfast. You know how that is, some mornings everything goes wrong. Not terribly so, but just enough to darken your mood. Luckily, instead of crying over burned pancakes, he decided to make something positive out of that bad morning. He said that his goal was, “to find all the ingredients for my breakfast in my cocktail.” So, overdone pancakes become smoky mezcal, mint tea turned bitter from too long steeping in the pot shows up as Fernet Branca, you get the picture. Let’s make it and see how things go for us.

Grab your mixing pitcher and toss in 1 1/2 ounces of dark rum, I chose Smith + Cross; 3/4 of an ounce of maple syrup, 1/2 an ounce of mezcal, I chose Vida del Maguey; and 1/2 an ounce of Fernet Branca. Add 5-6 artisanal ice cubes and give it a good stir to R.X. Bertoldi singing “Black Coffee in the Morning” cause that’s an easy way to start the day. When well chilled and decently diluted, strain into a rocks glass over a king cube and garnish with that special ingredient we found at the Farmer’s Market, a small piece of freshly baked croissant topped with a sliver of bacon.

That is simply wonderful and not just for breakfast, you could have this one anytime. Let’s be honest, it’s booze forward and lovely and probably best for an afternoon, but it’s got a croissant on it, so maybe we could jump it out to brunch. Who am I kidding, drink it whenever you want to, I’m not judging. These flavors really blend well and that maple syrup brings enough sweet to balance it all and make it a really nice sipper.

Making the best of things. That’s a noble goal. To be fair, that’s how we started going to the farmer’s market in the first place. When the world closed down, it was a chance to get out and visit with people, masked and from a distance, sure, but it beat being at home. Plus, we got the opportunity to support local folks and enjoy some great produce. What’s not to love about that? So, every Saturday morning we make coffee, load up the dog and go visiting, buying produce, grabbing fresh croissants or morning buns for brekkies. Just another little ritual that we picked up while coping with those unprecedented times. A ritual that we plan on keeping as things continue to get better. Just another of those little things that help us to stay safe, stay hydrated and stay sane, my friends.