I went into the world today, didn’t want to, but there were specific nondeliverables required for Mother’s Day. I ran the errands, I wore my mask, I did my part to look out for other folks, keep my distance as a courtesy and all that. For the most part, folks were decent but one thing that made me sad was just how many people don’t understand arrows. I thought arrows were simple, you use them to know which way to go, or to indicate which way you want to go, easy right? Well, I was wrong, so we are gonna have a remedial cocktail, so we can all have a refresher on The Blinker. 

This is one of those weird post prohibition cocktails that appears in the 30’s, not a time known for its entertainment options. Why is it called The Blinker? I give up, why? I first heard of it as one of those cocktails that shouldn’t work, but does. It is grapefruit based which makes it kinda rare already and the rest of the ingredients, well they are just wrong, but it works. So grab your tins and pop in 1 1/2 ounces of Rye, I used Crater Lake Reserve out of Oregon, add 2 ounces of grapefruit juice, I’m still using canned because the real thing has been hard to come by, 1/2 ounce of grenadine and a drop of 18-21 Bitter Clementine Citrate, to round out the flavor. Shake over ice and I mean shake this one hard, like hard enough to work out the frustrations of living in a world where the common courtesy of signaling your intentions or following simple requests to help each other stay safe is suddenly a political act. Yeah, that hard. You really want to agitate this one while it chills. Once you feel a bit better, double strain into a coupe. It calls for a bit of grapefruit peel as a garnish, but I couldn’t get a decent zest off the can, so I had to skewer some fresh blueberries, cause they were pretty against the pink and I wanted an excuse to eat them before dinner. Take a sip, feel the cool refreshing flavor coat your throat and soothe your soul as you remember that in life you don’t always have an opportunity to make choices for yourself. So, when you get that chance, don’t waste it by choosing to be an asshole…oh and use your blinkers, it’s just common courtesy. Stay safe, stay hydrated and stay sane, my friends.