It is Sunday afternoon again, what Douglas Adams called the “long, dark teatime of the soul”. I really should be mowing the lawn, being productive, working on that novel, etc. but my heart just isn’t in it. Let’s make a drink instead! Please, join me now as we stand and make, The Written Word.

Yes, this is yet another riff on The Last Word. I’m not sure if I’m in a rut, or going with a theme. Honestly, I keep not putting up my toys, so half the ingredients are already out and it might be that I’m feeling a bit lazy. To be fair, this has been a pretty amazing series of drinks and it is nice to compare them while they are still fresh in my mind. No matter the reason, this is what you are stuck with today. 

This one is super easy, lots of consistent measurements. Grab your tins and pop in 3/4 of an ounce each of Gin, I went with Mahon Xoriguer from Spain; green chartreuse, fresh squeezed lime juice and Cointreau. Add some ice and shake to the beat of MMMBop! Oh, don’t give me that look, those kids had chops and it’s just so damned catchy. Besides have you ever read the lyrics to that song? Seriously, do that, while your shaking and singing along. Double strain into a chilled Nick & Nora, garnish with a lime wheel and a luxardo cherry on a pick and serve. 

Once again, this variation is rock solid. Cool, refreshing, herbal, bright. The Cointreau replaces the cherry liqueur and brings this drink to a totally different place. There is definitely room for orange here. It is always cool to see how swapping a single ingredient makes such a dramatic difference. Maybe that should be our lesson, that little changes can have huge impact. 

Of course, you already know that, so there’s not much point in riffing on that one. So, without a wall of text trying too hard to be clever, just take that and run with it. Make a small change, for the better. Drink more water tomorrow. Compliment someone, in a non-creepy way. Sing MMMBop! in the shower. Make your bed. Do something nice for someone who will never know it. Take a relaxing bath. Just let it go, Elsa. Whatever you don’t usually do for you, or others, that would feel good, do that thing. Tomorrow is gonna be a hard enough day for a lot of us, let’s try to help each other out. We can be decent, we can be better and we can start now. Have a drink, if it helps. Stay safe, stay hydrated and stay sane, my friends.