22. Evil Ways and Something Refreshing

Cheers to Santana, Justice, and Vaccination

A few months ago, I hosted my first ever online bartending class. It was over Zoom, and since Zoom is just, well, it’s weird to me, and even though I probably feel that way because I have quite a large head that appears even larger when viewed on a screen of any sort, I was worried about how this class was going to go. 

Thankfully, the woman who reached out to me about doing it in the first place is awesome, and she gave me the space to do whatever I wanted to do to educate her leadership team on a drink of my choosing. She told me to be myself, and since this class took place on January 7, the night after the Capitol riots, I acknowledged to the group, after we did intros, that “some people made some bad choices yesterday.” And then I passed the mic to Carlos Santana. I dropped the needle on Santana’s Greatest Hits, which, as you may know, opens with the song, “Evil Ways.” 

“I’m not going to go too far into it,” I said, “but clearly, there are some people in this world who need to change their evil ways.” I turned up the volume, we made some phenomenal Whiskey Collinses (Is that a word? Collinses?)—and by the end of the class, I think everybody had learned a little bit and laughed a good bit more. 

Now listen, if Santana himself were to hear this little anecdote, he might say, Come on, that’s a song about a lover’s quarrel, don’t go making it into something it’s not! Or he might just laugh, who knows? I do know this though: “Evil Ways” is one hell of a groove. It’s one of those songs, for me at least, that I can’t listen to and not feel the itch to move, or smile, or simply feel alright, even if I’ve lately been in a place where I haven’t been feeling alright. Do you have one of those songs? If so, what is that song for you? 

I ask, in part, because I think there’s something worth celebrating after this week. Some justice was served, as Derrick Chauvin was convicted in a court of law for the murder of George Floyd. More and more people are getting vaccinated to help protect all of us against the coronavirus. (I got my first shot this past Monday, and let me tell you, a sore arm has never felt so good.) We have a long way to go to truly reckon with racial injustice, especially—but certainly not exclusively—in America, where I’m writing from. We also have a long way to go before we can start bidding farewell to this pandemic. But like I said, there’s some hope. There are some steps in the right direction. I’ll raise a glass to that. If you’d like to join me, here’s a recipe for something refreshing. 

This album is epic. As is the fact that my father-in-law put his address on all of his records. On both the cover and the vinyl itself.

Cucumber Gimlet

Ingredients

• 2 oz. gin or vodka

• ¾ oz. lime juice

• 1 tsp simple syrup

• scant ¼ oz. Luxardo

• cucumber (about three 1/2-inch wheels for muddling, plus a ribbon for garnish)

Directions

1. Put the cucumber slices and the simple in a shaker tin. Muddle like you mean it. 

2. Add the rest of the liquid ingredients, plus ice. 

3. Seal the tin and shake it like hell. 

4. Double strain into a chilled coupe or other footed glass.

Notes

Instead of using gin or vodka, you could also do what I’ve been meaning to do for a long time and spring for one of the craft NA options on the market these days, the most popular one being Seedlip. I promise I’ll grab some and review it here soon.

If you’re not familiar with Luxardo Maraschino Originale, it’s a liqueur made from marasca cherries, which are infused, pit and all, into a neutral spirit, distilled, and then aged in ash-wood vats. The result is a dry, funky liqueur that is absolutely one-of-a-kind. It’s well known for its role in cocktails such as the Last Word, which this drink is definitely akin to. 

Unlike the gentle muddling of mint in a Mint Julep, you want to really get after this cucumber. Grind it to a pulp, and then pulverize it some more by shaking it hard with the ice. 

Double straining requires a fine mesh strainer (see pic above). This helps you keep bits of cucumber pulp, lime juice, and ice chips (from the hard shake) out of your drink. Minding this little detail makes a big difference in the texture and taste of the drink. Arguably any shaken cocktail served up should be double-strained. 

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And there you have it! That’s all for this week. Since next Friday is the fifth Friday of the month, and I’m committed to doing four of these newsletters a month, I’m taking next week off. I’ll be back the following week to share a bit about a novel I just finished (and how I’m already missing its characters deeply). Until then, you can find me searching for deals on tasty booze, writing fiction, and parenting (not necessarily in that order). 

Thanks so much for subscribing. I really appreciate you taking the time to join me on this project! And as always, please holler at me with any questions or ideas. Or snacks.

Hoping you’re well wherever you’re at,

J.