I remember as a small boy watching with fascination as my dad, slowly and meticulously, one by one, prepared his and my mom’s cocktails each evening…
It mattered not whether it was to be a Martini, Manhattan, Gin & Tonic, the same care and reverence was applied to each application…Never rushed, never hurried…
There was a sense of ritual involved that even then made a profound impression upon me…
(Something that I feel is sadly lacking in todays “hurry-up” world!)
The anticipation itself seemed to be as much a part of the process as the actual consumption of the beverages.
Like any true craftsman, my dad would move about with the effortlessness of a summer breeze…A conductor in front of a large orchestra…
Special glasses had to be gotten out of the cupboard…A different glass for each cocktail depending on what was being created…
The tall slender High Ball glass for the Gin & Tonics.
The squat and sturdy looking Rocks glass for a Bourbon on the rocks.
And the elegant Martini glass, my favorite as a kid, for of course, the Martinis.
The proper shakers, stirrers, and measuring devises had to be brought together…
Olive spears, Vermouth spikes and other odds things with strange sounding names…All of which looked deliciously inviting to a young boy.
“These are not toys!” my father would announce as he saw me edge closer to any one of these objects. I longed for the day when I might own such paraphernalia.
Large clear glass bottles containing various types of alcohol lined the shelves behind my dads make-shift bar. Standing erect like soldiers waiting for the “attack” order to be given…
Mysterious liquids that my father would dispense one drop at a time, as if in some science experiment, assembled together on the counter…
Various types of fresh fruit removed from the refrigerator…
Large green olives stuffed with bright red pimentos. Bright yellow lemons, the color of the sun. And gorgeous green limes that emitted a most wonderful aroma…
And ice…Lots and lots of ice…
(I’m not exactly sure how my parents accomplished this, but no matter how many people were at our house and no matter how many cocktails were being made, they never seemed to run out of ice…)
And all this…
To make that most prized of all concoctions…
The Cocktail…
So with Fathers Day around the corner and in honor of my dads favorite drink …
Have a look at a slightly faster version of the art of Cocktailing…
The 30 Second Martini…I’m sure dad wouldn’t mind…
Cheers
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