online happy hours

We realized tonight that it's about two months until all of us kind of shut down because of the pandemic.  March 17 for me - that was the last day I was in my library for about 1.5 years.  Time flies when you are drinking cocktails.

From an early point in the pandemic, Conrad and I set up social activities online.  Brunches with Courtney and Robert, but also with others.  Sushi with Natasha, living on opposite corners of our building but not getting together in person for weeks.  Happy hours on Zoom.  We did many of those, but for three years, the most durable has been with Marie, Allison, Rachel, and Chris.  Core friends (and my sister, but really, my sister is one of my closest and dearest friends).  I love our meet-ups.  Conversation ranges all over, and it feels like a loving, supportive group.  A loving supportive group that makes some kick-ass cocktails.  And, delightfully, meets up as best we can!  Rachel and Chris had 50th birthdays last November, and while Allison and Van couldn't join us, the rest of us met up in Chicago

for evenings of dining out and - surprise! - cocktails.

What's fun about the cocktails is that we choose a theme, and then we spin off from there.  Last December, for example, we did solstice cocktails. 

Van may call my drink Milk of Magnesia, but there was something odd and compelling to me about a mix of tequila, creme de menthe, white chocolate liqueur, lime juice, and heavy cream. 

No, I mean it!

Tonight was the January happy hour.  The upcoming Chinese New Year will be the year of the rabbit, so we started there.  Is it appropriation somehow to spin off from that and interpret the theme as we see fit?  I sometimes fret over that, I do.  And yet, I press on.  We made three drinks centered on rabbits somehow, only one of which I photographed.  The Conejo

was tasty enough, but I agree with Van's assessment, that it tasted like a spa vegetable juice with booze added.  I would actually make it again, though.  I would not make the El Conejo Bueno cocktail again, though Van drank it down.  As for the Follow that Black Rabbit - Allison had made a version but lacked the Fernet Branca and had to substitute Amaro Montenegro - it grew on me.

 Next up, Presidents' Day.  I'll go digging.  That should be an interesting one to interpret!