Good Drinks for Bad Days - Kerry Colburn [8]
Good Drink: Black Magic
1½ ounces vodka
¾ ounce Kahlúa or Tia Maria
Dash of fresh lemon juice
Lemon twist for garnish
Shake the vodka, Kahlúa, and lemon juice with ice and strain into an ice-filled glass. Twist the lemon peel over the drink and drop it in. Say “abracadabra” and visualize all your stuff floating merrily to its new home.
From Bad to Worse: Still have to clean your old place once you’re done? Make it a double!
Bad Day: Screwed over by roommate
Okay, you live with the antichrist. You have a long list of complaints, but today was the last straw. Did your roommate ruin your favorite cashmere sweater, scare your date, sleep in your bed, dirty every dish in the house, drink your best bottle of wine, break the toilet, or forget to pay yet another important bill? Regardless of the offense this time, face it: you’ve been screwed over. Turn your stress back a notch with this essential tool.
Good Drink: Screwdriver
2 ounces vodka
4 to 6 ounces orange juice
Orange wheel for garnish
Pour the vodka and orange juice into an ice-filled highball glass and stir. Garnish with the orange and hide in your room.
Bad Day: Actually home sick on sick day
You’ve been looking forward to this sick day. You started fakecoughing at work two days ago, practiced your scratchy voice for the phone call, and planned all sorts of fun ways to enjoy a much-deserved day of hooky. But now—disaster!—you find you’re actually sick and stuck at home. It’s a cruel punishment, but it does give you the excuse to make a delicious, restorative drink that might actually cure what ails you—so you can have a better sick day next time. To your health!
Good Drink: Blueberry Tea
1 ounce Grand Marnier
1 ounce amaretto
Hot orange pekoe or Earl Grey tea to taste
Lemon wheel for garnish
Pour the Grand Marnier and amaretto into a warm mug or brandy snifter. Add hot tea to taste and garnish with the lemon wheel. Find slippers, flip on daytime TV, and commence feeling sorry for yourself.
Bad Day: Party aftermath
It seemed like a good idea at the time: a few friends over for a little party at your place. But somehow a harmless get-together turned into a full-on blow-out, and you’re left picking up the pieces today. The couch is stained, the carpet is rank, icky remnants of last night’s food and drink are everywhere—and you don’t even want to look in the bathroom. Before you deal with this disaster, take a moment to open a couple of windows, breathe some fresh air, and sip a drink that will temporarily transport you to a sweeter, more civilized place.
Good Drink: Sea Breeze
1½ ounces vodka
3 ounces grapefruit juice
2 ounces cranberry juice
Lime wedge
Pour the vodka, grapefruit juice, and cranberry juice into an ice-filled highball glass and stir. Squeeze the lime over the drink and drop it in.
BAD DAYS: LIFE IN GENERAL
Bad Day: Car broke down
Looks like you’re going to be bus-bound for a while. Cheer up: Think of all the interesting characters you’ll meet! How much faster your commute will be in the bus lane! How much better for the environment it is to not drive your own vehicle! Okay, okay, it still sucks. Pour yourself a refreshing beverage, toast your car, and pray that the mechanic doesn’t make things worse.
Good Drink: Greyhound
2 ounces vodka
5 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
Pour the vodka and grapefruit juice into an ice-filled highball glass and stir.
Bad Day: Flight cancelled
Travel can be a nightmare, from security lines to bad food to lost luggage. But when you get to the airport two hours early, toting a tiny carry-on, and endure an interminable wait only to be told it’s not going to happen? Doesn’t matter if it’s a mechanical snafu or a legitimate “act of God,” it feels like a disaster—and you deserve a powerful drink to whip things back into shape.
Good Drink: Hurricane
1½ ounces dark rum
1 ounce light rum
½ ounce passion fruit juice
1½ ounces orange juice
1 ounce lime juice
1 ounce pineapple juice
Dash of Angostura bitters