Another low-key ex mass at the Oakley ranch, chillin’ at the proverbial (i.e. nativity) crib.
It was just Kath, me and our two new kitties, Fritter and Baklava, spending their first Christmas with us. Kath got the girls catnip sushi toys (complete with a wasabi/ginger plush) and catnip sardines including fabric saltines! Beginning of the month, I took them to our local veterinarian for photos with Santa. We sure miss Otis and Taz, yet these two sillies are demonstrating their own personalities, especially as the seasons change. Fritter does not want to be petted in the morning, but then talks in weird bursts, and tries to eat the newspaper one is reading, tapping you with one paw to get your undivided attention. Baklava is Kathy’s kitty, smushing her feline carcass against K while we watch television, then rushing downstairs to nuzzle Kath when we go to bed.
As I probably noted last year, Christmas gifts around our Oakley acreage is pretty chill. But Kathy outdid herself with her frequent ‘theme’ vibe to gifts. It was nuts: a maxin’ and relaxin’ compendium of flannel pajamas with a ‘Let Sleeping Dogs Lie’ motif, a copy of “Mad Men Unbuttoned: a Romp Through 1960s America,” by Natasha Vargas-Cooper. And, check it: a “Tea forté” cocktail mixology set, and a sampler of six dropper bottles of handcrafted bitters!
Natch, she had downloaded a trove of recipes to augment those that came with these respective kemistry kits. The Tea forté kit contains a trio of concentrated ‘tea bags’ which are dipped into various spirits for varied amounts of time, then shaken-slash-stirred with mixers/syrups to create outrageous cocktails. Infuse one of the Chai pyramids in Vodka for 5 minutes; shake the result with a couple of ounces of peach nectar, then top with a bissel seltzer: Your Peach Chai Crush is delicious!
The bitters are crazy! Check out Kathy’s photo above: The bottles include Cherry Bark Vanilla, Orange, Blackstrap, and two Jamaican flavor profiles. I’ve talked to mixologists (and even a few bartenders) who consider bitters to be the great underdog in cocktails. After Kathy built a few drinks over this Christmas weekend, I can only concur.
Sometimes it takes something extraordinary to let you appreciate what had become the ordinary. My tired palate gets so fatigued forcing me to writing about ‘plum,’ ‘garnet,’ and ‘cranberry” when talking about wine. OK, in my defense, I will never write about currant (red v. black). Who the hell has even tasted a currant?
But a Champagne Cocktail, including a sugar cube studded with 15 drops of Bittercube’s ‘Bolivar’ bitters is enough to inspire a revolution of your own.
Talk to you next year.
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