I’ve been sick.
Yesterday I got up and brushed my teeth, which exhausted me so thoroughly
I went back to bed and slept until 1:30 pm. Somewhat refreshed I managed to doze through
two Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns, after which I napped. It gave me insight as to what my mother feels
like at 98.
Today I’m better. I went down to the garden and picked a bowl
of mint. It’s Derby Day, and I plan to
celebrate with mint Juleps. I’d love to
have ham biscuits, but that is not to be.
I’ll probably exhaust myself on my hand cranked,
knuckle-busting ice crusher, but I insist on freshly crushed ice for my
juleps. I don’t have silver julep cups,
but I find that I can make a good julep if I smash the mint on a plastic
cutting board and then put it into the glass.
Perhaps smashing is the wrong word as clobbering the herb can give the
drink too strong a mint flavor.
I’ve been in Lexington Kentucky during Derby week, where ersatz
juleps are sold everywhere made with mint syrup, bar bourbon, and a droopy sprig
of mint for garnish. Somewhere the drink
must be served in the classic manner, but I haven’t yet found the place. I’m sure I make damn Yankee Juleps, and one
of these Mays I hope to tour the finest bars in Kentucky and engage in serious
research.
Lacking a gold standard for mint muddling, I’m letting my
taste buds be my guide. I’m planning to hit
it a little more gently this year. A julep
should be sweet, and it’s a little easier to get that the way you want. I use simple syrup. I make this by heating equal parts sugar and
water to a simmer until the mixture us perfectly clear. When it cools I put it into a screw top jar
and store it in the refrigerator. It will
keep for quite a while, but watch for dark spots of mold, and when you find
them, throw it out and make some more.
Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, and I’m on to margaritas. The secret for those is fresh lime
juice. Don’t be cheap, and don’t be
lazy. No bottled lime juice or margarita
mix. Don’t use premium tequila or fancy French
orange liquor. Make the drink with regular
amber tequila and triple sec. Forget the
recipe on the triple sec bottle. I use a
four-to-one tequila to triple sec ratio.
Because triple sec provides sweetness I add a tiny bit of simple
syrup. I make the shortest possible pour
because I like my margaritas tart. I
taste mixture with a silver spoon, and if it’s right I shake it up. Rub the rim
of the glass with the rind of one of the limes and dip moistened rim in
salt. Coarse kosher salt is fine. So is margarita salt if you prefer.
I think tomorrow I’ll
manage some nachos. Under the circumstances,
I’m not planning to make my own guacamole.
Some of the store-bought brands are quite good. These mini holidays provide bright spots to
help get us fogies through the year. If
you have to skip one or cut down a little on a menu, so be it. Maybe next year it will be better. My motto is persist.
