Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Searching the Cosmos, Circa 2050



I've mentioned that I started drinking late in life; here's proof. When Barbara sent me this drawing last night, I asked what all the glasses were for ("Are we having a taste test??") and wondered what she was throwing in my drink.

Beer Pong. Who knew? Sure I've heard of it, but I've never played it or seen it played. I better learn the rules and maybe start practicing, since apparently Barbara and I will be playing the Cosmo variation of it during our porch-side cocktails hours in our golden years. I kind of can't wait.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

What Price Cosmo?


Barbara and I have for months been talking about figuring out how much, exactly, we’re spending on cosmos. A few weeks ago I did some quick calculations in my head and estimated that they cost about $11 each. Barbara thought that sounded high and suggested I try it again, with a calculator.

A regulation cosmo — that is, one that’s half the size of the ones Barbara serves — costs $1.48. So the ones we’ve been drinking cost us $2.96. Still a bargain, compared to the $10 (minimum) they cost on Long Island and the $15 (or so) they cost in NYC.

Cointreau is the most pricey ingredient; $1.68 per big drink. To save some money, I decided to revisit triple sec. It costs 12 cents per drink! And I like that it’s not as strong as Cointreau. The resulting cosmo tastes fine. Cosmo lite.

But Barbara isn’t having any of it. That is, she doesn’t agree in theory (“How much do we drink, anyway?? It’s not like we’re buying bottles of Cointreau every week or even every month!"), and she refuses to practice what I’m preaching (extreme austerity and weaker drinks in preparation for Christmas overspending and indulging). So I will buy a bottle of Cointreau to use to prepare her cosmos when we have cocktails at my house; it’s only right. But I’ll be using the triple sec for myself until it’s gone or Christmas, whichever comes first.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

How We Spent Our Summer Vacations


We're back. As you can see from Barbara's illustration, it was an eventful summer. (Barbara can actually do a forearm stand, whereas I am still working on learning how to ride a unicycle. If anyone has any tips — or a unicyle, for that matter — please let me know. It was just a notion that I mentioned over cocktails a few weeks ago as something I wanted to do, and, now that Barbara's drawn it, feel I must do. As soon as I get a unicycle.)

Looking back over the summer, it's worth noting that in three months of weekly cosmo sessions, not one glass was broken. The reason: stainless steel. I gave Barbara a pair from Target for her birthday. At first they made me think of what a cocktail party in prison would be like, if prison had cocktail parties — I can practically hear the clanging as inmates demanded Cointreau, not Triple Sec — but now Barbara and I like them, both for their indestructibility and the nice job they do keeping a drink cold.

By the way, the cartoon caption comes from a comment Jan from Newport made via email several monts ago. What she actually wrote was, "It's comforting to know you will never fall victim to scurvy," which I misquoted when I reported it to Barbara. But the point is made.

This post marks the resumption of our once-a-week (at least) publishing schedule that we will stick to until next summer, at which point I will no doubt slack off again. But until then, please continue to check in (and comment!) as the search continues.