Some of you may know that I have two daughters, five and seven years of age. Neither has any interest in or desire for alcohol. They never beg for just a sip from Mom or Dad’s drink. But that doesn’t mean that they aren’t interested in cocktails! One of their favorite words as little kids was cheers! And of course, there is this video that I made a few years back.
They both prefer a Shirley Temple to Coca-Cola (this harms my very soul). They, however, call a Shirley a Kiddy Cocktail. It’s cute, but can be a problem when they walk into a wedding reception, spy the bar and shout at the top of their lungs, Cocktail! I want a cocktail!
None of this has extended to Mixology. Their interest in assembling drinks has heretofore been limited to insert straw into juice box. Then Alton Brown’s Good Eats episode Raising the Bar showed up in our DVR list. It is a cute little simple episode, if you haven’t seen it, with some excellent advice for someone who is really just trying cocktails at home for the first time.
My daughters love Alton. We always watch an episode right before bed time. I was amused that they had such a good time with Raising the Bar, watching it over and over again. Then my younger daughter decided that she needs to make drinks, just like Dad and Mr. Brown. She did not feel the need to tell us that she was doing it, or how she was doing it, until she presented us with the fruits of her labors.
She presents no current threat to Jeffrey Morganthaler, but she has already shown a remarkable ability to measure and control portions, appreciate garnish, and repeat her efforts accurately. I’m very proud.
Now, I guess I’ll end this post with the first non-alcoholic cocktail on this site: