Summer is still hanging in here, but it's obvious that Fall is just around the corner. Summer is for light, refreshing drinks while Fall demands something with more substance. The trouble is, how do you find a cocktail that can be both light yet full of substance? I was at a loss but Alice saved the day with this one. Today's cocktail of the week is...

The Cranberry Margarita!

idrink.com

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Today we're going to talk about frivolity. Merriam Webster defines frivolous as:

1 a : of little weight or importance b : having no sound basis (as in fact or law) [a frivolous lawsuit]
2 a : lacking in seriousness b : marked by unbecoming levity

Basically, something that is not important, not serious, or without basis. Most if not all things are relative, and measures of importance certainly belong to the category of relative things. What I have for lunch today may be important to me, but I'm sure it doesn't qualify as important to you.

This week is the week of frivolous lawsuits.

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There are plenty of really off the wall martinis going around these days. For some, the only resemblance to a real martini is the glass it is served in. To me, the martini glass simply is the iconic cocktail glass and anything served in it is better for it.

Today's cocktail is a true martini and recipes abound with surprisingly small variation: gin or vodka, vermouth or not.

cocktailatlas.com

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I don't take many things all that seriously with the possible exception of my cocktails. But today is a day that Americans will never forget. Today is a day similar to the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated - you remember where you were and what you were doing when "it" happened. It is September 11 and today in 2001, 2993 people were killed when terrorists took control of several commercial airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

I was at home that morning because I was getting ready to go on vacation in Vienna. Rasputin was here as well because he was going with Alice and I. I had turned on the television and just stood there watching as the news started trickling in. I can't really describe the emotions you feel as anything other than utter shock. Video of the towers, the smoke, was on every channel as people tried to figure out what had happened.

Needless to say, we didn't go on vacation, and Rasputin, Alice and I spent a very quiet, confusing week here at home. Quiet, because there were no airplanes flying. That blanket of silence enveloped us and let us take in the horror of what had happened.

Today is now called Patriot Day in the United States. Call it what you want, but today is a day when we can consider how hatred and violence ravage our world. Today is a day to remember the 2993 people who died in the attacks and the countless people who have died since as a result of them.

Our world changed that day. We can go back to our works, to our gardens, to our lives, but there is no return to blissful innocence.

-- Jack


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Day

I have to admit that I was not looking forward to writing today's cocktail of the week. All of my top 10 favorite drinks cocktails have been covered already. On top of that, Summer is gently fading away setting us smack in the middle of the no man's land of not-quite-Fall. Hearty winter drinks aren't appropriate and margaritas poolside are definitely iffy. I went through Alice's card file of recipes and a couple recipes basically jumped out at me, the cards laying strewn across the bar. I looked at them carefully, seeing the pattern that segregates different liquors from mixers, Tom from John, and Collins from sour. If you know your drinks you are going to smile at where this took me.

vintagepaperads.com

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How to ditch the telephone system and save money:

We use Skype to make and receive all of our phone calls. Skype is a voice over IP (VoIP) system that you can run on your home computer. It works by transmitting your voice over the public internet before reconnecting to another Skype user or a normal telephone. If you haven't taken a look at Skype because you still wanted to have a phone number, or you thought you needed to sit at your computer to make calls, it's time to think again. With the right gear, you can have unlimited calling for pennies a day on your regular cordless phone.

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I know that since we discussed the Sazerac a few weeks ago that you all have a bottle of absinthe on hand now. You've probably also been wondering what else you can do with absinthe. Well I have a solution to your dilemma: The Absinthe Frappe!

The Wormwood Society

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