The first day of summer is still June 21st right? The Wiccans didn’t go and change the summer solstice on us, right? Has the earth tilted off its normal axis and nobody noticed? Did someone delicately dislodge Pennsylvania from the contiguous states and we’re currently floating toward Bermuda? Was Al Gore just telling us the truth?
Let me clarify… Philadelphia is now experiencing the second heat wave of 2011. IN THE SPRING. It’s only the beginning of June and I’ve resorted to three cold showers a night. It’s supposed to be 98 degrees today.
I thought the Mint Julep would get me through this abominable meteorological insane anomaly. But I was simply wrong. Crushed ice simply wasn’t enough. I had to resort to… dare I say it… frozen blender drinks.
But I draw the line at FROOFY frozen blender drinks. Nothing tart and sickeningly sweet, nay, I need something thirst quenching. Something refreshing. Something that's still a teensy bit manly. Something with an undercurrent of… bourbon.
Bourbon in a frozen drink? “Preposterous!”, the masses cried. “Sacrilege!” exclaimed the orthodoxy. “Heretic…” said the city’s bartenders under their breath.
Well, throwing convention to the wind, I tested and tested until I landed upon the perfect mix. It should be noted that I tested quite a few and skipped dinner last night to bring you this late breaking news, so if my judgment is impaired, you’ll have to let me know after doing a trying one yourself.
Long Day on the Tanker
2 cups crushed ice
3 oz bourbon
2 oz triple sec
3 mint leaves
5 oz of Pink Grapefruit Juice
5 oz of Pink Grapefruit Juice
Pour into a tall glass and drink… but not too fast.
The House Rules has already endured 6 discrete brain freezes to bring you this concoction.
But you may be thinking, “Long Day on the Tanker?” Does the author have a history on the high seas of which we’re not aware?
No, the name is in honor of my sister, of whom this drink reminds me. She spent many a young summer working on the oil tankers docked after delivering a load of crude to Sunoco.
A late teen/young adult girl working on a oil tanker? “Preposterous!”, the masses cried. “Sacrilege!” exclaimed the orthodoxy. “Heretic…” said the roughnecks under their breath.
Exactly. She’s beautiful and boisterous. Masterful and muliebrous. Confident and… coquettish. Wait, she’s totally NOT coquettish, but she’ll get a kick out of that when she reads this.
She’s the one I turn to when I need a simultaneous kick in the ass AND a nurturing condolence.
(Hmmm... in retrospect, it should also be noted that the multiple "Long Day on the Tankers" I've had tonight are probably making me more sentimental than I am in real life.)
(Hmmm... in retrospect, it should also be noted that the multiple "Long Day on the Tankers" I've had tonight are probably making me more sentimental than I am in real life.)
So, “Long Day on the Tanker” it is. But you can call it a “Long Day” if that’s too much of a mouthful for you.
