A Well-Deserved Gimlet

Do you have “family days” at your house? You know, weekend days where you ask the kids, “Hey, what do you want to do today?” and, barring a spontaneous journey to Mars, try to make that happen?

At our house, this is a dicey proposition. Consider the difference in ages: Awesome Stepkid R. (17), Miss D. (8), Miss M. (4). Do you guys know of an activity that delights a seventeen year old, an eight year old and a four year old equally? If you do, send me the memo, wouldja? Because I got nothin’.

What we usually do is take turns; ASR will pick the activity one weekend, Miss D. the next, and so on. It works okay for us, but often we will have at least one sulky child at said chosen activity, which is a pain in the ass.

A few weekends ago, however, ASR was busy at his mom’s house, so Hubs and I asked the girls how they wanted to spend the day. The answer: lunch at our favorite neighborhood pizza joint, mini-golfing and a trip to Borders for a new book each. Sounds manageable, right?

So off we went. Lunch went okay, although it was a bit disjointed because Miss M. thinks it’s funny to demand that Mommy take her to the potty every five minutes when we’re at a restaurant. Especially once the food comes. Now realize that anywhere else, at any other time, Miss M. acts as if the potty is the Devil’s Instrument. But when Mommy’s trying to get food down her gullet? The potty rocks.

Mini-golfing seemed like a brilliant idea in the morning, when we looked outside and saw sunshine and blue sky. Ah, the wicked temptress that is Colorado weather. Sure it’s sunny, but it’s still only 43 degrees out and the wind had kicked up. We froze our cabooses off. Near the end, when everyone was ready to get outta town, more cheating went on than I think has ever been seen in the history of mini-golf.

And then, of course, there was the pee accident in the Checkout Line from Hell at Borders. Cue the wailing and the waterworks.

We arrived home, almost four hours later, drained of energy and in much need of refreshment. The girls sipped mugs of cocoa with marshmallows. Hubs and I felt we deserved something a leeeeetle stronger. Okay, a lot stronger.

What can I say? I think a rocking retro cocktail in the late afternoon is nothing short of brilliant.

Basil-Lime Gimlet
from Sunset Magazine
makes 4

3/4 cup gin (you can use vodka if you prefer)
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4-1/2 cup basil simple syrup, or to taste
lime and basil for garnish

Basil Simple Syrup

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup water and 3/4 cup sugar. Bring to a boil, stir until sugar dissolves and remove from heat. Add 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil. Let steep 15 minutes. Strain basil out of syrup. Leftover syrup keeps well in the refrigerator.

Combine the gin, lime juice and basil simple syrup in a pitcher. Add plenty of ice; stir, pour into glasses, enjoy.

Tagged as: mommy needs a drink, refreshing drink recipes, retro cocktails