Bloody Mary Off

we'd been discussing it for a while but it actually happened. the Chockstone employee head-to-head bloody mary competition.

only 2 entries showed, mine and aaron's (of which he has written on his facebook page). they were wildly different, his inspiration coming from the classic "hearty kitchen-sink variety," albeit a gourmet angle. i took inspiration from Aaron the bartender at Rickenbacker's, San Francisco. this is a cleaner, refreshing take on the old drink. it's served neat, up, in a wine glass, if you can imagine it. and it rulez.

here is the recipe.

ingredient list:

• lemons
• limes
• tomato juice (generic, not V8)
• worcestershire sauce
• horse radish
• tabasco
• dill
• celery salt
• good salt
  
• ice
• shaker
• wine glass
• vodka (can be cheap, but should be smooth, eg. Gilbey's, Monapalova)
  

wear a classic floor-length waist apron.

mix some celery salt and some regular salt in a dish.

juice a lemon or two.

cut the lime into thin wheels (used as a garnish) with a slice down the radius. use this to moisten the rim of your wine glass. dip the rim of the wine glass into your celery salt. set aside.

put some ice in your shaker. next add vodka, 2 shots. add about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. 2 squirts of worcestershire, teaspoon of horseraddish, 2 squirts tabasco, fill rest with tomato juice. shake vigorously (at least 20 times, look good while you do it).

strain into your wine glass. add your lime wedge. shake a little dill onto the top. add a thick straw -- which should be quickly discarded and lime pushed in to float.

voila!

Weather

i meant to, i really did. but i didn't. and maybe that sort of proves that it wasn't necessary. either way, it's all for naught at this moment. because right now, this very instant, it is the first feeling of cold weather weather. the "comfy inside with the heat on i'm gonna watch the Wire on netflix and snuggle on the couch cold weather" weather. it goes from 1 netflix a month to 4 a week. you almost feel christmas coming. and it's only october. early october at that.

but i was ready for it. i always worry i'm not going to be ready for it, and then i am. but ready for it and able to make it all the way through without breaking are two differnet things. so, we'll see.

but that last week of awesome summer really did its trick. it really did.

and i meant to keep a journal about the daily weather this summer. but i didn't. and the reason i was going to was because the previous summer had been so short and unsatisfying. this one had its ups and downs, but i would call it a great portland summer weather-wise.

and it just goes to show, that really, it's still all your mindset.

i'm gonna fake 'n' bake this winter if i have to!