Club Soda

Here in the Bay Area, a drizzly winter has abruptly given way to suffocating heat. After a long, stuffy day at work, or in the car, there is no better refreshment than a crisp Campari and soda (except perhaps a chilled Pilsner — but that isn’t a cocktail):

1 half glass Campari

Top off with club soda

Serve on ice with a healthy slice of orange

Campari is a bitter Italian aperitif, flavored with orange peel, that tends to divide people sharply: aficionados sing its praises, others denounce it emotionally. In no country has this so far led to outright civil war, but this result is a matter of luck and not a reflection of the depths of people’s feelings on the subject. My own reaction upon first tasting Campari was equal parts surprise and disgust, followed by a sense of futility about how to describe the flavor (like cigarette butts? like rusty metal? like poisonous insects?). I then determined to use the stuff as a hilarious punishment for unsuspecting friends and guests. But as the days went by afterward, I found that the taste was stuck in my head, much like a catchy jingle. I had to give it another chance, if not for pleasure than for the novelty of the flavor. Before long, I was hooked. I insisted on introducing Campari to my girlfriend, and she went through the same process of bitter resistance and ultimate surrender. So to the novice who is not yet broken in, I must advise: give it time.

Cheers!

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The Tom Collins

by Will on September 15, 2010

When I was young, I recall that Tom Collins mix was something frequently in the fridge, competing for space with the orange juice and whipped cream and the like. So it was inevitable that I would try a Tom Collins at some point. I like them, and moreover they’re one of several good ways to wean people off of vodka (boring!) and on to gin (it actually has a flavor and scent — imagine that!).

In the day, by which I mean, late 2009, there was Schweppes Tom Collins mix at most stores. You just mixed it with gin and there was your Tom Collins. But then, for reasons unknown, Schweppes discontinued it’s mix. But that’s OK, because fresh ingredients make a better drink anyway.

1 1/2 oz. gin

1 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1 oz. simple syrup

Mix ingredients, serve in Tom Collins glass on ice, topped off with club soda

The name Tom Collins comes from a weird joke that was popular in New York in 1860 or so. You’d run into someone and tell them that Tom Collins had been talking a lot of smack about them. Then you’d tell them that Tom Collins was hanging out at the bar around the corner. So your victim would go looking for a non-existent person. What is supposed to be funny about that, I’m not sure. There was not a lot to do back then.

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