In defense of cocktail hour

Growing up, my parents stopped everything at five o’clock and opened the bar. Network news came on. John and Dianne discussed the day. Dinner was mostly prepped for table time at six-thirty. It was adult time. We kids were welcome. If we had something to contribute to the discussion, that was fine but the grown-ups were running the narrative.

In my own household this didn’t happen right away. Navy hours didn’t support much more than a glass of wine while cooking. Once I left active duty, though, the habit crept in. Now this is what we do.

Bourbon is my tipple of choice. A strong pour on ice topped up with club soda. I use a soda maker (DrinkMate* is a good one) to reduce the logistics hassle of keeping fizzy water on hand. I do that a couple more times over. A drink while I cook is a soothing end to the day. It’s not as fun in a bar, and much harder on the pocketbook.

The American Medical Association and the World Health Organization over the last few years have decided this is a very poor habit indeed. Each year at my annual physical my GP asks if I would be interested in cutting back my nightly drinking, which I dutifully document on my questionnaire.

No. I would not.

I don’t drink more except two or three times a year. I don’t want to drink less. My liver seems fine based on my labs.

Watch this space for recommendations and old-school recipes. And my daddy made that “cocktails” sign for me nearly 20 years ago.

*You can carbonate your booze in a DrinkMate without invalidating the warranty. If you want sparkling bourbon. And who doesn’t?