My grandfather made a mean Shirley Temple. He only used 7 up, ginger ale was for amateurs , and he loved to garnish with an umbrella, an orange slice and a couple of maraschino cherries. Always on the rocks in a double old fashioned glass that required both hands.
Drink and Talk time is what we called the cocktail hour in our family. The bourbon and gin flowed freely with Wasa Crackers and Wispride cheese in brown crocks making up the cheese and cracker offering. We sat on the sun porch overlooking the sea and watched the sun set as the fog rolled in and the fog horn began its nightly call.
Imagine my delight to stumble across a can of Olipop six decades later, with a cherry and umbrella- no less. It declares itself to be a new kind of soda – one that’s actually good for you- with fiber and prebiotics- oh,my.
For a moment, I was 8 years old again, watching my mother’s father tend bar with a cigar dangling from his mouth. Setting all the drinks on a black Hitchcock Tray. He would give me a wink and let me take a sip from my glass before adding it to the others.
The “heathy” canned version did past muster, although it could have been improved with a fruit garnish 🍒🍊but it was oh, so fun to try and revisit the memory of my grandfather’s cove house.