Monday, May 25, 2020

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Today is Memorial Day, and we are flying our Stars and Stripes off the front porch, in honor of all men and women in the US Armed Forces who perished while defending our nation. Our gratitude is sincere and profound.

Last night we watched the National Memorial Day Concert on PBS. In past years, veterans and their families gathered on the National Mall in Washington to be fêted as well as entertained. This year, the concert was a mix of previously recorded performances done remotely by artists maintaining a proper physical distance from each other (and, I assume, from the camera crew). We were impressed with the ingenuity of the program and by the performers’ attitudes–pandemic or not, the show must go on! And yes, I reached for the tissues a few times.

The program also honored First Responders, and the “new” heroes of this time, namely health care workers and essential employees. Indeed, many of these heroes have bravely exposed themselves to the coronavirus, and some have died. And yes, we all should be reaching for the tissues, saying a prayer, and raising our glasses in a toast to all the heroes of 2020.

Today’s drink is my version of a Red White and Blue Cocktail.

In a tall glass, pour 1 ounce of grenadine. In a measuring cup, mix 1 ounce of vodka with 3 ounces of pineapple-coconut water (or lemonade would work, too). Fill the tall glass with ice, and pour the contents of the measuring cup slowly over a spoon and into the tall glass. Gently pour 1 ounce blue curacao over the top of the ice. (The blue will sink toward the middle of the glass.) The more slowly you pour, the better the layers will look. Garnish with strawberries. Stir before drinking for best taste.