Tuesday, June 2, 2020

• 

During the last few days, I have alternated between being righteously angry and being profoundly sad. My adult children have asked me what they could do to help the hurting people of our nation. I repeated the same advice I stated a few days ago: “If you want peace, work for justice,” as taught by Pope Paul VI.

And speaking of popes, today’s news brought word of another presidential photo opportunity: a campaign stop at the Saint John Paul II shrine in northeast Washington, DC. Archbishop Wilton Gregory labeled this visit as “baffling and reprehensible,” and I agree.

What would JP II do? In his New Year’s message of 2001, he said:

Love for one’s country is thus a value to be fostered, without narrow-mindedness but with love for the whole human family and with an effort to avoid those pathological manifestations which occur when the sense of belonging turns into self-exaltation, the rejection of diversity, and forms of nationalism, racism and xenophobia.

I am convinced that JP II would have come out into the protesting crowds and would not have hidden in a bunker. I think he would have listened to the voices expressing so much pain, and then united us in prayer for reconciliation, growth, and healing.

Today is Blackout Tuesday, social media tells me. In solidarity, I have chosen a drink with black currant liqueur.

This drink is my version of the El Diablo cocktail. Interpret that as you wish.

In a shaker with ice, combine 1 1/2 ounces tequila, 1/2 ounce creme de cassis, and 1/2 ounce lime juice. Shake and strain into a tall glass filled with fresh ice. Top with about 6 ounces of ginger beer. Garnish with lime slice or a candied orange wheel.

Monday, June 1, 2020

• 

Today marks the official start of hurricane season. (Already? Wasn’t it just March?) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is forecasting that the 2020 season will be “extremely active.” We already have had two named storms (Arthur and Bertha) and at this moment Cristobal is gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico. NOAA is predicting that three to six of this year’s many tropical storms could intensify into Category 3 or higher hurricanes.

For those of us living on the eastern side of the country, we know this means more than just cancelled vacation plans. (Been there, done that more than once!) It means scary winds, copious rain, property damage, power outages, even evacuations, not to mention the danger to human lives.

Come on, 2020! Give us a break!

I guess we have really pissed off Mother Earth, haven’t we?

Today’s cocktail is my version of The Hurricane. This one is strong, but hey! I feel like today, with all the bad news swirling around me, I need it!

In a shaker with ice, combine 2 ounces light rum, 2 ounce dark rum, 1 ounce lime juice, 1 ounce orange juice, 1 1/2 ounces passion fruit juice, 1/2 ounce simple syrup, and 1 teaspoon grenadine. Shake and strain into a hurricane glass filled with fresh ice, and garnish with an orange wheel and a cherry.

Please drink responsibly!