I know, I know, I am late to the party (pun intended), since Jimmy Buffet passed away more than a week ago. But I am still reading posts about him on my friends’ social media accounts, and I have been thinking about him, about the lifestyle he described in many of his songs, and about his empire of retirement-living communities.

Would Husband and I ever move to one of these communities? Apparently the theme is playful, described as a place of “growing older but not up.” We can be playful, I think. We can laugh and sip adult beverages as we watch the sunset. We can sing along to catchy songs and even dance occasionally. I think we would fit in.

Here lies the irony, Jimmy. Only people who acted “grown up”–those who were gainfully employed and saved funds for retirement–can actually afford to buy property in one of these lavish Margaritaville communities. But, Jimmy, you were on to something–retirement should be fun. And I am convinced Husband and I can have fun anywhere we choose to live or travel, provided we always maintain a sense of humor. You know, because if we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane.

Today’s cocktail is a variation of a Margarita, of course. Husband and I sipped ours this afternoon in honor of Jimmy’s “island escapism” mantra. It’s always five o’clock somewhere, after all.

Combine 2 ounces fresh-squeezed pink grapefruit juice, 1 1/2 ounces silver tequila, 3/4 ounce orange liqueur, 3/4 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice, and 1/2 tablespoon light agave syrup. Stir, and pour into a glass with a salted rim. Add ice cubes and garnish with fruit.

Cheers, Jimmy.

Enjoyed: Friday, August 11, 2023

Listed on the menu: Yes, as “Heffner’s Old Fashioned”

Ingredients: Knob Creek Bourbon, Sugar, Bitters, Oranges & Cherries

The occasion: Over four decades ago, when Husband was a rising high school senior, he was selected to participate in the Indiana University Honors Program in Foreign Languages, along with about 28 other students in the state. This group spent about seven weeks in Krefeld, Germany–they took classes together, toured the area together, attended celebrations together, and made some mischief together. Although each teen lived with a different German host family, bonds were formed, and young lives were changed. These individuals reunited a few times in their early college years, but then life scattered them around the world–until this spring, when several took on the task of finding all (!!) the participants (even the ones with non-existent social media presences) and then organizing a weekend reunion in Chicago. More than half of the original group (and some partners) were able to attend. I delighted in watching all the emotions and hearing all the laughter.

My rating: *** out of 5. My expectations weren’t high, since this was a hotel bar. The drink had all the classic ingredients, and I was relieved that soda water was not added, since I have seen that happen in Chicago-area bars. Points to the staff for giving all the cocktails Chicago-related names, like “Mag Mile Manhattan” and “Lake Shore Drive Gimlet”. However, ol’ Playboy Hugh spelled his name with one “f” and not two, as printed on the menu. Typo or deliberate effort to not use his actual name? A quick search just told me that his favorite drink was actually Jack Daniels with Pepsi.

Final thoughts: Husband was so happy that he re-connected with this marvelous group of people. (One of them was actually a friend of mine from high school, so I re-connected, too!) We discovered other common threads with these friends as the weekend went on– we all have many decades of life experiences by now, and it is a small world.