Ah, my favorite kind of winter-weather event: gently-falling snow, both of us home from work, electricity and heat working, and plenty of bread and milk in the house. Today is Martin Luther King, Jr,. Day, as well, so we are grateful for having a paid day off, too. What a perfect afternoon to concoct a cocktail.

I was hoping, all afternoon, that schools would be closed tomorrow. I did get my wish, and even Husband’s employer has declared a snow day due to the expected dangerous road conditions. I am relieved that my loved ones in Tennessee and northern Virginia can work from home tomorrow. Whew! One less worry for this mom.

Yes, snow days can be a treat. Once we are retired, that treat goes away. Hmm, I suppose I will miss that little thrill of getting THAT phone call which announces that schools are closed. Ha, who am I kidding? Once we are retired, every day in January can be a snow day! We can lounge around in fleece sweatshirts and fuzzy slippers and sip hot chocolate whenever we want, and we can keep the alarm clock off for good.

And yet, I have been known to feel guilty for squandering my snow day on lounging around and sipping and sleeping. We will need to draft weekly schedules in retirement so we don’t squander our days away. We are already talking about it. Mop-Up Mondays and Taco Tuesdays have been penciled in, for starters.

Today’s cocktail fits a frosty theme. Here’s my spin on a rosemary lemon martini.

In a cocktail shaker, combine 2 ounces vodka, 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 Tablespoons simple syrup, and a cut up sprig of rosemary. Add several ice cubes and shake very well. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with another rosemary sprig and a curl of lemon peel.

Enjoyed: Sunday, December 31, 2023

Listed on the menu: No, no drink menu here, but undoubtedly the bartenders can create any classic cocktail to accompany the classic dishes on the menu.

Ingredients: Well bourbon, simple syrup, bitters, muddled cherry, muddled orange slice. And lots of ice. Had it not been a super-busy evening, I would have asked our waiter for more specifics about the ingredients.

The occasion: This was New Year’s Eve! We suggested a “classic Charlottesville” evening out to our dear friends, and we discovered that most of us hadn’t been to the Aberdeen Barn (self-proclaimed as a “big-time steakhouse”) in many years. One of our group remembers eating here when he came for his job interview at UVA. My husband remembers taking me out to a celebratory dinner here when we learned that baby number one was on the way. It was high time to re-visit this local institution (family owned and operated since 1965!), and we all had a lovely meal to ring out the old year.

My rating: *** out of 5. Although the glass was overloaded with ice, I could tell that the bartender was not skimpy with the bourbon. The drink was also less sweet than I expected. This was a “man’s drink” for certain, one that would have met with approval from my parents’ generation. No frou-frou drinks for wimps here, no sir! If that steak won’t put hair on your chest, this cocktail will–especially if you drink most of it before the ice starts to melt. (I did.)

Final thoughts: Even though every table was occupied when we arrived for the last seating of the evening, the quality of the food and of the service was great. And our dinner companions made the evening even more memorable. Happy New Year to all!