Today is a heatwave. The air shimmers above the highway pavement, dogs with their tongues hanging, and not a cotton swab in the grampy's baby blue, Crown Victoria sky.
Walk outside and it's like walking into a gym sauna. You know, furnace like air temperature. Maybe this weather foreshadows what I can expect in the afterlife. Oh well, I banish that thought as I enter the heavenly chill of my local air-conditioned liquor store.
I am on a mission to find a tonic to provide comfort from the fiery sun ablaze above. My studies in alchemy tell me that Scotch and rum on their own will not work. Beer is for young people. I have a beer and my stomach goes condo with space for rent.
On one aisle I see J&B Rare. Nothing 'rare' about this bottom shelf blended Scotch whisky. It's everywhere and usually always on sale. By itself, on a day like this, it's torture, but I get inspired. I know that this is not a blend worth drinking neat. A lot of blends are designed as the alcoholic anchor of a mixed drink and J&B is a shining example.
I hop on the J&B website which is a lot more modern and hip than the antiquated bottle label. The site has mixed drink suggestions, and what I like is that they are simple concoctions. No 'mixologists' here! Don't need obscure ingredients or shavings of this and a touch of that. I looked at all the recipes and settled on "J&B and Ginger ale" except I decided to substitute ginger ale for ginger beer. There is a difference my friend. So, I grabbed a bottle and then headed to Costco to get some good quality Fever-Tree ginger beer (no alcohol).
I am not paid anything by whoever makes Fever-Tree ginger beer, but would gladly take their money because their product is fantastic! Real ginger used, carbonated water and sugar. That's pretty much it. What I like about Fever-Tree is that it doesn't taste super sweet like typical soda. Maybe that is because it is made in England and exported to mugs like me in North America. This ginger beer has a real nice spicy/tart bite to it.
1. Twist off the cap of your J&B bottle. You're gonna use that cheap metal cap to measure out two capfuls of J&B Scotch into a tall glass (preferably Irish Galway crystal - everything tastes better in crystal doncha know).
2. One lemon or lime. Slice it into wedges. One of those wedges is going into you tall glass.
3. Lots of ice, I mean three or four cubes.
4. Fever-Tree or other similar high quality ginger beer. But, friend, make sure its at room temperature. We don't want it refrigerator cold. Chillin' is the job of the ice. So, pour that ginger beer into your glass.
5. Wait exactly one minute to let the ice chill your ginger beer and J&B.
6. Now have a taste!
Cheers!
Jason Debly
