Hi all. Let me first apologize for staying so silent over the last few months; a busy work schedule combined with a homework-heavy semester in my MBA program have prevented me from writing as much as I’d like. The flip side, though, is that I have a good excuse to drink when I slow down enough to take a breath. Over the last month I have been trying this drink out at various restaurants and bars in my local area, and I think it is time to debut my newest project, The Rainstorm.
2 parts Disaronno
1 part Sloe Gin
Fill with OJ
This crafty imbibation was made on a whim from a challenge I offered to a bartender: make me a martini based in Disaronno. The Rainstorm must be served cold; if you let it warm up, the sweet flavors all start to meld together into a syrupy mess. Also, the brand of sloe gin makes a big difference, as does the amaretto. I had one made at a restaurant that used Bols for both, and it just wasn’t the same. Made correctly, with the right brands (I use Hiram Walker at home), the Rainstorm is an opaque reddish pink, somewhat reminiscent of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. This is definitely a drink to have as dessert, not with it, unless you are the kind of person who likes deep fried Coke syrup.
As I’m a fan of double entendres, the title of this article doesn’t just refer to the drink above. There’s a storm a-brewin’ in the States that could have some far-reaching effects. A group of college presidents, anxious about the binge drinking and associated troubles that are prevalent on their campuses, have signed on to a statement called the “Amethyst Initiative”. The AI is a call for ‘an informed and unimpeded debate’ about the drinking age in the United States, and whether it should be lowered. This has, of course, started a debate that threatens to break the very bonds of the ‘dispassionate’ discourse that these academicians hoped to achieve.
***My opinion, for what it’s worth.***
The Amethyst Initiative seems to be a way for some college presidents to say “We can’t control our student bodies.” While I can come up with a number of reasons to have the debate, it seems odd coming from institutions of higher learning. On the actual issue, I’ve always thought that someone old enough to die for their country (in the military) should be old enough to drink in it. I also believe that all forms of abstinence, be it sexual, chemical, or social, are dangerous, especially when the subject is not a willing abstainer and is presented with a chance to indulge. In this point, I agree with the AI; legally preventing our youngens from imbibing makes them more likely to binge drink, and less likely to seek help when it goes too far.
***
Of course, our friends to the north spend a good amount of time laughing in our general direction, at least when they’re young. I’m not sure how they feel when they’re older…maybe I’ll get a few responses to this article.
The issue aside, I have wondered over the last year or so why they called the project ‘Amethyst’. Well, turns out, the explanation is on their website. Amethyst is of Greek origin, meaning ‘not intoxicated’. She was a target of Dionysus’ rage (lust?) one day when he was drunk on red wine. She cried out to Diana for help, who turned the girl into white stone. Dionysus, seeing what he had wrought, cried copious tears into his goblet, causing the red wine to spill all over the girl-statue, turning it purple. Since then, amethyst has been used to ward off the negative effects of intoxication, and was used extensively in drinkware and bacchanal jewelry.
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