Coaching Cooking

I am always thirsty. Maybe it’s a condition of aging (okay, I guess it’s not fair to say that since I’m not over 30 yet). At any rate, I must present a few places where the drinks freakin’ rock. And also a mocktail (for those of you who have the Asian flush or for those of you who still want to keep up appearances at work).

Jenny’s Thirsty Thursday ‘Tail: This is a drink that can be made anytime as long as you have the basic ingredients. It’s also one of those dorky drinks you can make in order to cheer yourself up. For example, I like to make it after working with teenagers all day. Teenagers who say things like “Wow, those are ugly shoes” and “So can you type up my essay for me? It’s due next period.”

Ingredients: (for one drink)

1 cup of club soda or tonic water or Sprite or 7up
1 cup of a favorite juice (I love pretty much any fruit punch or guava-pineapple or Trader Joe’s Mango Lemonade)
Crushed ice or a few ice cubes
1 lime wedge or lemon wedge
A few berries or watermelon cubes or apple slices or orange slices

Directions:

Combine the first two ingredients in a large glass then add ice. Squeeze a citrus wedge (lime or lemon) the top with a few pieces of fruit. Add a fun straw and even an umbrella.

This also makes a great REAL drink if you add vodka or Smirnoff Twist or anything alcohol that you like.

Add some rockabilly or surf music and rock it out!

Drinks that Rock from Places that Also Rock:

Anything from Bonny Doon, but especially the dessert wines and the Moscato D’Asti

Cost Plus: This place has excellent wine selection plus a great selection of non-alcoholic beverages including Jones Soda.

Longs Drugs: for you wine lovers, cruise by the wine selection when you get a chance. I once bought two bottles of 2004 Pine Ridge Cabernet (the good stuff) for $27 a bottle and it was amazing. I even made my mom jealous because she went by several times and never found that wine again.

Okay, I’ll be honest about Longs Drugs. Most of the time that place totally creeps me out: the green aprons circa 1963, that one guy who always stares at you while he bags your goods, and that one aisle that smells like bleach and something that dirty bleach can’t cover up. But, seriously, the wine selection (at least in Northern California) freakin’ rocks sometimes. It’s worth the mental strain of trying to get around that lady on her cell phone who must tell the ENTIRE world about her impending doctor’s appointment.