It's Summer - Have a Drink!

Well that was quite a weekend.  On Friday night as Mrs. BA and I hosted a cookout for the camp coaches and host families for the camp that LBA attended all week - our little town, and specifically our house and street - was hit by a microburst storm.  A high voltage power line fell between our home and our neighbor's home, electrifying their fence (melting it in several places) and house (there are burn marks around the house and the doorbell melted).  Of course, the power went out.  And stayed out.  And it was hot.  Forty hours later the power returned.  We lost most of the contents of our refrigerator but the freezer items stayed frozen and nothing was lost.  I can't say enough of about our mayor and the power company that worked around the clock to restore power.  It could have been much worse - no one was hurt and the damage was not as bad as it could have been.

For this Recipe Monday, it's a good time to relax and have a drink (there were several beers in the Brave Astronaut fridge that had to be drunk lest they go bad).  Additionally, one of my neighbors was recently looking for suggestions for the perfect summer cocktail.  The nice folks at the New York Times Magazine obliged with twelve variations using four different liquors.  From the May 13, 2012 magazine.  You're welcome.

I think I might start drinking Moscow Mules.

Ingredients

• Vodka
• Ginger Beer
• Lime juice
• Simple Syrup

Preparation

Add 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice and 2 tablespoons simple syrup to 1/4 cup vodka. Top with ginger beer. Garnish: Candied ginger.

If you are spending your time in bars drinking - here's a way to make some of your bar tab back - 10 Bets You Will Never Lose.  from kottke.