Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Beginning Quests

The British have given us a lot.

Jane Austen, the Clash, Jason Statham, Eddie Izzard. Fine cinema, the likes of which often feature middle-aged women who resort to growing weed, middle-aged men who resort to stripping, or introverted shoe manufacturers who resort to creating stripper heels specially for drag queens. A Queen who drinks beer, for shit's sake. They cracked open the genius brain of J.K. Rowling and let the sweet, sweet innards spill out onto more than four thousand pages that now sit in the laps of every addicted man, woman, and child in America. And, let's face it -- they birthed our fine country, even though we morphed into bratty teenagers and gave them the ultimate "Fuck You" back in 1776.

Lastly, and the reason for this post: while not particularly known for their culture's gastronomic delights, the British are responsible for the popularity of gin, for which I am eternally grateful. Beyond that, they are responsible for one of my very favorite "Drink Me" bottles, Pimm's #1. Mystery elixir tasting of spice and sophistication.

Margaritas are all well and good, and mojitos are still enjoying their much-deserved fifteen minutes. And anyone who knows me well knows that I've yet to meet a sangria I didn't like. But in my mind, there exists no summer cocktail so elegant, so refreshing, so delightfully British, as the Pimm's Cup. All recipes rely on various combinations of Pimm's #1, lemonade and/or ginger ale, garnished with sliced lemons, limes, and cucumbers (cucumbers! genius!). So exquisite is the Pimm's Cup that it makes me feel delicate and ladylike... and perhaps a bit like I shouldn't be giggling at the Cockfosters tube station.

I have thus begun a quest, to locate myself a bottle of Pimm's #1 for sale somewhere in the DC metro area. My first two stops were unsuccessful, but I have high hopes. As Tweedle Wit pointed out just this evening, I could always resort to calling the British embassy and asking for suggestions. If it comes to that, I just might.

To conclude tonight's post, I have composed a haiku in honor of my dearest (yet elusive) summer cocktail:

Oh, Pimm's #1
Enigma of citrus spice
Cucumber garnish

...
heh heh... Cockfosters.

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