“Always laugh when you can, it is cheap medicine.” -Lord Byron
Today’s martini comes from one of my closest friends, Laura, who has been there through the ups and downs in my life and everything in between. And this girl can make a good martini! I met Laura my first year of teaching years ago. It was divine intervention without a doubt. I was given the class from hell and that previous summer Laura had been told to move classrooms. It wasn’t a coincidence that she ended up right next to me. She was teaching special education at the time, and many of my students that year trickled into her classes over the next couple of years. Her expertise and constant reassurance kept me in the profession. I can even remember on more than one occasion hiding behind her desk to avoid a particular parent lurking outside my door.
This year we both may be reassigned from our current jobs, which directly correlates to an increase in happy hours. It’s true that laughter is the best medicine. We have our usual Starbucks and martini bar meeting places, but have recently changed locations. Who can afford to go out anymore? Our solution has been to trade off meeting at one another’s houses, with the hostess in charge of the “house” martini for the night. Last week I needed to pick up a few work items from Laura so we decided on martinis at her house. The next day we realized that after two of these amazing whiteout comos, I never picked up the work stuff from her. You see where our priorities are!
Laura buys the super-sized bottle of Grey Goose vodka from Costco to refill the smaller bottle which she always keeps in the freezer to keep it icy cold. This just may be my new favorite martini. Cheers to our friends who are willing to ride the roller coaster of life with us and keep us laughing along the way!
Whiteout Cosmo
1 part Grey Goose vodka
Juice of ½ of a small lime (use fresh; I thinks it makes a difference)
Shake really really well and pour into a chilled martini glass (rimmed with sugar if you like, which I do! J)
Garnish with three or four fresh cranberries if you’d like. It adds visual appeal, but does not affect the flavor.
If you prefer a little bit sweeter drink, use 1 ½ parts of the cranberry juice.
