4 Drinks to Celebrate the Beginning of School

The kiddos are back in school, so it's time to make a drink

By Seattle Mag September 11, 2014

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Another school year has begun (or, perhaps for some, is beginning), and I for one think that we should celebrate with a toast–or four. Knowledge and learning are important things (not to mention having the kids out of the house for a number of hours each day is pretty great, too). Also, I firmly believe that every season has plenty of reasons for having a good drink or throwing a good party–and back-to-school-season shouldn’t be any different. The below recipes, all from my book Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz, are ideal for toasting another new school year.

1. Morning Call
I’m not suggesting that you should spend your day drinking in celebration, but hey, a nice picker-upper after the kids are out to school certainly isn’t a bad thing. As long as you don’t work with heavy machinery. Oh, this also makes a great weekend morning drink when soccer season starts.

Cracked ice

1-1/2 ounces absinthe

3/4 ounce maraschino liqueur

3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Fill a cocktail shaker or mixing glass halfway full with cracked ice. Add the absinthe, maraschino, and lemon juice. Stir well.

2. Strain into a cocktail glass and put your feet up.

2. Prairie High
Though my high school wasn’t actually called Prairie High, it was on the prairie, and so I have one of these every year around this time in honor of those formative years. In addition, this one works quite well on the back porch if the sun is high.

Ice cubes

1-1/2 ounces rye (Woodinville Whiskey Co. rye is the way to go here)

1/2 ounce Averna amaro

1 dash Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters

Chilled ginger ale

Lemon slice, for garnish

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the rye, Averna, and bitters. Shake well.

2. Fill a highball glass halfway full with ice cubes. Strain the mix over the ice cubes and into the glass.

3. Fill the glass nearly to the top with ginger ale. Stir briefly. Squeeze the lemon slice over the glass and drop it in like a tumbleweed tumbling.

3. They Shall Inherit the Earth
It’s good to remember that those studious ones are studying for something–one day their lives are going to be darn interesting. Remember that as you sip one of these while helping with another round of math homework. Wait, what are Prime numbers again?

Ice cubes

1/2 ounce Cointreau

1/2 ounce Bénédictine

1 ounce brandy

1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the Cointreau, Bénédictine, brandy, and lemon juice. Shake well. 

2. Strain into a cocktail glass.

4. Underlined Passages
Textbooks: marked up with pen and highlighter. Wait, does anyone have textbooks anymore, or only electronic readers? Either way, this drink should be raised in the name of note-taking, and a thanks to books of all varieties.

Ice cubes

1-1/2 ounces brandy

1 ounce Navan vanilla liqueur

1/2 ounce Dumante Verdenoce pistachio liqueur

1 egg white, preferably organic

1. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway full with ice cubes. Add the brandy, Navan, Dumante, and egg white. Shake exceptionally well.

2. Strain into a cocktail glass.

 

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