A Taste of My Past

As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I spent 11 years living in downtown Seattle. I had just graduated from college and moved from a small city to this wonderful urban jungle and I loved it. I lived in an old brownstone apartment building which housed both young urban professionals as well as long time tenants. Needless to say, it was an eclectic place.

After I had lived there a year or two, one of my best friends whom I had met at college, also moved into the building. A year later another coworker moved in and it was like living back in the dorms! Though we all worked, none of us had any extra money. The thing was, there such varied entertainment and dining options always literally in our front yard, we could always afford something.

On Friday nights, my friend and I would often get off work together and off we would trot down the hill and hit the "Happy Hour" circuit. In those days (the Happening '80s), many hotels in downtown Seattle would offer up the most fabulous free food in order to lure customers in for drinks. We certainly took advantage of this inexpensive entertainment and would often make that our Friday night dinner, going from place to place deciding who offered the most substantial fare.

One of our favorite cocktails at that time of our lives was a champagne cocktail. It seemed so sophisticated, just like we thought we were. There was just something so right about sitting around sipping the bubbly, looking out at the lights of the city from some hotel bar and enjoying life. I haven't had one since and so I thought I should make one and see if indeed, it was as good as I remember. And you know what??? It was!

Here's the thing though. It was missing a key ingredient and after I had a few sips I realized it was missing my dear friend sitting next to me drinking one too. So Warren, next time you come for a visit I will make us champagne cocktails and we will pretend we are 25 years old again. Okay?

Champagne Cocktail

Champagne or sparking wine

Angostura bitters

sugar cube

Put 2-3 drops of bitters onto the sugar cube and drop it into a champagne flute. Fill the flute with champagne and sip away.