Moonriver #3 - Three Simple Mixes

It's been a tough ride while in quarantine.  
  I've moved my side professions exclusively online, my main profession followed (hello distance learning model), and there is a difficult lack of separation between work and home.  With everything so close, and no overt way to escape effectively, little things become big things and minor difficulties weigh heavy on our psyche.
  This week was a rough one for me, and even rougher for my lady.  It marked one of the few times she came in and asked me to mix her a drink.

Now, we're not alcoholic people.  In fact, with our combined digestive problems, our liquor consumption is a delicate beast rarely visited, so the majority of my academic study of palette and liquor is for the consumption led by OTHER PEOPLE and THEIR taste buds.
  WE consume things with a simpler approach - less ingredients means less chance for contamination, and when we find a mix we like and can trust, we stick with it.  Disaronno and Coca-Cola is a great example; it's trustworthy and feels good, and won't hurt us.  Beer?  Disease.  Most ciders?  Pain incarnate.  The whole majority of wine?  Just...why bother?
  But if I can expand our palette just a bit with a few simple ingredients from my cabinet, then we're in business for something special, and just because we have restrictions doesn't mean we can't help take the edge off during those rare moments where it could really help.  So what follows is a trio of simple mixes that we have used to help with the hard weeks (consumed responsibly, of course) of the past, present, and future.

Rootfire

Easy does it.
  This one's a simple shot.  Smooth and hidden.

1/2 ounce Fireball Whisky 
1 ounce Root Beer liqueur 

​  Personally I go a little less Fireball, a little more Root Beer, but sometimes I swing toward equal parts, or rebalance the complete other direction.  Due to my sensitivity around anything spicy, anytime I try this shot it's chased immediately by a full glass of water (keeps me from coughing, and keeps the burn down).  This way I don't sacrifice the warmth in my bones for the doom of my esophagus.  :)

Blue Ginger

This one and the next are adapted margarita mixes (a favorite of my lady), and thus will use Tequila as their bases.  I recommend Gold Tequila, rather than Silver, if you have a choice.  If not, don't worry about it.
1.5 Oz Tequila
3/4 Oz. Blue Curacao
2 Oz. Pineapple Juice
(mix up, and pour into a glass)
Fill the rest with Ginger Ale
  It's a neat little drink, smoothed out by the Ginger.  No Ginger Ale?  Sprite will do, but you'll change the palette a little.

Pinewood Sunrise

Yes, yes, I know it looks like a Tequila Sunrise, and it basically is with a slight twist.
1.5 Oz. Tequila
1 Oz. Triple Sec
1.5-3 Oz. Orange Juice
1/2 Oz. Sour Mix
1 Oz. Grenadine

So this is the most complicated in the sense that it has five ingredients, then Crushed Ice that you pour this over, but that ice and the extra Orange Juice is precisely what you'll need to spread this palette out to something you can sip by the pool, or on the porch, or chug in the kitchen.  ;)

And as tasty as these are, alcoholism is a thing.  Please be responsible whenever you consume alcoholic beverages.
  I am not a bartender, just a modern Bard, and my experiences and studies are the information I draw on.
These are strange, difficult times for many people and there's a big difference between taking the edge off and turning things into dangerous habits.  
Be kind to yourself and others, and remember to extend a little compassion to your soul.

I'll see you at the table soon.
​-Adamus