Blogatron

Thanks for Coming, Get Home Safe

Thank you for all your birthday wishes. I may be imagining it, but I believe that my circuits received a little ether-borne "zing!" at the appointed non-hour of my birth on Friday night, providing them with the energy required after a long day of bus riding and party shopping.

Preparations for the soiree moved forward like a smooth and painless military operation, only more fun, thanks in large part to the superior planning skills of the Captain and the advanced errand-running technology that is Agent Mike. In just a day and a half, we were able to shop for and prepare the following menu: split pea pakoras, beet-walnut salad on endives, chocolate and cheese fondue, and tiny angel food bundt cakes, chocolate or plain, with strawberry or chocolate sauce to garnish. Things turned out delicious, if I may say so, and all without measuring spoons! (Although I still say that your flatware tablespoons ARE NOT THE SAME AS MEASURING TABLESPOONS, Captain. Twitch twitch incorrect volume estimate protocol detected whirrr zzzzpp error error!)

A word of advice: if you are planning to serve champagne cocktails at your next party, estimate high and get a few bottles more than you think you'll need. Because the cocktails will be so swanky, so attractive and appealing and tasty, that even your usual beer swillers and jack-and-cokers will try one and come back for more. Luckily, when we ran out, we were at the point in the evening when people were ready to say "Oh, you're out of champagne then? Tra la la, no matter, just pour me a drinking glass of gin if you will." Here is what we should have had more of:

Classic Champagne Cocktail: Drop one sugar cube into your glass, add a splash of Angostura bitters, and pour champagne over all. The cube will fizz delightfully. You will probably go to the liquor store and they will not have bitters, but that's all right - just get some sweet and sour mix and that will do nicely.

The Pear Passion:
Cut Bartlett pears into 1/4-inch cubes. Soak in pear brandy for not more than two hours. Add 4 or 5 cubes to the bottom of the glass, and pour your champagne over them. The pear cubes are supposed to "dance," which apparently means "float" to cocktail dilettantes like me.

Thanks to everyone who came, and love to those who e-mailed me that you could not make it. It was great to see so many friends after the cold, rather introverted month of February. Hopefully I managed to socialize with everyone enough, and convey my deepest affection properly, despite champagne tipsiness. You are the icing on my cake, after all.

Posted by hilatron at March 3, 2003 10:47 AM