Firewood Season

The Gimlet. A simple, refreshing beverage that can be enjoyed on a hot summer day while playing bocce ball, or a chilly winter evening, sitting by a fire watching Sunday football. For us, that would be the latter. Our stressful week at work was fueled with the anticipation of having a "country cord" of wood delivered to our driveway, and moving that country cord to the racks we have in our side yard. Firewood days for us started with purchasing multiple 5 piece wood bundles at the grocery store, which evolved to being gifted with a firewood rack and a half cord wood delivery (thanks Mike and Jan!), to now, when we are taking on the full cord (again, an early Christmas gift from Scott's parents). We set the alarm for 6:30am Saturday morning, ate a quick breakfast, got ready, and waited. And waited. And waited. And finally, after 9, our truck pulled up and we unloaded. As we pulled wood off the truck, and covered ourselves with mud, moss, and chipped off wood, I started to smell it. The sweet, smoky, rich smell of that wood mixed with the frost in the air immediately made me want to start a fire and live in the woods. Luckily, we can have that woodsy feeling AND get all of the city benefits I always wanted growing up in rural Pennsylvania.



So, back to the Gimlet. I was introduced to this beverage by Scott, and quickly realized through a number of family gatherings that this is their trademark beverage. This is the cocktail hour preference, the wow-we-had-a-crazy-day-let's-wind-down drink, the go-to drink when nothing else sounds all that great. But when you get to the specifics, things change. Gin, vodka, fresh squeezed lime juice, Rose's; it depends on your personal preference. We drink these beverages with freshly squeezed limes, gin, and sugar. In the summer, I will change it up and go for vodka, but most of the time, it's gin. My favorite is Bombay Sapphire. For Scott, his classic is Beefeater. And for the two of us, it's always fresh squeezed lime juice. The parents prefer half or all Rose's Lime juice, gin for dad, vodka for mom. And here's the final detail that makes it the family drink: filberts. Toasted and peeled, grab a few and throw them in your drink (except for the vodka based gimlets... the drink ends up being too light for the heaviness of the nuts). Take a sip, then eat a lime/gin soaked hazelnut. Perfection!


The Gimlet, Scott's version:
3 oz. Gin or Vodka plus a splash
1 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. sugar


Combine gin, juice, and sugar, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Splash a little extra gin/vodka, and add as much ice as you can get into the glass. Wait about 5 minutes, then add hazelnuts and enjoy!