December 6, 2000
Sir Winston Churchill made martinis by pouring gin into a pitcher and glancing briefly at a bottle of vermouth across the room wrote author of "The Martini", Barnaby Conrad III.This, ladies and gentlemen is a dry martini!
Some friends of mine who live in Santa Maria held their annual martini party on the night before Thanksgiving. This year I attended the gala for the first time-a trip back into the fifties-the nostalgia of Elvis, Corvettes, "I Love Lucy," and a vision of an America as it was after World War Two.
But as my favorite food writer, the late M.F.K. Fisher, so succinctly put it "The tipple, however, can be dangerous."
I did what I think was the most sensible thing. I arranged for a cab to bring me to the martini party and take me back home. I called my friend, Santa Maria resident Dutch Degroot, who owns SMV Taxi to set up the ride.
Nothing would mar the Thanksgiving holiday (or any time for that matter) more than spending a night in jail, and the ensuing hassle and financial havoc after getting picked up for a DUI!
The martini party was absolutely splendid-the martinis flowed, the food abundent, all to the backdrop of Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday in the setting of a gracious, forties-vintage Spanish-style Santa Maria home-just like something right out of a Clark Gable movie.
Over the period of an hour and a half, I drank three martinis.
Given my girth, it's possible, I suppose, that I was within the legal blood alcohol limit-0.08 percent.
But why take the chance? I could have been pulled over for some stupid infraction like an equipment violation, and the police officer might have picked up the aroma and bouquet of freshly exhaled Bombay Sapphire, one of my favorite gins and the "well gin" at this festive Thanksgiving eve party.
So you end up blowing into one of those confounded breath devices hoping the numbers will show well under that 0.08 mark. (And by the way, all 0.08 means is automatic arrest; you can still be arrested under 0.08 and its all at the discretion of the arresting officer.)
One time in my life-about five years ago-I was driving from the Santa Ynez Valley back to Santa Barbara after drinking more than my fare share of Lane Tanner's 1993 "Blue Moon" Bien Nacido Vineyard pinot noir. One CHP unit closely followed by another pulled me over near the Cathedral Oaks off ramp from Highway 154. I had to take a breath test, and figured this was my undoing. I figured the jig was up. The device registered 0.07. Being impaired from the drink and compounded by the my nervous floundering from just the situation I found myself in, I could barely talk. After debating my plight, they let me go. They told me to stop at the nearby bowling alley, spend some time, and drink some coffee which I did.
Life is simply too short for such aggravations. The options are obvious.
For the cost of the round trip cab fare, I had peace of mind. Taking a cab, I could decide when I had to leave, not an option you have when come with other people. It turns out I had company coming for Thanksgiving and needed to be home early. Got home, drank some water, took an aspirin, and was up bright and early at the crack of dawn on Thanksgiving.
- Car pool with somebody acting as the designated driver.
- Take a cab.
- When possible, spend the night in the guest room. (At parties like the martini party I attended, this is not a real option.)
We are coming into the holiday season. If you are going to be drinking and driving, take a cab or carpool where somebody is the designated driver.
FROM THE POLITICALLY INCORRECT FILE
Some friends of mine always celebrate Pearl Harbor Day by going to Harry's Plaza Cafe in Santa Barbara to drink Kamikazes. How rude. I love it! This year I think I'll go too. And we will have a designated driver.
Michael Jackson's "Bar & Cocktail Companion" reference book didn't show a Kamikaze recipe so I called my friend Alex Haimanis, the legendary bar tender at Harry's Plaza in Santa Barbara for the recipe.
Take two shots of vodka, a quarter shot of lime juice, and a quarter shot of triple sec (it's a vodka gimlet with triple sec he told me), and mix in a glass with ice to get the contents cold. Squeeze in the juice of a fresh lime too. Pour into shot glasses. Have at it, but don't forget your cab or designated driver.
Cheers.
Bob Senn lives in the Los Alamos Valley and owns the Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium.
