Saturday, October 18, 2008

Shaken...not Stirred

This is not a Bond fan talking to you. That is not to say I have not watched a Bond film or two...or three. And right behind Sean Connery is Pierce Brosnon. What is with this new blonde Bond mess. Give me Connery or give me death. Ooops, wrong speech.

Anyhow, for those of you have not been reading my blog all the long, I had major spinal surgery this past summer. I am recovering very well if I might add. I went into the surgery a very healthy person, save for the reason I was going into surgery for. But I don't smoke...anything and I don't take recreational drugs (plus who could afford them these days), and I drink rarely, if ever. Does booze have an expiration date?

Well suffice it to say I have listened to what the doctors have told me. I am walking a minimum of 5 days a week at least 2 blocks and 3 if my husband is home and then it is hubby, me and the pooch(I still cannot take the chance on pooch bolting, so until back is back to 100%, then pooch only goes out when dad is home). But there is one thing I am missing. And that is my Martini.

I am talking a classic Martini, none of this James Bond crap. How dare he mess with a classic. Vodka Martini, who was he trying to impress? Oh yeah, just about every female this side of Orion's Belt. Forgive me, but there some things best left alone. And a classic Martini is one of them. There is something about thee entire process. Preparing your glass, getting your bar shaker ready, getting the right amount of olives set side for the final touch (and juice of olives if you are into Dirty Martinis).

There is something to be said for the Martini. The glass alone that houses this classic beverage stands alone. Unless you have lived under some rock in the hills of Kentucky, most people know a Martini glass spot on. No other glass in the alcohol community can say that. Oh yes, there are others who are recognizable, such as a beer mug(need I say more), maybe a brandy snifter, but your 'Average Joe' may not know about the brandy thingy glass, flutes(mostly used for champagne), goblets, margarita, shot and the list goes on. But nothing is like a Martini glass.

Since I am restricted from drinking any alcohol, what-so-ever until I am off my medication (And no, I have not cheated), I have not had the pleasure of a Martini (or anything else for that matter) for approximately 4 months. I have survived, but barely I say. So I have adapted...improvised, if you will.

Thee other day I was in the kitchen and took out a jar of olives and popped a few in my mouth and shook my head, chewed on the olives and swallowed. And I proudly announced to my husband and daughter. "I am a Martini." Even though I was shaken, not stirred.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am so proud of you for not having a Martini for 4 WHOLE MONTHS!!!!!
I do have a problem with beer, and am trying very hard to stop. Some days are better than others. So I must say again, how proud I am of you.
Love the olives in your mouth, and shaken not stirred!! LOL!!!
How much longer till you can enjoy one????

Bill Cooney said...

Positively delightful post! Somewhat sadly, I have had to forgo martinis since being on medication also (for my bipolar symptoms - nearly 10 years).

Reading your delicious entry took me on a journey to years passed when I regularly partook of extremely dry Bombay martinis - straight up, well-chilled, extra olives. Here's one to toss around in your brain: I was taught to appreciate martinis by none other than a Catholic priest! Come to think of it, he also taught be about the finer points of 12-year-old Scotch, as well.

A very good friend of mine, who is just starting a blog of her own, From the Banks of Sinking Creek, informed me that the expression "dirty" martini referred to the practice of squeezing the olive juice into the drinl, which I did by force of habit.

Quite a while back, I was the lone martini drinker in my neighborhood watering hole. Yes, the rest were beer slobs. And every Friday when I would pay off my tab, I brought in a jar of olives for the bar to use for me for the coming week. And you are absolutley right on with the whole experience of viewing the process of making the drink. A bartender once told me he purposely prepared his martinis in plain sight of the ordering patron so as to enhance the entire experience. Sort of like foreplay prior to the main event!

This post is tantalizingly written, and I thank you for bringing to the surface the torment I have for so long hidden away.

Lonely Heart said...

This post is very witty = ]
Congratulations on going four months without any alcohol!

besaroboy said...

Ok, you are gonna hate this, but one of my favorite martinis is anything but "classic". I use iced tea as a base ( jigger), 2 jiggers of vodka, 1 jigger of apple schnapps and a dash of sweetened lime juice. To even drop the manly quotient down further, I sugar the rims. I have to admit as much as I enjoy a beer now and then, I have never been known for manly drinks instead favoring those on the pink side.