Bonus Cocktail Recipes
Stand Be Cider
This one is for you, the men who don’t just hold doors but also hold space for women. I’m talking about our precious allies—husbands, sons, friends, mates, uncles, fathers, teachers, colleagues, mentors. The ones who call bullshit on “boys will be boys” when there’s nary a woman in sight, who don’t “babysit” their own children and who teach them about consent, who march alongside us with raised voices, whose sense of self is not formed in opposition to women’s strength. For these men who proudly claim their feminism and exemplify it in word and action, I offer a sparkling cocktail where hard cider proffers the bubbles, blending harmoniously with smooth bourbon and a bite of ginger. Of course, we women get to enjoy it, too. We know you wouldn’t have it any other way.
2½ ounces bourbon
1 tablespoon fig-ginger or pear-ginger jam
½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 to 3 ounces dry hard cider
Candied ginger, for garnish
Combine bourbon, jam, lemon juice, and bitters in a shaker. Add ice and shake until very cold. Pour into a chilled martini glass or large coupe and top with cider. Garnish with candied ginger on a pick.
Hit Me with Your Best Shot
“Piggy.” “Low IQ.” “Deranged.” “Scum.” “Disgusting.” “Dog.” “Crazy.” “Evil.” “Sick.” It’s . . . interesting that some men resort to base epithets when challenged. Well, we’re taking Pat Benatar’s chart-topping advice and adding a page from Representative Jasmine Crockett’s contemporary playbook for standing up to bullies: “Do not back down. Do not bend. You allow them to go and wage their threats.” Because we’re saving our energy for the real fight, not for bouts of “I’m not, you are!” While those sad men hurl their impotent invectives, you’ll find us popping the best Jell-O shots of our lives. Forget fake lime and vodka. These jiggly incarnations of a Paper Plane start off bright, with lemon and Aperol giving way to a very boozy bourbon finish. Fire away!
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin (about 2 envelopes)
½ cup Aperol
½ cup Amaro Nonino
½ cup bourbon
Pour the lemon juice into a nonreactive saucepan, and sprinkle in the gelatin. Allow the gelatin to bloom (soften) for about 5 minutes. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the gelatin is fully dissolved, about 1 minute. Do not allow to come to a boil. Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a Pyrex measuring cup. Add the Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and bourbon. Whisk to combine.
Divide among 16 plastic Jell-O shot cups or plastic condiment containers. (Place them on a sheet pan for stability.) Refrigerate for about 3 hours or until set before serving.
Dewar’s Decimal System
Melvil Dewey was a founding member of the ALA, a chief librarian at Columbia University, and, of course, the creator of the ubiquitous library classification system that bears his name. He was also racist, antisemitic, and chronically displayed “a vicious type of sexual depravity” toward his “special prey,” female librarians. Enter proclaimed Los Angeles city librarian Tessa Kelso. In 1924, she set her sights on Dewey and, citing his history of predation, successfully lobbied to keep the New York Library Association’s conference from being held at his Lake Placid estate. Faced with mounting pressure, Dewey eventually resigned from his role as a state librarian as well as from the ALA. His system remains, but our society is built on systems developed by people we’d rather forget. Doing great work within them is progress.
This rich, complex creation achieves balance through Cynar, an amaro made from artichokes. Sip this slightly bitter, slightly salty ode to incremental change while celebrating today’s heroic librarians continuing Kelso’s legacy in Dewey’s system.
1 ounce Dewar’s or other blended scotch
1 ounce bourbon
1 ounce Cynar
1 ounce sweet vermouth
Pinch of Maldon or other flaky salt
Lemon twist, for garnish
Combine the scotch, bourbon, Cynar, sweet vermouth, and pinch of salt in a shaker. Add ice and shake until cold. Pour into a rocks glass and add 1 large ice cube. Garnish with the lemon twist.