Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The Last Martini

Last night I had my last martini. I used to love a martini -- gin please -- and when I was feeling really wacky I'd have two. Back in the day on two martini nights I'd stagger to the subway platform and call up my friend A. on the pay phone. That's right, the pay phone, that's how long ago the two martini nights were. But now, I can't do it anymore. It's not just my early wake up call, it's my delicate constitution and if I want to keep that constitution in checks and balances, I have to say goodbye to the martini. It's not such a sacrifice in practice -- I probably haven't had a martini for five years, having preferred my liquor brown -- but the idea of it, it's just a little sad. But maybe it's appropriate to give up on the glass of chilled pure alcohol on a morning where the big story over at Politico is how healthy the Obamas are and how they want you to be healthy, too. Of course Republicans are crying Nanny state, but it makes sense to urge a healthy lifestyle if you want to curb health care costs. I mean, I know if I give up martinis, I'll save a bucket on ibuprofen.

2 comments:

roni said...

I remember reading that as Julia Child got older, she started drinking "reverse martinis"--vermouth with a spritz of gin. I would have just given up martinis than drink all that vermouth, but I applaud her creativity.

I gave up martinis a few years ago, but recently I purchased a set of vintage martini glasses and got back in the habit. The difference is that these martini glasses are t-i-n-y. Unlike the modern martini glass, these hold about two ounces of gin (one if you're a two-olive girl). But I hear you on the checks-and-balances thing. Even my tiny martinis are a quarterly event at most.

Robin Aronson said...

See, a quarterly tiny martini, THAT I could handle! A brilliant strategy.....