Tag: Quarantine

Lucky 36

There are so many celebrations that we are missing out on in this topsy-turvy, social distancing, quarantined world.  Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, graduations and more.  Opportunities to see and celebrate with family- opportunities that, even if postponed, are gone forever.  As we find our way in what is becoming the new “normal” we find ways to make those moments special.  My birthday was at the end of March.  And it will definitely be one that I will always remember.

I’ve had some pretty amazing birthdays.  Last year, when I turned 35, my Partner-In-Crime planned an overnight to one of the Casino Riverboats in Indiana and surprised me with a stop at the Neely Family Distillery for a tasting and I got to bottle my own bourbon. 

The year before we went to Columbus for another overnight.  After stopping on the way at Hardees for my favorite Hot Ham and Cheese, I knew we weren’t rushing to a restaurant.  After checking in to the hotel, he rushed me out the door and surprised me (with help from one of our most fantastic liquor reps) with a private tour of Middle West Spirits Distillery and dinner at their restaurant.  They are, hands down, one of my favorite distilleries ever- you have to try their Oyo Vodka, especially the Honey-Vanilla Bean. 

My 30th was a trip to Las Vegas.  Super, over-the-top, fancy-pants seafood buffets.  Blackjack.  And a Battleground Vegas 80’s Action Movie shooting experience.

My birthday this year was just as memorable, if not more so.  This year, my 36th Birthday happened on day 3 of Ohio’s “Shelter-in-Place” order.  No surprise trips.  No fabulous restaurant meal.  No distillery visit.  Not even a get together at O’Neal’s with my amazing friends. 

This year was quiet.  Was slow.  It was a time to look around and really think about everything I’ve accomplished in the past year.  This year the weather was warm, a spring breeze was blowing.  Change and growth were in the air.  And all I wanted was to go for a walk and have a picnic.  I wanted to enjoy the fresh air and get a nice dose of Vitamin D.

 My Partner-in-Crime took me to Fresh Market, we got a rotisserie chicken that they very kindly cut into pieces for us, the best chocolate chip cookies, mac’n’cheese, risotto cakes, and spicy crab- cucumber sushi.  All of my favorites!  Then we went to a local park and we watched the ducks and picnicked in the sun.  We finished the experience with a cake/card hand off with my parents.  It was so nice to see them, even at a distance.

Once back home I knew I wanted to make myself a super extra-special Birthday Cocktail. 

I call this one-

*Lucky 36*

  • Bubbly Brut Cuvee
  • 1 small scoop Aglamesis Champagne Italian Ice
  • 2-3 drops Lemon Bitters
  • 3-4 drops Orange Flower Water

In your favorite coupe glass, place scoop Champagne Italian Ice.  Fill glass with Brut Cuvee.  Top with Bitters and Orange Flower Water.  Garnish with a fresh strawberry or raspberry, if you have one.

It was my birthday; I couldn’t have just one.  So next one I made was a riff on one of my all time guilty pleasure drinks.

*Not-So-Cosmo*

  • 1.5 ounces Tito’s Vodka
  • 4-5 Drops Orange Flower Water
  • 3-4 Drops Lemon Bitters
  • 2.5 ounces Ocean Spray Pink Cranberry Juice

In a mixing glass combine all ingredients, add ice and stir to combine.  Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a lime wheel.  Enjoy in the Springtime sun!

*** I want to make certain to note that my birthday adventure 2020 occurred before the stricter Shelter-In-Place recommendations by the CDC and State of Ohio went in to place. 

St. Patrick’s Day: Corona Virus Edition

St. Patrick’s Day looked a little different this year.  It has taken me a full week now to try to wrap my mind around what is happening to our hospitality industry.  And I keep coming back to – St. Patrick’s Day looked a little different this year. 

For me, at O’Neal’s Tavern, St. Paddy’s is not just a big day, it is our BIGGEST day of the year.  We rely on it to cushion the slower summer months.  We spend weeks preparing for it.  Hours decorating, making jello shots, promotional material, scheduling staff/bands/food trucks, and so much more.  It’s a day for former employees to rejoin the ranks for an all-hands-on-deck, 20 hour work day. 

St. Patrick’s Day means, and for the past 10 years has meant – an adrenaline (and Tullamore D.E.W.) fueled day.  A sea of customers in head-to-toe green.  Live music pulsing through the air.  Green beer, Guinness, and jello shots everywhere you turn.  Wave after wave of people who came out to have a fantastic time with friends, new and old.

 This year, it looked a little different.  This year, on Sunday March 15, the governor of Ohio issued a mandate that all Bars and Restaurants would be closed for in house consumption, but could remain open for carry out sales. 

Monday March 16.  The owner (my Partner-in-Crime) and I made difficult calls to the bands, finalizing the cancelations.  We had even more difficult calls to staff, who over the years have become more like family, telling them that until further notice we are closed for business and encouraged them to apply for whatever relief they could.  Until further notice, and possibly forever, our family has been torn apart. 

This year, on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day 2020.  I got dressed in my “Irish Me Was A Little Bit Taller” green shirt, and went in to O’Neal’s.  We had a slow, but steady stream of regulars who came in to buy St. Patrick’s Day Bud Light, and to offer well wishes and condolences.  But mostly, I stood and stared at the decorations.  The hundreds of jello shots.  The bar, set up for the highest of high-volume days.  And fought back the sadness, anger, frustration, and desperation I felt.  Throughout the day I began gathering my personal bar tools- shakers, spoons, strainers, fancy competition glassware, my specialty bitters and teas and spices, my computers and notebooks.  I have to assume that I won’t be coming back- at least, not like it was before.  As a tipped employee, this is one of my most profitable days; instead of counting my St. Paddy’s Tips over a Waffle House All-Star breakfast (with grits not hash browns), I received an email with my Unemployment Claim Confirmation Number. 

In the long term, I don’t know what this closure means for O’Neal’s, or the Hospitality Industry as whole.  I do know that so many of us are finding ourselves in the midst of the very scary unknown.  I do know that it has been heartwarming to see individuals to Local and even International Brands come forward to try to find a way to support all of my service industry brothers and sisters.  I do know that we will, somehow, come through all of this.

More than anything, I know that next year St. Patrick’s Day is going to look a little bit different.