1/3 of a Drink

I was out to breakfast with my sister about a month ago and she asked what I imagine is a very common question to a first-time mom. So are you tired, like, all the time now?

Lucky for us, Olivia has been an incredible sleeper, going overnight for eight hours starting around two months of age, and now sleeping about 12 hours per night. Our doctor jokes that we should not share this information with other new parents. So my answer to my sister was no, with an explanation of all of the above.

But if I put more thought into it I would have told her about the other kind of fatigue, that which comes with a 7am wakeup call and doesn’t let up until 7pm. Feed the baby, play with the baby, feed the baby, bathe the baby, put baby down to nap, wash the bottles, empty the dishwasher, clean the kitchen, start laundry, attempt to exercise, take a shower, eat lunch, make food for baby, clean the kitchen, feed the baby, play with the baby, feed the baby, family walk, play with the baby, feed the baby, put baby down for second nap and hope she takes it, start dinner, baby’s up!, feed the baby, hand baby off to husband, finish dinner, play with the baby while eating dinner, clean the kitchen, feed the baby, give baby 100 kisses, say goodnight to baby, and finally… sit on the couch, watch Below Deck with husband, go to bed at 9pm. I’m well-rested, but it’s exhausting.

It’s also the most fun, though, because Olivia has taught herself how to give kisses and will kiss our cheeks on command! Her baby babble gets louder and cuter every day. Mem-mem-mem-mem, ny-ny-ny, da-DAAAA! It can also sometimes be adorably whispered. Sometimes when she wakes up she has a handprint on her face! When she swallows a new food sometimes she squints her eyes, or when she screams really loud sometimes she squints her eyes. Her biggest smiles come with a nose scrunch. She’s always looking out the window for our neighbors’ dog, or a bird, or a squirrel, and her staring once alerted us to a squirrel in the bird feeder. How interesting!, she must have been thinking. She has started to bop her head, with or without music, her first dance move. Sometimes about 30 minutes after we put her to bed for the night one of us will say, I miss her, let’s go get her. And she’s started a new thing when she wakes up, which is to just sit quietly in her crib. No whining to alert us that she’s awake, she knows we’ll see her and come get her. When we open her door to do so, the light streaming in from the hallway makes her blink repeatedly, and it is the cutest.

The easiest way for me to recognize this new type of fatigue is to pour myself an alcoholic beverage. Two sips and it goes straight to my head. More than one glass leads to a certain hangover. My running joke is, Should I have 1/3 of a beer tonight? Cocktail night is now a cautious adventure. That being said, I’ve found two new favorites.

I first went through a gimlet phase in 2009, inspired by Julie Powell (of Julie and Julia), who wrote of frequent gimlets in her memoir. After a long work day I’d sip a version of either gin or vodka mixed with Rose’s lime juice from the balcony of my Chicago high rise. This new version, which I actually got from the website of designer and career idol Erin Gates, calls for the addition of basil simple syrup. It’s bright and summery and perfect for the patio.

Next up, I learned of the sidecar cocktail from an episode of Giada’s Weekend Getaways, a show from all the way back in 2007 that randomly appeared in my TV lineup a few weeks ago. It was filmed while I lived in Chicago, so naturally I chose to watch the windy city episode. Giada went to brunch at Orange, which inspired me to nostalgically order a bag of their orange-infused coffee shipped to my doorstep. (It’s good, but not as good as brunch with girlfriends.) But the night before, Giada ordered a sidecar martini at the top of the Hancock building, so I tried one a few days later. It’s a simple mix of cognac, cointreau, and lemon juice, also bright, also perfect for summer patios. It’s sort of on the line between masculine and feminine – it’s not a manhattan, but it’s not a cosmopolitan either – and I like that.

So who wants to come over for 1/3 of a drink?

BASIL GIMLET

To make the basil simple syrup, bring 3/4 cup of water to a boil. Add 1/2 cup of sugar and simmer until sugar melts. Remove from the heat. Add about 8 basil leaves and let cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator.

To make the basil gimlet, in a shaker with ice add 3 oz of vodka, 1 tbsp of simple syrup, and 1/4 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice. Shake for about 20 seconds, then pour into a chilled glass.

SIDECAR COCKTAIL

In a shaker with ice add 1-1/2 oz cognac, 3/4 oz cointreau, and 3/4 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice. Shake for about 20 seconds, then pour into a chilled glass (optionally with sugar rim).