Isolation today isn’t a taboo lifestyle at all. Back in the day, the truly self-actualised aspired for it. Today, only the rich can afford to maintain it. Mind you, they still need a bevy of managers with an army of workers behind them to execute this, which is why I said ‘rich’. Two things, however, have made this idea of isolation easier for us lesser mortals too.
Both these elements have been able to ease the pain and despair of social separation by their ubiquitous yet inconspicuous nature. They are consistently good as general anaesthetics, numbing us to the dullness of loneliness. Also, they are affordable, which makes them very democratic and, hence, the people’s drugs, if you will.
One of them is the internet. The very fact that we can access the world and beyond from the comfort of our armchair at home is more than what our ancestors could have ever imagined. One can sit and imbue oneself with all the knowledge in the world, listen to all the famous discourses, revisit all historic sites and even relive precious moments in time. Of course, we use it for something far less noble, but a lot more relatable—watching movies and surfing for cat memes.
The other is alcohol and, given the right amount, it too pretty much allows us to cruise all around the world and back all from the comfort of our armchair! But alas, this lockdown, some of the state governments have failed to see how alcohol should have been categorised as essential and not luxury, as many may have previously (and mistakenly) believed.
And in case you get bored of having whisky sodas or neat shots, here is one (and a half) simple recipe for a variety of classic cocktails. The reason I am sharing this is because these can always be made at home, no matter the base you choose. All you need is sugar (or one ounce of sugar syrup, which is sugar dissolved in water in the ratio of 1:1), ice, three-fourth ounce of lemon juice, two ounces of the spirit and you are playing with a family of drinks called sours.
Let’s say, we take white rum, a Bacardi. Throw all these into a container, seal tight, shake hard and pour it out through a strainer. Congrats, you just made your first daiquiri. You can do the same using tequila (margarita), gin (gimlet), whisky (whisky sour). Now, the reason I said one (and a half) recipe above is because I have, so far, left out one ingredient: egg white. Some of you may love it in its raw state, while many don’t like it as much or outright refuse it. But if you add that to the above mix, you get a proper sour as it should be, with slight thickness brought on by the binding properties of egg white, as also a lovely white froth on top. Pisco sour is another classic that comes to mind. That said, if egg whites aren’t your thing, but you still want that foam, replace with some paneer whey (the water left behind when you make paneer from milk at home), or the water in which you boil your bocconcini or mozzarella. They are equally good substitutes—not vegan but vegetarian and not eggy!
You see, the thing is, just sitting at home and having a drink may seem to lack something of a vibe that social drinking has. So perhaps concocting your own cocktails could help spruce things up. But ingredients can be hard to find at the moment, which is why I shared these simple mixes. It allows you to experiment with liquor at home, no matter the type, as long as nothing goes waste. And then you have the internet to throw up more recipes than you will have time for.
Internet and alcohol have made this period not so detestable and I am grateful that my privileged life allows me such a first-world notion of niggles.
To end, allow me to share this funny exchange I read online where someone requested the Kerala CM to ban all alcohol, seeing how the people in the state had managed to subsist without it for so long and hadn’t felt the need for it. The retort, definitely from someone very wise, came back quick, citing how people hadn’t been to any place of worship either and managed fine, so why not shut down all temples, churches, mosques, etc, as well? This wry repartee is the sign of the times.
The writer is a sommelier