Day 33: Bad Romance

"I want your ugly. I want your disease. I want your everything, as long as it's free. I want your love." As day 33 falls upon us, love seems to be a pretty big factor for many many in quarantine, which a single person like myself hadn't really considered. So many of you out there are essentially "trapped" at home with your significant other, spending more time with them than you ever have before. I can imagine some of the very things which made you fall in love in the first place might be driving you crazy. There's perhaps no better anthem for a crazy love than Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance"

---

On the surface, "Bad Romance," from Lady Gaga's 2009 album Fame Monster, might seem like it's all about whips, chains, and all sorts of things not appropriate for this forum, but if you listen to the lyrics more closely, it illustrates that eternal struggle of taking a friendship to the next level. I think that's a subject most of us can relate to at one to of another.

When asked about the album and song meaning in an interview, Gaga said "I was in Russia, then Germany, and spent a lot of time in Eastern Europe. There is this amazing German house-techno music, so I wanted to make a pop experimental record. I kind of wanted to leave the '80s a little bit, so the chorus is a '90s melody, which is what the inspiration was. There was certainly some whisky involved in the writing of the record. It's about being in love with your best friend." Isn't that the dream after all, ending up with your best friend sharing a life together?

---

Bad Romance

.75oz Bourbon (I used Eagle Rare, so I'd suggest a Bourbon with a decent amount of age and richness.)

.75oz Amaro Montenegro

.25oz Amaro Averna

.25oz Peychaud's Bitters

.75oz Strawberry Shrub

.75oz Lemon Juice

Chilled Nick & Nora Glass

Shake well and fine strain.

Lightly slap one large basil leaf in your palm, releasing the oil for aroma and garnish.

I originally made this cocktail as a Valentine's Day special, and I certainly didn't realize how appropriate it might become.

---

If you're with someone you love right now, why don't you take a moment and shake a few of these for you both. After all, this pandemic, in a way, has us all caught in our own bad romance. I'll be back with more drinks tomorrow. Do me favor, and hug a little tighter tonight, appreciate each other, and keep shaking.