Day 63: New Horizons
Without a doubt, the weather today has been absolutely beautiful. Being stuck inside so much lately had me a bit stir crazy, so I thought it would be a good time to venture out. Far away from the public crowds of grocery stores and shopping centers, I decided to grab my camera and head out into nature. While walking through the woods, I found myself exploring in a way I hadn't since I was a kid. This had me thinking about how it feels to experience a place for the first time. Exploring, after all, is in our DNA.
Hello again, my thirsty readers, and welcome to Day 63. We've all been locked away in our home for so long, the outside world is beginning to feel like the unknown. In a way, it's becoming unexplored territory for us, just waiting to be discovered. After all, we've always wanted to discover something new, or perhaps "rediscover."
Since the beginning of time, explorers have always been in search of something new, moving through uncharted waters with a thirst for knowledge. As a species, we've always been curious about the unknown. Once a matter of journeying on land, we eventually made our way to the sea, and ultimately the sky. Breaking the old adage, the sky wasn't even close to the limit.
Having always looked at the stars, we just had to know what was out there. It's a yearning to explore what's beyond our reach. Always fascinated with what was in the sky, Galileo first looked beyond our own planet with his telescope in 1609. After that, humans became enamored with space, wondering what was out there. It would only be a matter of time before we found a way to get there ourselves.
With the launch of Sputnik 1, in 1957, we'd proven that we could build something capable of reaching the stars. Then, on the twelfth day of April 1961, the Soviet Union launched Vostok 1, and mankind was officially out of this world. The "Space Race" between the United States and the Soviet Union continued to bring more and more feats of exploration, including the Appollo 11 Moon landing of 1969.
The moon was one thing, but what else was out there. Scientists continued to reach farther, creating space probes capable of going far beyond our wildest imagination. One boundary was still out of reach in our own solar system, and that was the far away planet of Pluto. Then, on January 19, 2006, a space probe was launched from Cape Canaveral, with a mission of one day observing the dwarf planet. The journey would take the human race places they had never seen before. That probe was called New Horizons.
New Horizons
1.5oz Aged Jamaicain Rum (Light on the esters for this one, I would recommend Appleton Reserve or Worthy Park Single Estate, allowing the amari to shine)
.5oz Campari
.5oz Averna
.75oz Fassionola
.25oz Demerara Syrup
.5oz 6% Citric Acid Solution (I personally prefer this drink with the mouthfeel you get from an acid solution, but if you don't have citric acid on hand, lemon juice will work)
4 dashes Bittermens Boston Bittahs
Collins Glass or Footed Tumbler
Whip shake and pour unstrained.
Top with crushed ice.
Garnish with pineapple fronds, flower, and freshly grated nutmeg.
I really can't wait to rediscover the world all over again with everyone. As bad as things are, it's also a very exciting time full of possibility. I'm ready to explore! This puts a lot of things into perspective, and I don't want to waste a single moment. Until it's time to take that trip, keep shaking.