A Catcher and the Rye
that's what I meant really...
The get-together of my “Scotch Club” was just wonderful. The last year-plus has been hard in so many ways for me and so many of us amidst COVID and all the changes that have accompanied it. Opportunities to socialize are no longer something we take for granted. When those times come and what might have been a casual get-together becomes so much more. We are social creatures and recent times have given us reasons to turn inward. When we overcome that instinct we realize how wonderful a conversation amongst friends and the most basic of connections are so important!
There were four of us and two of the adult sons of the host enjoying an evening together. Some of our regulars were unable to make it but the group that came carried the night. Some of us didn’t quite absorb the theme of the evening. Mixing a cocktail was part of the plan. Luckily our host had most of the conceivable options for rounding out a bit of rye. Although there was a bit of improvisation that only added to the fun. By the end of the evening, one of the host’s sons made his rendition of an Old Fashion, freely admitting that he was free-wheeling a bit. It only added to the fun of the whole evening. There was baseball being played from the TV in the family room. While baseball is a game whose popularity may be waning, for some of us it is a wonderful game, with a cadence, strategy, and downtime between pitches. In the age of instant gratification, social media likes, and retweets, there are elements of it from another age. Nevertheless, October, at least for me is synonymous with baseball. By the end of the evening, the World Series of 2021 was set as the Houston Astros will battle the Atlanta Braves.
For those who did not read yesterday’s post, our theme, established by the host was rye whiskey. While most distilled alcohol originates from common grains like corn and wheat, rye whiskey while using some more common ingredients like corn and wheat, is “constructed” from at least 51% rye. Wild grains and seeds are still such integral parts of our lives and we really haven’t “made any” but rather domesticated their wild roots. I think for the same reasons that bread and grain staples like rice still constitute so much of what we eat and define the unique foods of many cultures, using these essentials to craft our sipping beverages is just amazing. Distilled spirits have been with us for a long time and the subtleties of their variations guarantee their future for a long time to come.
Last night was no exception. We had great drinks, great food, great laughs, and now great memories. I am so grateful that fate brought me to this group as any given night with them is a night well spent. Life is good and part of that is because of the friendships we maintain.
While a song I have not heard previously, one of the joys of just peering under the covers of millions of songs on YouTube is that you simply never know what you might find.