Page 46 of Keeping Time

Panel 1: A close-up glamor shot of a drink. It's dark brown in color, in a glass that shines in the low bar-light. Orange peels and a round ice cube holding a lime wedge float in the drink.

Panel 2: Elena forwards, bursting out of her panel into Daniel's as she outstretches an inquisitive, delicate hand. She asks, "Well? How is it?"

Panel 3: Daniel looks down at the drink in his hand with wide eyes, surprised. He answers, "This is amazing, Elena."

Panel 4: Elena leans back now, arms folded as if she already knew how Daniel was going to answer. She replies in a bubbly balloon, "I know, right?" Daniel has set the drink down on the bar and replies, "I don’t think I’ve ever had an Old Fashioned that tasted like this."

Panel 5: Elena gestures to herself, her gold wedding band glinting. She winks as she brings one bare shoulder up to her cheek. "That’s because I made it with aged rum that's Dominican and unexpected, just like me."

Panel 6: A large panel of Daniel laughing defenselessly, his laughter too big for a balloon. Now that he's taken off his coat, he's in a simple Henley he's rolled up to his forearms.
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Page 46

We're back on a twice a week schedule from now until the end of the year! :) Updates will go out on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9am PT.

And now -- the drink Elena makes is an Old Fashioned with a twist. It's a recipe my sister, a former bartender and mixologist, created! My sister likes to use Brugal (the Dominican rum Elena is using here) or Kaniche for it.

For everyone who wants to follow along and make the drink at home (I genuinely did not think anyone would actually do this, but a few of my Patreon patrons did...!), here's my sister's recipe:

"I've made an old fashioned out of a beautiful Kaniche rum. Muddled orange, aromatic, lime and allspice bitters blend with the rum and Demerara sugar syrup into a smooth, rich flavor. So let's get to it!

2oz Kaniche Perfecion bourbon-aged Panama rum (or substitute Brugal!)
.75oz Demerara sugar syrup
2 dash Angostura bitters
2 dash lime bitters
1 drop Bittermen's Elemakule tiki bitters
garnish with lime wedge frozen in ice block, express orange peel through lighter flame to ignite oils"

See you next Tuesday! As always, thank you for reading (and an extra big, gigantic thank you to everyone who leaves a comment)!