No matter what the outcome of today’s historic election, we can all agree on one thing: if ever there was a day for a strong drink, this is it. On Election Day 2020, the BmoreArt team decided to offer you a story that is useful, timely, and markedly less heavy than the burning republic that is right outside our door. After you pat yourself on the back for voting—by mail, absentee ballot, or in person—it is time for a first-rate cocktail, one that not only soothes your pain but puts the past few years into context.
2020 began with the unsuccessful impeachment of an individual in a position of power; he remains in the Oval Office pacing, tweeting, spewing vitriol, and generating mass hysteria. He emboldens racists. He is a proponent of injustice, and our current hellscape and the botched response to the pandemic can be directly traced back to this orange man. My usage of the word “surreal” in 2020 has been usurped by my usage of the word “hellscape.” And so far, I don’t see any sign that this will change, so perhaps a mixed drink is a good idea right now.
Since the start of the pandemic, each month I have asserted a desire to be alcohol-free for a few weeks, and every month something drives me to drink. Mid-October, I proclaimed a “Sober November” and a friend immediately said, “You can’t be sober on Election Day.” Damn, she was right.
I have been struggling to be productive these past two weeks. I’ve been forgetting more than usual. I’m lethargic, I’m stressed, and I’m afraid that, with the possibility of mail-in ballots not being counted immediately (or some not being counted at all), Election Day malaise will carry through a few days or far longer. I do have hope that we will all make it through eventually, as we have been doing this past couple of months and the past few years under this administration. A progressive movement is building and it’s a marathon, not a sprint. We must endure and cope as best as we can.
I voted and now I am focusing my attention on the phenomenal people who can get me through today and beyond: a selection of bartenders, artisans, and business owners from Baltimore bars and restaurants. Bartenders are so often our replacement therapists and listening ears and I miss the camaraderie of these special spaces. I asked each of them to share two drink recipes to help us deal with democracy—one if Joe Biden is elected President and a different one if our current president remains in power.
Cheers! Take care of yourselves. Drink a lot of water and Pedialyte in preparation for the inordinate amount of drinking so many of us are bound to do tonight.
