I'm a Hawaiian shirt kinda guy. Not surprisingly, I'm also a sunny-weather kinda guy. I hail from a land where sunlight is usually in short supply, so I take the chance to embrace a Summertime vibe (real or imagined) whenever I can. I also try to stretch Summer out as long as possible, and I set a goal every year to wear shorts until Halloween. However, I usually have to put on long pants at least once before then, when the thermometer thwarts my efforts.
Another reason I hold onto Summer with a white-knuckle grip is that when Fall rolls around and the days get shorter, my mood and general demeanor take a nose-dive. Gray skies are bad enough, but when you couple them with shorter and shorter days, it becomes my personal recipe for a five-star bummer.
I do my level best to stay positive between October and March, but it's not easy when your body, mind, and spirit conspire to keep you in the grips of a major seasonally-induced funk. I have to remain vigilant, for this time of year the darker sides of things are always lurking, and any lapse threatens to send me hurtling into their clutches.
I have a sunlamp that helps. Jimmy Buffett CDs help. Making tiki drinks also helps. Mostly, I try to stay upbeat, use what's in my arsenal, and wait out the darkness. But there is a segment of society that enjoys darkness...literally and metaphorically. They seek it out and marinate in it.
I'm talking about Goths.
Even though I dwell in the Hawaiian-shirt end of the spectrum, I can appreciate Goths. They've got their own dress code, music, movies, and activities...just like booze nerds and scores of other social subcultures. And I spent a lot of Saturday afternoons watching flicks from Roger Corman and Hammer Studios, so I get the allure of creepy castles, bats and weird happenings by torchlight.
But I love when stereotypes get broken. Goths have long been maligned as gloomy cape-wearers on a perpetual downer. This may have been true early on, but as with most cultures, things rarely remain static and subgroups appear. Goths are no different. Goth is now a big tent, and a lot of folks are huddling under it, shying away from the light. Or not. Case in point: Perky Goths.
Now the last thing I'm going to do is engage in clumsy, gross generalizations and attempt to describe the Perky Goth. I suggest you enter the term into your favorite internet search engine and let the info wash over you. Suffice to say I think the Perky Goth is a fascinating paradox...just the kind of walking contradiction I love. Making cocktails often involves combining contradictory elements too, so I think we've got some common ground here.
And to that end, I've decided they've earned their own drink. Raise a glass and salute those who somehow embrace both the sun and the clouds. Because it can't be dark and scary ALL the time.
Perky Goth
- 2 oz. London dry gin
- 1/2 oz Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
- 1/4 oz. Torani Blood Orange syrup
- 1/4 tsp. Absinthe
- 1 dash Fee's Whiskey Barrel Aged bitters
Combine everything in a shaker and add ice. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon.
~ A Dr. Bamboo original creation
Bottoms up!