Why I'm Still Doing Happy Hour, Even in the Time of the Coronavirus

This month on Happy Hour with Al, Al Culliton, Basically's resident bartender, is explaining why—and how—she's still making cocktails, even (and especially) in the context of social-distancing.

I have nothing to complain about during this time of uncertainty. I’m here at home with my partner. We’re both working from home. We have more than enough food and a goodly stock of liquor. If you’re able to take the time to read this, you are probably lucky, too. But, like all of us right now, it’s difficult to get a handle on a sense of what day it is and how to make things feel normal. Some of my friends have posted their little schedules for their own days, or the ones they made for homeschooling their kids, some are wearing clothes they’d normally wear to work, or doing certain things at the same time every day. Me? I’m doing cocktail hour.

This may shock you, but I typically don’t drink cocktails every night. In recent days, that’s changed. For me, making cocktails at home (which I encourage readers to do in each of my monthly articles) provides a similar comfort to cooking, but it feels different, more akin to doing a face mask. (Okay, I’ve never done that, but I’ve heard it’s relaxing.) Cocktail hour isn’t necessary, and it won’t sustain you physically, but taking the time to prepare a drink for yourself that’s completely unnecessary and enjoyable is emotionally nourishing.

It’s certainly helped in our household. Before I make my drink, I tidy up my desk and make sure all of my lunch and snack dishes are done. (So many dishes when you’re eating three meals a day at home…) Then I offer my partner a cocktail. Sometimes she wants one, sometimes not. When she does, she chooses one of her favorites: a Negroni or Boulevardier, Gimlet, Manhattan, anything with bourbon… It’s nice to be able to do something for your favorite person, who is also stuck with you during this strange time.

As for me, I’ve been saying yes to cocktails every night. (A serious note before we proceed: Please consider the state of your mental health before indulging in this particular ritual.) I’ve been really into some simple, sturdy 50/50 amaro-based drinks lately, and they’ve been fueling this evening cocktail ritual. My favorite is the Ferrari, an equal-parts drink (a shot, really) with murky origins in San Francisco, that’s the best of two bitter worlds, 1 oz. Campari and 1 oz. Fernet-Branca. Since the former is an aperitivo and the latter is a digestivo, it works just as well before dinner as after. (Don’t worry, we’ve been working on an amaro story for you and you’ll understand all of this better soon!) My pal Alex Delany is a big fan of mixing the artichoke-based amaro Cynar with Laird’s applejack and I’ve been drinking that some nights, too, with an ice cube and an orange twist.