A Drink They Call Loneliness

Over the past few months, I've shared a lot of the most important things in my life with all of you, my loyal blog readers. My love of vanilla, my passion for domestic violence work, my passion for cocktails, my love of Roxie, and my unending craving for red velvet.

But, there is one thing I haven't shared with you. The love of the most important man in my life:

That's right. I LOVE Billy Joel. If there is a concert within 300 miles of my house, I am there. I own a rare, first edition, autographed 52nd street Album that cost morethanapaycheck. I LOVE Billy Joel. He is absolutely, truly, my one and only favorite singer in the entire world. Going to a Billy Joel concert brings such a smile of glee and giddiness to my face, I can't even explain it. My husband won't even attend a concert with me anymore because the display of my love for him is just utter ridiculousness. Just the mention of his name sends my heart fluttering, and I just melt. I love him, and every song he has ever written. If Billy Joel wasn't married, Nick wouldn't have stood a chance.

So, what does that have to do with this recipe? Well, I was driving home the other night, and Piano Man came on the radio. A Billy classic! As I was singing along, for some reason, the line "they're sharing a drink they call loneliness" suddenly resonated with me. What a poignant line. Suddenly, it made me wonder - what would loneliness taste like? Do you ever wonder these things on your drive home? Maybe it's only me.

Anyway, I created this drink based off of that line. It has a smoky, deep-yet-empty feeling that the line of that song makes me think of. I can sort of imagine business men sitting around after work, smoking their cigars and talking about unimportant things over a drink like this. But, as grim and desolate as that description sounds, it's actually a delicious, mellow drink. The smokiness of the fresh leaf tobacco adds just a hint of "tension" to the drink that is otherwise incredibly sweet with the intense bourbon flavor. I encourage you to try it. Let me know what you think!!

Ingredients:
(per drink)

1 shot Basil Hayden's Bourbon
1 shot Wild Turkey American Honey Bourbon
lemon juice of 1/4 lemon
dash of bitters
3 large basil leaves
1/2 tsp loose leave tobacco
black cherry soda to top

Directions:

Combine first 6 ingredients in a martini shaker, muddle slightly, let sit 30 minutes
shake ingredients vigorously
strain into a highball glass filled with ice
top with black cherry soda
serve, garnished with a lemon twist and a basil leaf