Last night my wife was off at a conference and Rob’s wife (Joyce) was out with a friend, so he and I did what any enterprising single dads would do–we combined forces, treated the kids to a sleepover (chez lui) and conducted some mixology experiments.

Rob was in an inspired mood. I’m sure he’ll have more to add later but I wanted to document the big success of the evening:

• 4 parts lemongrass infused vodka. Rob made this himself and it had a beautiful, antique-yellow color.
• 1 part mint simple syrup. I whipped this up on the spot. 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water brought to a boil. Turn off the heat and throw in a handful of mint leaves. Let steep for 5 or 10 minutes and strain. This is a lovely green color.
• 1 part lime juice.

Shake over ice and strain into a proper martini glass. Garnish with mint leaf (duh). Sit down. Lean back. Enjoy.

After much incoherent debate about an appropriate name, Joyce struck upon the perfect name the following morning: The Reclining Buddha. Yum.

Reclining Buddha photo by joestump.