my mum’s a scot. and for those of you who don’t know much about this particular heritage, let me just say that the scots were the one and only group of people that the romans were simply unable to conquer. that’s how wild they were, and are. ever hear of hadrian’s wall?

every other summer my mum would cart my three sisters and i over to the land of the barbarians (scotland). only a taurus, capricorn or scorpio would attempt such a feat… think about it: four kids ages 1-8 / transatlantic flight / alone! mum put her bull-headed taurean determination to good use… these biannual pilgrimages were back in those pre-global warming (or cooling) days, back when temperatures were “normal,” back when it rained predictably almost day in that dismal yet beautiful land of lads, lasses, castles, kilts, scotch, sheep, golf and beaches.

mother would take us swimming because you see, it had stopped raining for 3 hours so we must take advantage. being the good little capricorn soldier i was, i dutifully submerged myself in god knows what temperature water, swam around a bit (praying i didn’t get stung by jellyfish or freeze to death), and hurried the hell out. it was well worth it, because upon completion we all received what is known as a SHIVERY BITE. remember that to a child, any type of candy is worth performing just about any kind of stunt–so this chocolate bar was as good as any reward i could hope for. my favorite was aptly named “penguin” bar, and i only wish i could get them over here!

my built-to-last mum found it most difficult to believe i was actually cold, because she was born with polar bear DNA. to document my discomfort and to garner sympathy, i would point out to her the color of my legs–which were always a decided shade of purple. and the fact that my teeth were uncontrollably chattering–well it was just too much for her to swallow. surely i was acting, she would accuse me. i assured her i was not, and demanded another SHIVERY BITE. i don’t think she ever did believe that my uncontrollable shaking was genuine–she never got used to the fact that her daughter was a half breed scot with the hardiness to prove it, or lack thereof.

peaches are ruled by venus, and so this chilly libation is a cocktail of taurus. as irony would have it, so is my scottish mum! it is in honor of ridiculous, yet glorious, memories such as these that i present to you, THE SHIVERY BITE. best enjoyed cold, and while cold…

SHIVERY BITE:
8 oz coconut milk
2 oz vanilla liqueur
16 oz frozen peaches
4 oz sherry
1/2 oz stevia
1 cup ice

place all ingredients in blender and serve cold. shiver when you drink it!