I’d like to think we’re in good company. Our human nature makes a perfectly fine and reasonable cause for toasting, don’t you think? Perhaps next year I’ll resolve to get over my growing sense of perfectionism (which, if you saw me typing this entry, you would understand completely. Bless you little spell checker!), but right now I truly believe it is time to let myself off the hook, and for all of you to do the same.
Every day is a good day for new beginnings. We don’t need it to be a Monday or a holiday to start a new project or change a habit. We can empower ourselves by truly stopping to consider our needs and then making desired changes according to the way we understand our minds, bodies and spirits to work. We know them best, after all.
I have had a lot of time to consider this while on the road. I spent the first part of 2010 in the desert, replete with all the silence and saguaros that I could stand, and was able to take the time to step outside of my long-held notions of self in order to find out what changes I truly wished to make, in what order and how important each truly was to my health and happiness.

It is heady stuff, and good food for thought on long hikes to the rare spots of water hidden in the mountains. Once back to the familiar and safe environs of my Silver Twinkie, though, I tend to ruminate on the lighter side of things, and perhaps have a laugh at how very human I am after all.

When I am struck by the humor of such things, and when I need to stop taking myself so very, very seriously, I have been known to put together a lovely and wonderful concoction called the Sake Martini.

In this particular martini manifestation, sake is substituted for vermouth, and being a white wine as well, brings a soothing and feminine quality to a cocktail traditionally associated with drab-suited businessmen seeing just how quickly they can ingest them before returning to the office or, more tellingly, before returning home. While I admire business savvy, I am very particular about what I consider good business savvy. Speedy consumption of good spirits is bad business, IMHO, so the only traditional element I retain in my mixing of martinis is the classic main ingredient: Gin.

[If you prefer vodka martinis I won’t hold it against you, but I’ll forever and steadfastly maintain that you aren’t drinking a martini. You’re drinking vodka in a martini glass.]

Gin is a tricky alcohol in the wide and wonderful world of mixology, and I think it’s probably safe to say that most first time gin samplings end in unmitigated disaster due to it’s very potent, as well as pungent, nature. To further complicate matters, juniper, gin’s reigning ingredient, is a fiery and masculine sort of plant, ruled by the sun. Additionally, the Brothers Grimm identified it with extreme feminine angst (most often applied liberally and vengefully) in their myriad works, so the foundation plant that allows us to have gin has enjoyed a rather confusing and powerful reputation for many generations, one that lingers on our psyches to this very day.

This is why I am particularly fond of one brand of gin amongst all the marvelous offerings out in the world today. Above all others towers the Great Shining Black Pillar that contains none other than Hendrick’s, a gin touted by its makers as both “ridiculously good” and “loved by a select few”, and with good reason, dear readers.
Hendrick’s methodology with one particular ingredient not only calms the fiery rage of sun-ruled juniper, but also makes their gin the perfect foundation alcohol with which to blend an appropriate cocktail for the turning of the Solar year AND the transition in Pisces within the first month. They have added a generous amount of the cooling and calming flavors and effect of cucumber. Being ruled by the moon and having a watery disposition, as well as being best planted during the turn of Pisces in the heavens, cucumber makes the very best partner for the vivacious juniper, and with it, Hendrick’s creates a flavor absolutely unique in the world of gin.

Your choice of sake in the matter is strictly yours. I sometimes prefer unfiltered for a sweeter drink, and it creates a lovely and wonderful snow globe in the martini glass that I’ll get lost in from time to time. Filtered is my main squeeze, though, and I mix them 2 parts gin to 1 part sake in a cocktail shaker full of ice.

Shake, strain, enjoy. It’s a simple as that.

And now, gentle readers, I believe it is time for me to get down to the business of figuring out how best to salvage 2010 from my ridiculous initial batch of resolutions and plotting something more realistic and forgiving for fostering long term change. And, since it’s strictly business, a martini is most definitely in order.

Cheers~Charon, The Most Dangerous Beauty Alive
theswordswallowers.com
oddangel.com

Charon Henning is one of a handful of female sword swallowers in the world today. She’s performed on carnival midways and at wine tastings, on theater stages and grassy lots.

Charon also reads tea leaves professionally, a skill she inherited from her grandmother on her mother’s side of the family. Tea-leaf reading is a wonderful and elegant form of entertainment, suitable for many time periods and venues.

Charon loves being on the road seeing new places and meeting new people. Want to catch Charon on the road for her live show? View her tour schedule here. Or, book Charon’s talent for your next event!

• remember that alcohol in and of itself is fattening. if you really wanted to emaciate yourself, you’d just drink wheat grass juice for dinner. but we gotta have some fun right? so in light of this fact, don’t consume more than 2 oz alcohol per night. i would suggest preparing two cocktails with 1 oz of alcohol in each.

• dairy-based spirits are out of bounds, as they are very fattening not to mention unhealthy (howard stern has admitted he’d rather drink gasoline than a glass of milk).

• i also recommend adding at least 1 oz of water or some other flavor stretching base like coconut or almond milk. in light of the new negative data on soy, i’d steer clear of that–and keep your distance from dairy too. smoothies are ideal, but only in the summer of course, unless you’re an eskimo.

• stay away from the sugary liqueurs and stick to the base liquors.

• it’s also helpful as well to consume a full glass of water before drinking your dinner to trick your stomach into thinking it’s full.

• but the most important rule to follow is the use of fresh ingredients. my fave way to consume them is through juicing. but those juicers can get expensive, so in lieu of that, use a blender and strain the mixture through cheesecloth. i gather it works just as well if not better. another choice would be the construction of a muddled or smashed drink with crushed ice. smashed would be preferable as you get to eat the ingredients as you drink, resulting in more vitamins.

• did i mention no diet pills or heroine? yeah… no, not on the diet.

• no time? buy a bottle of blackcurrant or pomegranite juice instead if you’re in too much of a hurry to prepare an elaborate cocktail. but don’t make a habit of this–nothing beats fresh for nutrients.

• fresh fruit purees work great too.

• if you must add sweetener (like moi) be sure to use a semi raw variety such as stevia, agave, raw sugar syrup, honey, beet syrup, rice syrup, maple syrup. no processed or refined sugar please!

• oh, and don’t forget the hugely oversized garniture, that’s your appetizer after all! (and no, it’s not against the rules to garnish with a square of PURE dark chocolate–milk chocolate is a big no-no).

• can’t stand this madonna style nazi cocktail diet one more night? move to alternate nights, or only go two nights a week with a liquid dinner. either way, mom would be so proud, eating your veggies and getting a buzz too!

• practice “sensible” eating on a daily basis, allotting of course, for life’s necessity–cupcakes.

• the alcohol will not only help to curb and hunger pangs that drift your way, but some studies claim that it boosts the antioxidant nutrients in fruits such as stawberries and blackberries.. after a few days of this, your stomach will have shrunk, enabling you to reduce your intake during the daytime meals as well. don’t hate me because i’m an anorexic.

while the BLOODY MARY is the original diet cocktail, below are other healthy libations to get you going. remember, you are what you drink. may your tipples be wholesome and your thoughts anything but. happy 2008 peeps!

HEALTHY LONG ISLAND ICED TEA: ADAPTED FROM HERBS FOR HEALTH MAGAZINE
1/4 cup orange, juiced
1 lemon, juiced
2 kiwis, peeled and chopped
1 orange, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 grapefruit, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 oz tequila
1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz rum

UK5 VODKA has an excellent selection of diet cocktails:
HAIR OF THE DOG

This is a great hangover cure, had too much the night before this will start to sort you out. Radishes help cleanse the liver. Carrots provide a massive boost of vitamin A (also good for the liver), and apples are among nature’s great detoxifiers.
6 Carrots, unpeeled; unless organic, remove top and bottom.
4 Radishes, with leaves, if possible.
2 Apples, unpeeled, uncored and quartered.
2 shots of UK5 Organic Vodka, stirred into the finished juice.

SQUARE ONE VODKA also has some nice healthy tipples. try their COUNTRY THYME:
Handful of fresh blueberries, huckleberries or blackberries (10-15)
1/2 fresh organic lemon cut in pieces
1 1/2 oz. of Square One Organic Vodka
1/4 to 1/2 oz. organic agave nectar
2 – 3 springs of fresh thyme
Ice
(Credit: H. Joseph Ehrmann)
In a mixing cup add berries and lemon. Muddle to juice both. Add Square One Organic Vodka, agave nectar and ice. Shake vigorously for 20-30 seconds. Take 3 sprigs of thyme and slap it between your palms to release the oils. Place 2 sprigs in bottom of 10-ounce highball glass and fill with ice. Strain the cocktail over ice and put the last thyme sprig and place it in top of cocktail as a garnish. It should stick out a bit like a small straw. Note: For a refreshing summer spritzer, add 1 tablespoon of Crème de Cassis or D’Arbo Sour Cherry Syrup or Sonoma Black Currant Syrup and top with soda water.

AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST IS PARTIDA TEQUILA’SLOOKBETTERNAKED Margarita (by Adam R. Seger CCP)
Using Sambozan Pure Organic Acai and Partida Organic Agave Nectar fills the margarita with antioxidants, amino acids, dietary fiber, iron, calcium, cholesterol-reducing fructans and Vitamins A and C. The rosemary is rich in vitamin E, preventing cancer and skin damage. An egg white provides a full source of protein, while the fresh lime juice prevents heart disease and gives an extra dose of Vitamin C. The LookBetterNaked margarita is this year’s guilty pleasure to help you lose the weight!
1.5 Ounces Partida Estate Reposado Tequila
1/2 Ounce Sambazon Pure Organic Acai
3/4 Ounces Partida Organic Agave Nectar
4″ Sprig Rosemary, Top Inch Reserved for a Garnish
1/2 Ounce Organic Egg White
1 Lime Fresh Squeezed
RIM:
Equal Parts Organic Salt with 50 Trace Minerals and Fresh Cracked Organic Green Peppercorns
Remove Rosemary Leaves from the Woody Stem. Muddle in a 16 Ounce Pint Glass until Aromatic. Add Liquid Ingredients.
Rim a Chilled 10 Ounce Cocktail Glass with Salt and Pepper.
Shake Liquid Ingredients Vigorously Until Metal Shaker is Frosted.
Strain into Chilled, Rimmed Glass and Float a 1″ Rosemary Sprig on Top.