Celebrate (again)! with a Rum Sour

It was the 21st of April, which now we may as well celebrate as the anniversary of our discovering the rum sour. Still my absolute favorite drinky. 

Now this is delicious. True, all our cocktails have been delicious, with the exception of the Bloody Mary. In my opinion, the less said of that gunky concoction the better. Meaning no offense, of course.

The Rum sour, by contrast, is very tasty. Lemon for sourness, a touch of sugar for sweetness, a slice of orange for the look and flavor of the tropics. (A stemmed cherry seems to be the correct garnish for any sour, but I had a fresh orange to hand and so used it)  Wonderful rum also gives the flavor of the tropics, but carries with it an unexpected, heady whiff of Christmas too. Our master, Charles Schumann in American Bar, tells us that sours are his favorite drinks. Why? You can almost hear him say it's because they are made -- nobly -- of these original cocktail ingredients, lemon juice, sugar, and a liquor.

What are we celebrating? Whatever you like. It's the 21st of April, the legendary date of the founding of Rome. Or maybe you got a new cell phone that actually works well. Maybe the kids cooked dinner and mowed the lawn. Bon week-end. 

Rum sour

Shake, with 4 to 5 ice cubes in a cocktail shaker:

• the juice of half a lemon
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 jigger (1 and 1/2 ounces) rum (I used dark -- delicious)

Strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with half a slice of orange or a stemmed cherry. Admire the lawn. Celebrate.