The first lesson in Robert Fulghum’s “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” is “Share Everything.” There are lots of other bits of wisdom in there like play fair, clean up your own mess, say you’re sorry when you hurt someone or hold hands and stick together when you go out in the world, but the sharing part is what always struck me. Which is funny because, as kids, we know that. From a an early age we are hammered with the message to share and not be selfish, to look out for our fellow humans and remember that we are all in this together. Seriously, this seems to be the super critical message of childhood, which is funny, since kids seem to get the importance of sharing almost instinctively. As we get older, well…maybe we can get into that later, but for now let’s focus on the positives as we stand and make the Consensual Objectification.

I am not quite sure how to handle the provenance on this one. It was inspired by a cocktail on the menu at Boston’s Earnest Drinks, a speakeasy in an ice cream shoppe. Yeah, you read that right. The crazy thing is I have never actually been to this bar, but my friend Jenn has. It is her birthday week so she has been sharing the fun by sending pictures of menus and drinks. We chat about them, pass judgement and get to share the experience even though I’m only reading about the drinks from 1,000 miles away. Maybe that seems weird to you, but it works for us. They have some truly inspired choices on their menu, but the one that caught my attention was the Libra with its tantalizing use of an interesting ingredient, Oreo infused gin. Of course, all I had was a description to go by, but I was inspired. Even though it was late in the evening, I slipped my trousers on, made my way into town to buy Oreo cookies, and before you know it I was crushing them and doing a little infusing, well on my way to creating yet another birthday drink for my friend, Jenn; to follow in the auspicious footsteps of the Psycho Killer and the Porn Star Martini of previous years.

Looking at the Libra’s ingredient list I decided to make a riff on the classic Negroni with that infused gin subbed in and some bitters added. A simple construction, but it is so much more than the sum of its parts. First step is to make some Oreo infused gin, so let’s do that. I took 2 Oreos from the package and ate them to establish a baseline of flavor and perform critical quality control, that done I crushed 6-8 Oreos in a jar before adding 375 ml of gin, I went with New Amsterdam Statusphere. Cover and let sit 24 hours-ish, shaking from time to time, before straining well. I ran it through the Chemex thrice to get out all of the little pieces. I also froze it to remove some of the hydrogenated palm oil filling, but it really wasn’t worth the effort, the straining did just fine. The next step was coming up with a name, obviously. My first thought was the Negroreoni, but that seems just a bit too clever, or it may have been too stupid, I wasn’t quite sure which, so I threw it away. I could not copy Earnest and call it a Libra, because I don’t know what their drink looks or tastes like, but I was inspired by them so I considered the zodiac and the fact that Libra is the only sign represented by an object rather than a being. That seems like a good thread to tug at and since we are both fans of casual objectification it seems only natural to go that way, but with consent. Always with knowledge and consent and, if we are honest, a little trepidation and regret.

Now that we have properly overthought moniker and have made the gin, this one is pretty straight forward. The classic, equal parts Negroni build seems like the right call, here, so grab your mixing pitcher and add 1 ounce each of Oreo infused gin, Sweet Vermouth, I went with Carpano Antica; and Campari. Throw in a couple of stabs of El Guapo Spiced Cocoa Bitters. Add some of that artisanal ice and give it a good stir to the beat of This Is Me from The Greatest Showman soundtrack and once you finish dancing and crying, strain into something fun and fancy like this Waterford Crystal starburst globe, or a standard rocks glass, whatever makes you feel most like your best you. Garnish with an Oreo wedge, ’cause that’s fun, and serve.

That is entirely unexpected and kind of wonderful. The Oreo flavor its definitely there and the bitters help point that up, but the infusion pulled a citrus, almost lemony note forward in the gin which was nicely balanced by the vanilla in the vermouth and countered by the bitter finish of the Campari. Really surprisingly lovely drink and not nearly as odd as I expected it to be. The palm oil from the Oreo filling gave a nice smooth mouthfeel and the flavor was remarkably accessible. In fact, after Laura tried it, against her better judgment, she encouraged me to go ahead and make one for myself because I was not getting it back, which I did. A perfectly lovely addition to the menu with an unusual ingredient and I owe it all to my friend, who cared enough to share a portion of her evening.

Hanging in the foyer of my Grandma’s house is a cross-stitch that says “Friendship doubles our joy and divides our grief.” I have always liked that thought. It is simple and pithy and absolutely true, if we let it be. Doubling the joy comes naturally, as we share our lives and experiences with each other, but the second part is more challenging and perhaps, even more important. I am big on sharing the joy. I love it. When I share a picture of a drink or menu or crazy adventure it is not to make others jealous, it is to bring them into the experience. I want you to enjoy that drink or dinner or shenanigan vicariously. When Jenn and I send each other one of our classic fexts, it is to bring the other into the moment and let them enjoy that experience through pictures and words. Sharing the joy, makes it better. The same goes for sharing grief, it makes it better. Having someone to listen to your burdens makes them easier to bear and that is also a big part of friendship; trusting your friends enough to share not only the good but the bad as well. I often have trouble with that part, but I am trying to be better. I am all about doubling joy, so I should embrace the other side of that coin as well. Either way, that’s a bunch more words to say, sharing is caring and you know that I know and I know that you know that I know and well maybe that’s enough. Have a happy birthday and stay safe, stay sane and stay hydrated, my friend.