Buzz
Anyone delving into the details of my life would find a pattern across various records—report cards, teacher's notes, transcripts, letters, psychologist's observations, schoolyard whispers, work reviews, and even greeting cards—filled with words like: Unusual. Different. Peculiar. Quirky. Unconventional. Strange. 'Unique.' Bizarre. Odd. Freakish. Eccentric. Offbeat. You know, WEIRD. Even my ESL parents, whose language doesn't even have a sound for the letter W, would switch to English just to use this word whenever I left them perplexed. 'Why are you so weird?'
The short version: I'm an Aquarius.
Aquarians are linked to transformation, the future, defiance, revolution, creativity, and lifting humanity to higher planes. But here's the kicker: Although we’re known as the Water-Bearers in the Zodiac, we're actually an air sign??? Yup, that’s some Aquarius behavior—always embracing what’s outside the norm (or jug), and full of contradictions. 'Love humanity; hate people.' That’s the Aquarian mantra. We’re the most open-minded yet judgmental folks you'll encounter: the kind to bring the Communist Manifesto to your baby shower and edibles to your parents’ dinner. We attend weddings only for the reception dance and couldn't care less about the vows. We have grand ideas... if only someone else would carry them out. But ultimately, strip away everything and you'll find that at their core, an Aquarius is simply a pure, unadulterated weirdo.
A few years ago, I discovered that a drink I created, the 'Age of Aquarius,' had been featured on a YouTube channel dedicated to craft cocktails called The Educated Barfly. The blog post that accompanied the video opens with the line, 'The origin of this cocktail remains a mystery…' which pleases me because I’d like to be famously anonymous. In the video, the gentleman crafting the drink is both gracious and complimentary, but I couldn’t help but smile when he described the cocktail's flavor as one he would never forget and had never tasted before. The most flattering words? Different. Unusual. Weird.
Age of Aquarius
To get weird, you’ll need the following ingredients:
1 ½ oz mezcal
¾ oz lime juice
¾ oz passionfruit syrup (equal parts passionfruit puree and simple syrup)
¼ oz honey syrup (three parts honey to one part hot water—mix well)
⅕ oz Campari to float
Garnish with mint (optional)
Combine all ingredients except Campari in a shaker tin and give it a solid shake. Pour over crushed ice, then float the Campari on top. Add more crushed ice and garnish with mint—or whatever works for you. Express yourself.
