Drink Up: The Maverick

I’m no mixologist. But I do know my way around a liquor cabinet, and I’ve been known to throw caution to the wind and be a little inventive when the situation calls for it.

And friends, in the fall of 2008, the situation called for it.

On one fine day, my extremely liberal (and awesome) lit professor let class out early, because he and his wife were hosting friends for the Vice Presidential debate that night and he had to go home to get ready/was too stressed to teach. (I remember his exact words being “I’m so afraid that Biden will go off on a tangent and she’ll accidentally say something intelligent.”)

So I got to go home and settled in to watch the debate with my roommate. Not to start any political debates, but I’m staunchly liberal and was pulling hard for Obama/Biden, looking forward to finally getting the Bush family out of the White House, and completely dumbfounded by Sarah Palin. (I was also gaining a newfound love of Tina Fey for her absolutely perfect impersonations. I mean, she was already awesome, this just made her that much more so.)

Just to give you a sense of the mindset I was in.

About, oh, five minutes into the debate, my roommate suggested drinking every time Palin said the word “maverick.” Yes! Brilliant! Except we don’t have any beer. “Hang on,” I said, “let me look around…well, we have rum.”

“Any mixers?”

“Ummm…sweet & sour? Flavored seltzer water?”

And lo, “The Maverick” was born.

Let it be known I only measure out ingredients for one drink and that’s a very specific margarita recipe passed on to us by a friend’s mom. So mix this to your liking, garnish it however you like, whatever.

Take:

Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum (because pirates were mavericks, were they not?)

Triple Sec (to sweeten and balance the rum’s spiciness)

Sweet & Sour mix (I’m totally talking out of my ass here. IT WAS IN THE FRIDGE AND WE WEREN’T SURE WHERE IT CAME FROM AND WE NEEDED A MIXER. Use lemonade, or straight-up lemon juice and sugar. Use orange juice. Hell, use Bloody Mary mix or V8 for all I care)

Lime-flavored seltzer water (I like the Trader Joe’s brand, but use whatever you have or make it in your Sodastream if you’re all fancy like that.)

Fill a glass with ice. Any glass. I used highball glasses because I had a really cool set that I got from Ross when I was in college. By the time I left SLO, they had all been broken. It seemed oddly fitting. But you can use a wine glass, pint glass, Nalgene, mason jar, sippy cup, whatever.

Always add your liquor first, because you don’t want to add the mixers first and then realize you’ve run out of room for the booze. So start with your rum, then just a splash of triple sec, then a touch of sweet & sour (I don’t like to overdo this because I don’t like the too-sweet fake taste), and top it off with the lime seltzer. Stir. Taste. Add more of whatever you want until you find it delicious.

Yeah, it’s basically a margarita with rum instead of tequila. BUT I INVENTED IT. ALL BY MYSELF. I didn’t consult any fancy bartending apps. I took whatever I could find in the fridge and concocted something using nothing by my brain and hands. So there.

Recommended for beach days, camping (pre-mix it in large, sealable container), sitting on the patio/porch/balcony in the summer, and when watching political debates.