27
In light of turning 27 today, I begin to reflect on the fragility of life. Life is so precious. As I continuously see innocent Black People die young, I ponder about the relevancy of age and my own demise. I begin to understand the infatuation with the 27 Club. People of all backgrounds that left this earth entirely too young. And, frankly-speaking, 10 years ago I thought 27 was an old age: the brink of irrelevancy, a sliver of aches and certainly a chapter of life that harbors many transitions like fatherhood, marriage and mortgages. Now, being at this wonderful age, my understanding of life has developed so much since my angst-filled pubescent period.
I’m grateful for the life I have. Through this journey I’ve concluded that no age is a real transition, we are always moving. We are always changing. We are always. I’ll continue to embrace the mystique of being 27 for this entire year. My dismissal of this plane of existence is written somewhere; however, the measurement of my own content can never be scaled, narrated or judged. Instead of seeing this age as an inevitable speed bump, I see it as another step towards my journey of life—towards my journey of happiness. Maybe I can finally make that 7- or 17-year old Corliss happy if I haven’t already.
I’ll drink to that.
27
ingredients
pomegranate reduction
2c pomegranate juice
2oz. gin (i used Bloom, but The Botanist is also good)
1-1.5oz. juice of lime OR lime juice
1.5oz. simple syrup
Optional: ice ball + fresh rosemary
Helpful items:
cocktail shaker
measuring jigger
small spoon
small sauce pot
recipe:
In a small sauce pot, pour pomegranate juice and bring to a boil. Allow the boil to roll. Routinely check on pomegranate juice as it thickens. It should take 10-20 minutes. Remove from heat, pour into cup and allow to cool slightly.
Pour gin, lime juice and simple syrup to ice-filled cocktail shaker. Mix. Mix well.
Pour gin mixture into glass and slowly drizzle over pomegranate reduction. Garnish with fresh rosemary. Enjoy!
