Recipe
1 oz. Vodka • 1oz. Bombay Sapphire Gin • 1/2 oz. Southern Comfort • Splash of GallianoShake all the ingredients except the Galliano with cracked ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Top the glasses with Galliano and garnish with a peach slice.
The Tale of the Comfort Zone Martini
As always, insight comes to me in the latest hour of the evening. This was a day and night that was dedicated to the boys. Now, I always need a new liver when I hang out with the boys, but somehow I always end up having the best time. This was not just an evening out, it was a whole day of keeping up with the boys. When a girlie-girl gets invited on a boys surf trip, if she is smart and wants good waves, then she needs to become one of the boys. Hence, this was the put up, shut up and keep up trip.
I got invited on this trip by a good friend, but his buddies were not impressed that a girl was coming along, so there was an icy vibe when I got into the car. To smooth over the discomfort, I had brought with me something a little better than beer; I had packed the Comfort Zone Martini. A good strong martini is always the way to fit in with the boys. Particularly when they are premixed and ice cold! The Comfort Zone martini is one that you can drink all day and all night long. It is a unique combination of Vodka, Gin and Southern Comfort with a topper of Galliano. The Southern Comfort gives it a very subtle, sweet flavour, but the bourbon gives it a kick. The taste is very refreshing and strong with just a slight hint of sweetness.
The day was a full-on surf adventure, and we were in search of the best waves. We drove and hiked and finally found the perfect break, the waves were peeling and there was no one on the water! Yes, I was stoked! We surfed all day, napped on the beach, drank some martinis and caught some wicked waves. When we got home, the boys asked me to make some more Comfort Zone martinis. Ahh! The samples on the trip had worked. I was officially accepted as one of the guys. I had proven that I could keep up physically, put up with the guy stuff and shut up and not whine like a girlie-girl. Plus I mixed a great martini. Over dinner, the martinis flowed, the boys loosened up and the night became more and more hilarious. I was concerned about one of the boys; we had nicknamed him bitter boy. Why, because he was fighting with his girlfriend again. It turned out that they were having huge issues; she wanted to get married and have kids. Shocking that a woman would want that! Guess what? He didn’t! Another shocker! But they had been having this issue for two years and every few months she would push the subject and he would revolt and then they would fight.Even though I am now one of the boys, somehow I get asked my opinion, because technically I am female. Well, that opened Pandora’s Box. After a few questions, I got the whole story. It turns out that this guy has never wanted to marry his girlfriend and told her from the beginning that he did not want kids. However, they had been together for over two years. He had also cheated on her a few times with this amazing woman he had met years before and loved, but she lived far away. So I asked him the simple question: “If you are not going to marry her, why are you still with her?” The answer was because it was comfortable.
It was easy and he did not want to be alone. What about the other woman? What did she want? He said that she wanted to travel and surf and she also did not want kids. He wished she lived closer because he could see himself with her for a long time. Well this sent me over the edge. Why are people so scared of shaking up their lives? Why is it so much easier to keep things the way they are instead of following your heart and dreams? Is taking a risk that scary? So I told him to
“shit or get off the pot!”
If he had no intentions of marrying his girlfriend then he should cut her loose to find what she is looking for. Keeping her hanging is just being selfish because she is hoping he will change his mind. If this other woman was so amazing and wanted the same things in life that he did, then get over yourself, and if geography was his only excuse, it can always be manipulated. The other boys started howling at my last comment. Finally he had been busted on his shit. Bitter boy was not impressed, but I did not care, he asked for the truth and sometimes it can kick you in the head. Fortunately we had the Comfort Zone martini to soften the blow.
My Conclusion
The Comfort Zone Martini is all good and mellow. It is a martini that you can sip all day and night. This martini gives the illusion of subtle sweetness, but underneath it has the strong kick of bourbon, gin and vodka. It is hard to break out of your comfort zone because it is a place where you feel safe and do not have to take any risks, but it is also a place that can become very boring. If you never break free from the zone, you will always be living someone else’s life and not your own. The Comfort Zone martini wraps around you and makes you feel all wonderful and mellow, but eventually the haziness wears off and the reality kicks you in the head. It is the reality that your life might be passing you by and you are missing the best waves. If you want to live your life, you need to shit or get off the pot. Because if you don’t you will be missing some of the best waves of your life.
Intuitive thoughts by Marjie Martini
