By Back to real life. The week after the Cape was the easiest re-entry I have had in a while. The Cape gave me something. I do not know what. I will think about it later.
Liam lost the wiggly tooth at the dinner table Wednesday. Spaghetti. The tooth was in the sauce. He fished it out, held it up like a trophy, and said I am rich. The tooth fairy gave him three dollars because tooth fairies adjust for distance traveled to the dinner plate. He approved.
School supplies shopping Saturday. Liam wanted a Red Sox folder. They were sold out. He took a Bruins one with the look of a man taking the silver medal. Nora got a unicorn folder, a unicorn pencil case, and a unicorn lunchbox. The cashier said someone likes unicorns. Nora informed her, with the gravity of a barrister, that she does indeed.
Clinic — back-to-school physicals starting up. Twelve sports physicals Tuesday. Lots of paperwork. My hand cramped.
Group Tuesday. We are working through grief year two as a theme this month. Bernadette had us each write a letter to ourselves at year one. I wrote: Kate, you don't believe me, but you will host Sunday dinner at your own house in two years. You will plant tomatoes. You will go to the Cape. Hold on.
Meghan called at 11 Tuesday. She said Aidan starts kindergarten next week — wait, first grade. He's six. She said how is he six. I said I know.
Sunday dinner at Ma's. Roast pork with apples. The first hint of fall in the way the meal sat in my stomach.
Saturday pancakes. Burned the first one. The kids ate them quickly because they had a playdate at 10. Liam touched the jersey. He always touches the jersey.
Food of the week: pork with apples. The apples sopped up the pan juices and I had two helpings of just the apples and the juice.
Sunday dinner at Ma’s left me thinking about apples for the rest of the week — the way they sopped up the pan juices from the pork, the way they tasted like the first real hint of fall settling in. I had two helpings of just the apples and the juice, which tells you everything. So when I wanted something to carry that feeling forward, I landed on this Apple Ginger Kombucha Cocktail: the tang of the kombucha, the warmth of ginger, and that apple note running through it like a thread back to Ma’s table. It’s the kind of drink that feels like re-entry done right.
Apple Ginger Kombucha Cocktail
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes | Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh apple cider or unfiltered apple juice
- 1 cup ginger kombucha, chilled
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup (optional, to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for garnish
- Ice cubes
- Thin apple slices and fresh mint, for garnish
Instructions
- Prep the ginger. Peel a small knob of fresh ginger and grate it finely over a small bowl. Press the gratings with the back of a spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the pulp or leave it in for extra heat — your call.
- Mix the base. In a pitcher or large glass, combine the apple cider, lemon juice, ginger juice, and honey or maple syrup if using. Stir well until the sweetener is fully dissolved.
- Add the kombucha. Pour in the chilled ginger kombucha. Stir gently — just enough to combine without losing the fizz.
- Build the glasses. Fill two glasses with ice. Divide the cocktail evenly between them.
- Garnish and serve. Tuck a thin apple slice onto the rim of each glass, add a sprig of fresh mint, and dust lightly with cinnamon. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 85 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 21g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 18mg