By New Year, second year married. Tyler and I stayed home. We had people over earlier in the evening, Marcus and his girlfriend, Debbie and Roy for a short visit, and then everyone left and it was just the two of us and the duplex and a pot of black-eyed peas I had started that afternoon.
We watched the ball drop on a screen in the living room and ate peas from the pot at the stove and Tyler said this was his favorite New Year. I said it was my first good New Year that I could remember, meaning first one where I was where I was supposed to be with who I was supposed to be with. He said what about last year. I said last year was excellent but this one has the peas and he is my husband now, not just my boyfriend or my fiance, and that word is different. He said he knew. He said it felt different to him too.
I called Gloria just before midnight. She was still up. Destiny was asleep. She said happy new year, baby. She says that every year. She said it the first year I was with her when I was seventeen and she has said it every year since. That is fifteen years of happy new years. I counted on the phone and told her and she was quiet for a moment and said time moves when you are loving people. I said that was the truest thing. She said she knew.
We had people over earlier that evening — Marcus, Debbie and Roy — and I wanted something easy and bright to pour while the peas were still going on the stove. These Moscows were exactly right for that: cold and a little sharp, the kind of drink that feels celebratory without being fussy, that lets the room stay relaxed and the conversation stay warm. After everyone left and it was just Tyler and me and the rest of the night, I was glad we’d had something good to hand people on their way out — a small, honest send-off before the quiet came in and the new year became ours alone.
Moscows
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes | Servings: 1
Ingredients
- 2 oz vodka
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice (about half a lime)
- 4–6 oz ginger beer, chilled
- Ice cubes or crushed ice
- Lime wheel or wedge, for garnish
- Fresh mint sprig, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Fill your glass. Fill a copper mug or rocks glass with ice cubes or crushed ice all the way to the top.
- Add the vodka and lime. Pour the vodka over the ice, then squeeze in the fresh lime juice. Give it a brief stir to combine.
- Top with ginger beer. Slowly pour the chilled ginger beer over the back of a spoon to preserve the bubbles. Fill to the rim.
- Garnish and serve. Tuck a lime wheel onto the rim of the glass and add a sprig of fresh mint if using. Serve immediately while cold and fizzy.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 165 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 12g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 10mg