It's the season for silly bar drinks

I love summer. It's a time of magic and solace, celebration and nature, and a time to be laid back simply because we need the break and this is the time to do it. It was the time to hide away under the trees somewhere and read a really good book that took you to India or Africa on an adventure.

For me, as a child , it was a time to get on my bike and explore places that couldn't be reached any other way. I wound up in more obscure paths in the woods, parks I never knew existed, cliff walks by the sea, and I think I even managed to find my way to another planet or two and back. In summer, with that balmy breeze blowing even at nightfall, anything was possible.

I have invented a drink for those special moments. Mix it up in secret and find a place where nobody can find you and let the summer breezes blow by while you brood and sip on the Heart of Darkness. "The horror, the horror!" You might want to mix up enough for two or three of them and hide a little longer. It's a black martini, of course...

Heart of Darkness

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz RTD Black
• 3/4 oz Jose Cuervo Black Tequila
• 1 oz Vodka
• Dash of Cherry Brandy
• Maraschino Cherry

Equipment: Shaker and ice

Directions:

Use 1 cup ice to chill the mixture quickly (coffee should
be cold to start). Add ingredients, shake furiously and pour
through strainer. Pour into chilled glass. Add Maraschino
cherry (the heart). Optional: Garnish with orange slice.