No, not that way. The days of the three martini lunch are far behind us. Besides, martinis used to be slightly less than 3 ounces back in the Mad Men era. They’re roughly 8-9 ounces these days. Three has you consuming almost a fifth of gin. Heroic, but it makes it hard to get back to the office.
(Image: Easy and Elegant Life, used with permission.)
Instead, opt for a pick-me-up like the Spaniards do. At least at the weekend. This thing is infused with garlic, but it really does give you a lift. Since onions lend themselves to fermentation, they are traditionally left out of the recipe which was developed in the days long before refrigeration was introduced. If serving as a soup, top it with chopped hard-boiled eggs, some country ham and some chopped onion. Leftovers can be blended with vodka on Sunday morning…
Gazpacho
2 slices of day old bread, or about 3 inches of day old baguette
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
2 ripe Hanover tomatoes. (If using a blender, skinned and seeded. If you have a Vita-Mix, just quarter them.)
1 green pepper, cored and seeded, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 small to medium cucumber, skinned and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper and a little sugar, to taste
Soak the bread in the vinegar, garlic and a little ice-cold water. Add it to the blender and puree. Add the olive oil and the vegetables. Puree. Add ice-cold water until you get a consistency that you like to drink. (If this is to be a soup, you may leave it a bit chunkier, but less so than salsa.) Adjust the seasoning with the salt, pepper and sugar. Transfer to a pitcher and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Chill for at least three hours in the refrigerator. Do not add ice.
