Lost Horizons

The month of August was completely filled with music for us. Thatboy and I were so excited for our move because the music scene down here is fantastic. We had so many memories of great concerts and were looking to repeat the experience. And we started in August, going to some of our all time favorite performers in fantastic venues. We're looking forward to continuing this trend in the upcoming months.

The first concert we went to was at my request. Did you ever have "that band" that you fell in love with in high school? For me that was REM. I loved REM. I compared every band out there to REM. My friend told me about a band he was really into and my first question was "how do they compare to REM?" He made me a mix tape. Does anyone out there remember mix tapes? Well he gave me a mix tape of The Gin Blossoms, and I was hooked. I listened to that tape over and over again before buying all their cds. I waited up every night until "Follow You Down" came on the radio. My boyfriends would call the local radio station and request it for me. My late night phone calls always ended with the phrase "It's on! I'll talk to you tomorrow." Finally I was able to get myself to a concert and I was in heaven. And it was the last concert I'd be able to go to, because within a year the band had disbanded. I was devestated. I was in the car when I found out and "Allison Road" had just finished playing when the DJ announced the breakup.

So when I heard that the Gin Blossoms were playing nearby, in an impossibly small venue I begged and pleaded to go. I stood about a foot from the stage and sang along to every song, with Thatboy actually enjoying the experience more than he thought he would. It took me back to simpler times and the band is just as fantastic now as they were then. I knew at that moment that I wanted to dedicate this month's Eat to the Beat to the Gin Blossoms!

Now here's the tricky part. There's not really anything food related in any of their songs. So I got to thinking. The band's name comes from a painting they saw of Monet and Gin Blossoms. So I thought I could find a recipe that used Gin Blossoms. Which would actually make sense if I could get my hands on some Gin Blossoms....which I can't. Or at least, not especially easily. So I decided it would be fitting to create Gin Blossoms - a gin based beverage in tribute to a band who definitely can hold their liquor. Not convinced? Let's look at some of the lyrics.

Drink enough of anything to make this world look new again
Drunk drunk drunk in the gardens and the graves
- Lost Horizons

Filling up my drinking cup
When I know I've had much more than enough
-I Can't Figure You Out

In fact, quite a few of the songs involve drinking more than you can handle. I think the band would approve of a drink named after/dedicated to them. So everyone, it's Memphis Time - time to sit back and enjoy a nice refreshing Gin Blossom.

Gin Blossom

• 1/4 cup gin
• grapefruit soda
• splash of rose flower water
• splash of blackberry syrup
  

1. Pour gin over ice.
2. Top with grapefruit soda and stir.
3. Add spashes of rose flower water and blackberry syrup (to taste).