On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, a Black and White Whiskey Smash 

We made it! Twelve days of holiday cocktails. I saved the Black and White Whiskey Smash for last because it’s easy to dress up or dress down, making it perfect for New Years Eve celebrations.

Why is it called the Black and White Whiskey Smash, you might ask? It gets its name from the blackberries that are smashed with basil, simple syrup, and lemon, and then topped with white whiskey and soda. If you think that sounds refreshing, you’re correct.

New Years Eve Memories

Each year we throw a New Years Eve party, and each year takes on a special memory.  My favorite memory was when we lived in our old house and had invited our group of friends over with their dogs. That year we had the best prime rib we have ever made. I don’t recall what made that particular dish so perfect that night, whether it was the cut of beef or the recipe, but we were all in meat heaven.

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As we were sitting at the dining room table, sipping our wine and thinking about grabbing seconds, we heard a commotion in the kitchen. As I looked up I saw my friends Great Dane toss the prime rib roast up into the air, catching it in his jaws, and shaking it down to the floor where he proceeded to gnaw on the meaty goodness. I had forgotten that a Great Dane would easily be able to grab our dinner off our kitchen table, where I had set up a buffet. We all laughed at the time but were disappointed that we couldn’t have seconds. It wasn’t what we had expected, but looking back it has become one of our favorite memories. 

Life Doesn’t Show Up How You Plan It.

The other night I went to a service at my friends church that discussed this very thing. We all hustle around during the holidays preparing for the perfect Christmas or the perfect New Years Eve. When it comes down to it, Christmas and New Years Eve are going to show up no matter what circumstance or curve ball life throws at us. This year has been a solemn one for us, as my husband has been out of work for 4 months now. We have enough to get by, but won’t  be celebrating and gifting as plentiful as we have in the past.

I remember several years ago my oldest son came down with the flu on Christmas morning and fell asleep on the floor in front of the Christmas tree. What’s funny is that I don’t always remember the perfect Christmases, rather I remember the times when things didn’t go as we planned. Parenting definitely teaches us all that we cannot plan for anything, whether it be a kids illness, like the Christmas flu, or leaving the pumpkin patch empty handed because someone tripped and split their eyebrow open. Life just shows up, as if to toss an ice-cold snowball in our face and say, “you are in control of nothing.”  

Life is full of seasons. Life ebbs and flows. We just happen to be in a season of ebb right now. It’s in those seasons we see who our true family and friends are, as they stand by us and help where needed.  It’s sobering and humbling.

Maybe that’s why we all enjoy a good cocktail. We drink to celebrate goodness and we drink to numb our pain.  (And might I add, the Black and White Whiskey Smash is a good place to start if you’re looking to enjoy a cocktail.) So, let’s raise our glasses and toast to our year, our current lot in life, and to the potential of the future. We can’t control it, but we can sit back, take a sip, and  thank God for the life He’s given us; the life He knows we are all strong enough to handle.  

Cheers, my friends! 

If you haven’t been following our Twelve Days of Holiday Cocktails, go take a look over at The House + Hive to see them all.