Pre-party preparation

If you are having a class of 4th and 5th graders over to your house for a swim party in the morning, you might want to do a couple of things ahead of time to get ready.

1. Hire a lifeguard.
2. Go shopping for food.
3. Blow up the pool toys.
4. Set out extra towels and sunscreen.
4. Check the weather forecast.
5. Discover it will probably be overcast and chilly.
6. Note that party is scheduled to last for four hours.
7. Pour yourself a big fat gin and tonic.

Emergency Gin and Tonic

Hendrick's Gin
Tonic
A lime

Get out a glass.*
Fill your glass with ice.
Squeeze 1/2 of the lime over the ice.
Pour in gin until the glass is 1/3 full.
Pour in enough tonic to almost fill up the glass.
Squeeze the rest of the lime over the top, then drop it in.
Stir.
Drink.

Pictured here after last step was completed.

Now don't get me wrong. I am a huge fan of the artisan cocktail. Love to see the bartender carefully harvesting his own juniper berries and calling up the local organic tonic brewer for the small batch bottling from 2007. Can't beat those heirloom limes, and the dash of freshly grated ginger muddled with the blackberry blossoms. Fantastic. But this is an emergency. Go with the tried and true solution, available now, right from the liquor cabinet in your kitchen.

When you're done, lock up the liquor cabinet, pray for sun, and go to bed.

*The size of the glass depends on the size of your emergency. This qualified as a medium sized emergency.