The boondocks… Or rather, they pretended to be. Sitting smug on the Rhein while Yuppies in Lulu Lemon pranced around them in cardiovascular glee. Whatever ‘working man’ neighborhood used to be here is long gone, eradicated by immaculate placement of smooth overlayed brick. Yeah, some boondocks. And to think I came here to find somewhere I’d blend in, not stick out like a sore thumb. The yakuza aren’t easy to fool, and they’d spot me here in an instant. One beer, that’s all I had time for. Tetsuo and his men would be after me soon.
Anyway it was a solid Saturday in the city as I helped some friends move apartments. My thighs almost exploded by 2pm from going up so many flights of stairs, but the energy was good and the day was beautiful. Today was the first ‘Marktfruhstuck” (market breakfast) since last year, which means wine-stands opened up throughout the old-city and people ventured in at 10am to get good and drunk. On my way through the city at around 3pm, some dude was blasting despacito on his saxophone, almost falling over, while a group of teens waddled around each other, clearly and happily wasted.
Once home I was basically dead, but got to work on a special project I’m doing with some people in Frankfurt. While working, I put on a record and made a variation of a margarita I like to call “Sunset at Nardi’s”. Still spirit forward, this isn’t one of those margarita-mix or frozen-marg type joints, but I think its pretty dope:
Sunset at Nardi's 2oz Blanco Tequila 2oz Cointreau 2oz Lemon Juice, Freshly Squeezed 4 oz Clementine Juice, Freshly Squeezed 1/2oz Sweetened Agave Syrup In a shaker with ice, until frosty. Pour how you like. Enjoy the sunset.
It’s more ‘diluted’ than the ‘traditional margarita’ (1:1:1 ratio of tequila, liqueur, and citrus) which most people like anyway, and the clementine juice brings its own depth and body to the tangy/citrusy tequila and lemon. I say all of this as if I came up with this drink on purpose, rather than seeing I had no limes and being forced to use whatever I had on hand. But hey, this is easy to drink, and the clementines are definitely fun and unique. Orange juice might work as a closer approximation of the bright, tart flavor of a normal margarita, but this is a relaxing vibe, not a ‘shut down Miami Beach and create a State of Emergency on Spring Break’ vibe that margs can sometimes be known for. Sunset at Nardi’s. Let me know if you ever make one.
Anyway, here’s some shots of the city today (not of the markets though, that’s my bad. Next time).
See you tomorrow,
Nick
Nick Denardi 