Makes you think a little harder now, doesn’t it? Let’s face it. This is a time to seriously ponder your mortality, and if you’re not, please message me and tell me how.

So what if this really was your last drink ever?

Would you crack one more familiar icy cold Miller Lite because your body mass is around 50% of the golden nectar already? Or, would you opt for a peaty Coal Isla because it tastes like the smell of your childhood?

Lucky for us it’s a question that’s already been asked, answered, captured and complied into a fantastic book by Brad Thomas Parsons and Ten Speed Press. Last Call is one of my favourite reads this year. Every chapter is an interview with a bar tender and opens with a quoted song lyric chosen by them. The photography is stunning, the recipes have all been winners, and it makes you feel like you’re traveling through bars across the US. Who knows when the hell that might be possible again, so in the meantime, this book is a magical door to a different bar stool every night. Belly up.

Where to start? In flip book fashion I happened upon page 193. ‘Death In The Afternoon’ from The Prince in LA. Might be a little too close to the bone, even for me. So I back it up to page 187 and hit the ‘Tequila Gimlet’, Tokyo Record Bar, NY.

2oz blanco tequila
1oz fresh lime juice
3/4 oz simple syrup
lime wheel garnish

Shake with ice until chilled and pour into an ice filled glass with your citrus garnish…or forget the extra ice and go straight up. It’s an uncomplicated chilled glass of delicious.

Raising my glass and sending a prayer to all medical staff around the world.

Oh, and thanks for the free book @tenspeedpress!