Channeling Grandma

Mom & Curly, with her Vodka Collins

This past weekend, Scott and I went to Lake Tahoe to spend the weekend. Our friends Gary and Naomi got married on Saturday, and Scott and I took advantage of their celebration to spend some time gambling, skiing and relaxing.

Any time I am at a casino, I think about my grandmother, Della Cederburg. Some might think that is a strange correlation, but my grandmother was a lot of fun, and she LOVED to have a good time. When I went to school in Santa Barbara, I would drive up & pick her up in Lone Pine on our way to visit my Aunt Donna's in Bridgeport. Often, we would take a drive up to Carson City, and put some money in the machines. On one of these trips, she ordered me my first real drink - a vodka collins. (My parents would not have approved, but Grandma always did what she wanted).

I was 'channeling' my grandmother this weekend, playing the Wheel of Fortune machine, the penny slots and video poker. And to carry it through the weekend, I thought I would make a Vodka Collins in her honor. Grandma, we miss you and we think of you often!

Della's Vodka Collins

1 part vodka
1/3 part lemon juice (in this one, you can used bottled juice if you would like)
1/3 part simple syrup
club soda

Fill a martini shaker with ice
Add vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup.
Fill tall 'collins glass' with ice (these are just tall, skinny glasses).
Pour contents of martini shaker over ice
Fill remainder of glass with club soda, and stir
Garnish with maraschino cherry & straw

The first batch I made of these, I took a shortcut & used lemonade. Don't make the same mistake! You need the strength of the fresh lemon & simple syrup to off-set the dilution of the club soda. Remember, you can also makes these sweeter or more sour by adjusting the ratio of lemon juice and syrup, so feel free to experiment. Finally - do not buy Collins or sour mix - these will taste much better & you can control the sweetness much more effectively.

If you decide to make these - and you should, because it is the perfect drink for spring - raise your glass and toast Della. We did!