Tones of the Kinglet

Cocktail Correspondent: Weldon Gardner Hunter

In Vancouver, we all awoke on Thursday morning to the new reality: the grey skies and wet weather were back after a sunny spell. Dry January is over. But some brightness arrived in the form of a little Ruby-Crowned Kinglet busily foraging under a tree on UBC campus.

Photo: Mick Thompson. This is not the bird I saw, I didn't snap a photo

It's a bit of everyday magic to briefly regard this industrious little being, but I almost forgot him in the daily rush: students complaining about quiz questions, demanding posted slideshows be converted and reuploaded as PDFs, then having to ride a crowded #84 to the east side of the city for my second teaching gig of the day. More moroseness, and I forgot to bring a sack lunch. 

When the day was over, I went to The Fox Cabaret (2321 Main Street, Vancouver) to see The Asteroid No. 4, a shoegaze band from San Francisco. They have a song called "Tones of the Sparrow" - a reminder of the promising beginning of the long day. A song for birds that don't soar too high (by choice). The ground is where the food is.

After the show, 10pm on a rainy and cold Thursday on Main Street. I stopped into Friendlie's Bar (202 East 12th Avenue - see here) and I was the only patron. When this happens, it's time to invent a new drink. 

The bartender Sierra was given the brief: an image of a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet and the overwhelming task to capture its spirit in spirits.

The result was the Ruby-Crowned Kinglet*: Bourbon, Amaro Averna, Spiced Apple, Sage, and a Red Wine Float for the crown. The concoction was delicious - reminiscent of Ukrainian Iced Tea - and a little feisty. 

I wonder if a variation could be made with Green Chartreuse to suggest the bird's tones of olive green and yellow. There wasn't any on hand, sadly.

I had two, then headed back out into the night for my roost. 

*sorry, no photo 😔