Merrily Grashin - Womens Libation!: Cocktails to Celebrate a Womans Right to Booze

This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.

Toni Morrison

I f you believe all sexes are equal, youre a feminist. Its as simple as that. My understanding of feminism is born out of the radical notion that women and men are entitled to equal rightsthat regardless of our gender, we are all inherently limitless in our intellectual and physical agency. Im a feminist because feminism is inviting. Its inclusive. Its intuitive. Feminism just makes sense.

Every time I read the news, with its increasingly misogynistic rhetoric, it feels more relevant and necessary than ever before to remember and honor the stories of the trailblazers: the brave women who have dedicated their lives to fighting for a voice and the movements that have laid a foundation for obtaining equal rights. They didnt ask for equal rightsasking would imply the rights were someone elses to give. They used their platforms, their skills, their positions, their adversities, and even their privileges to demand the rights that all people deserve.

This book is meant to celebrate those triumphs and honor those struggles by raising a glass. Or a few. Gathered here are a collection of some of the most beloved classic cocktails of all time, each one dedicated to one of these badass women or moments in the history of womens liberationand most with a slight variation on the well-known classic recipe, giving small nods to each distinct story. I cant think of a better way to pay homage to your heroes than by getting totally drunk in their honor!

If youre not ovary-reacting (or, I should say, reacting with rational, moral sensibility), youre not paying attention!

For me, highlighting the singular and distinct struggles that make up our history has reinforced the importance of intersectionality in the fight for equal rights. Fighting for the rights of women means nothing if youre not fighting for the rights of people of all gender expressions, races, religions, sexualities, ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses, and abilities. If you share the goal of total equality, then examining the ways in which women are differently positioned or privileged can help to understand these divisions. We need to have one anothers backs by giving credence to everyones struggles, no matter how closely they mirror our own. And if we all get on the same page, we can come together and drink about it until were so drunk and inspired that not only will we want to dismantle oppressive systems but theres also a good chance well want to sing karaoke.

Being a woman is a huge part of my identity and something I wanted to celebrate by creating this book that celebrates women. I wouldnt be standing here (or, more accurately, sitting here, drink in hand) with the opportunity to write this book without these fierce ladies before me. Their stories have helped me understand my own place in the shared and collective narrative... and given me a whole lot of good material for the next time I pull up a barstool or throw a cocktail party. More than anything, they make me want to raise a glass!

Ive worked in bars and restaurants since my first job bussing tables at fifteen. For more than a decade in New York City, Ive held almost every position within almost every type of establishment, from a fine-dining restaurant where I poured thirty-dollar glasses of Chardonnay from Btard-Montrachet; to a Brooklyn pizza joint operating out of a converted warehouse where I tested which cocktails, beer, and wine paired well with pizza (spoiler alert: they all do); to an English gastropub where I learned how to carve a suckling pig tableside and make a perfect Gin Martini; to your favorite dark bars where I poured whiskey shots and cracked cheap beers (and where you can find me when Im off the clock).

Before the rush or on a slow night, I would scribble bad jokes and doodles, then pass them around for my coworkers to endure. Id sketch the bottle of Aperol on the shelf and write underneath, Aperol weve been through?! handing it over as I implored them to take a shot with me. If halibut was on special, I would stand, arms held open with a drawing of a fish saying Lets hug it outjust for the halibut. Food and, later, wine and spirits became my obsession; and so the collection grew. With the encouragement of my most inspiring and dysfunctional bar family, I started my greeting card line of food and beveragethemed puns called Greet N Potatoes.