Swimming in the Nude - a New Cocktail

Tender sensibilities! 

If we could all admit that the most enthralling physical sensations occur in our most vulnerable states,  perhaps our over-mastering inhibitions wouldn't get the better of us.

Mortality is a blessing, which if we could only comprehend its crucial meaning, might liberate us all. 

The fact that all that we know and experience is fleeting--not to be repeated, not to be extended indefinitely--might allow us to elevate our response to life, reflecting the value that only limits can grant. 

Swimming is a wonderful thing. Our whole bodies immersed in flowing liquid--symbolically amniotic--a sensation that refreshes and enlivens our nervous system. 

If a drink could inspire this feeling, it might be the most addictive drug. Most psycho-active drugs are said to either heighten our sense of impression, or deaden our sense of pain. 

   

Innocently enough, here's a stab at an inspiration of the freshness and immersion of bodily clarity and chill, the Swimming Naked Cocktail. Mixed as always by proportion. 


3 parts Boodles Gin
3/4 part aquavit
1 1/2 part Cointreau
1/1/3 part fresh lime juice

--shaken and served up with a garnish of a thin slice of lime.

I was a latecomer to the joys of swimming, but eventually I was hooked. 

I often have the same feeling with certain kinds of music. Just now I was listening to Chabrier's Scherzo-Valse, which I find so bracing and uplifting, with its crisp enunciation and high spirits, that it's as exhilarating as a dive into a cool pool. 

So here's to physical joy, and the pleasures of feeling, and taste.