Cocktail Thursday: Big Orange Edition

Is your college football team looking to shake off the rust following a bye week, and also traveling to the college football venue that launched a thousand orthopedists’ new yachts? Then you could probably use a drink. Allow me to help.

There’s really no objective reason for Saturday’s matchup with the Tennessee Volunteers to be particularly close. The Vols have some speed on defense. They have some solid (if young) players on the offensive front. And Jarrett Guarantano, if you squint just right and he doesn’t turn it over, kind of looks like an above average quarterback.

But the thing is, things just aren’t quite right in Knoxville. Jeremy Pruitt’s spent his week answering questions about late night phone calls from the Knoxville Police Department. His athletic director Phil Fulmer’s spent the week strenuously denying that he wants Pruitt’s job. Six Volunteers have entered the transfer portal this fall. It’s dark up in the hills, Billy Ted.

Georgia only loses this football game if some things go very wrong. I’m talking about some really poorly timed turnovers, Jake Camarda descending further into the apparent punting funk of two weeks ago, and perhaps Jake Fromm losing track of time in the dove field and missing the plane to Knoxville.

It could happen. But it probably won’t. The odds are very good that a deeper Georgia squad eventually just leans on Tennessee until the Vawls are pushed over. And when they are, you should celebrate with a....

CiTrUs Herb Smash

You’ll need:

2 oz simple syrup

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

4 oz bourbon

2 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp orange marmalade

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp orange juice

1 egg white

Boil the simple syrup and one sprig of rosemary in a saucepan, allow to cool to room temperature. Remove rosemary from the syrup and add it to a cocktail shaker with bourbon, lemon juice, and orange marmalade. Add ice and shake. Pour into a glass with ice. Add the maple syrup, orange juice, and egg white to the shaker. Shake until frothy and pour over prior ingredients. Garnish with remaining sprig of rosemary and enjoy.

This will also be your watch thread for Georgia Southern vs. South Alabama at 7:30 on ESPNU, Temple at the University of Eastern Carolina at 8:00 on ESPN, and what I understand is a Major League Baseball game of some consequence at 5:00. Until later...

Go ‘Dawgs!!!