Cocktail Thursday: Arkansas Edition

If your Georgia Bulldogs are preparing to welcome a top ten opponent who plays a physical style of football and is bent on an upset, you could probably use a drink. I can help you with that.

I want to be clear about something. I admire Sam Pittman. More than that, I like him. The one time I had the chance to interview him I found him self-effacing, witty, and essentially the kind of guy who anyone would want to play their best football for.

Every couple of years a sports writer will release a blind poll asking college football coaches who they would want their sons to play for. That hasn’t made the rounds recently, but when the next one comes out believe me Pitman will be high on the list. He is well respected by his colleagues, he coaches the game the way fans and his coevals want it played. Again, I’m not only the President of the Sam Pittman fan club, I am also a client.

Having said that, my adoration is not unlimited. I think a lot of Bulldog fans would agree with me when I said that Sam Pittman’s success is a little like an un-house trained puppy, cute as the dickens, except when he brings it to your house. I think you’ll agree with me that the thought of Pittman whooping it up on the sidelines in Sanford Stadium as his team hangs uncomfortably close to Georgia late in the game, or hangs onto a lead, is not a spectacle with any of us wants to observe.

How does Kirby Smart avoid that? I think Georgia needs to, as it has done in every game this year except the Clemson contest, start strong so that it can execute its game plan from a position of strength early. With a defense capable of applying pressure all the way through the game, and an offense capable of striking quickly Georgia is in the rare position of fielding a team that might actually be able to play from behind. But I’d rather not find out. If it’s all the same I’d rather we keep building insurmountable leads by halftime, and enjoying the rest of the game in as worry-free a fashion as possible.

I expect Arkansas will dare us to throw the ball, and will try to force JT Daniels to make a mistake when he does so. He hasn’t been fool-proof this year, but he’s improving from week to week. A couple of early passes taken to the house would do wonders to salt this one away, and disabuse the Razorbacks of any notion of an upset.

So what’s the perfect cocktail for when you want to send the Pitt Boss home with an L?

A Pitt Loss.

You’ll need:

8 ounces of fresh cherries (pitted, naturally)

¹⁄₂ cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

12 ounces of good gin

4 cups Topo Chico lime-flavored mineral water

1. Place the pitted cherries in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, lime juice and salt. Stir until the cherries are evenly coated, then set aside to macerate the cherries (30 minutes to an hour).
2. Drain the cherry mixture, collecting all the juice (you’ll use it momentarily). Spread the macerated cherries among 8 cocktail skewers and set aside for garnish.
3. Mix the reserved cherry juice, gin, and Topo Chico in a small pitcher.
4. Fill 8 high ball glasses with ice. Pour the gin mixture over the ice and garnish each glass with a skewer of cherries. Enjoy.

Did I say I could find you a drink? Looks like I found 8 drinks. Oopsie. Be sure to share with friends, drink responsibly, and...

Go ‘Dawgs!!!