Warm, slutty skies are throwing themselves desperately at the horizon. They’ve been fully vaccinated, stuck in the house with an aggressively loud cat, and keeping their pants on during Zoom meetings. While they’ve already most likely depleted the lock-down liquor cabinet, pairing their creations with a hoarder’s supply of tomato soup and mac & cheese, they’re looking for something a bit more celebratory. Something like a “Summer of ’21 Cocktail.”

And here it is:

Equal parts of simple syrup, lemon juice, tequila, triple sec, white rum, and gin—shaken, poured into a tall glass with ice, and topped off with cola. (Okay, so it’s a Long-Island Iced Tea. I’ve never had one before, but I also never imagined I’d opt for a vaccine “drive-thru” style or grow hair long enough to sit on.)

In any case, this drink is . . . something. It’s the thing you order when you want to be judged by the bartender, and you don’t care because it’s your first time out in the world, and you’ve just done your shopping in a full-length bridesmaid’s dress that was stuck in the back of the closet, and you thought, “Hey, is this appropriate to wear now?” and then you thought, “Ah, why the hell not?” Then, you got the hem caught in the freezer door near the ice cream section where you were reaching for the Chunky Monkey, and you drew a lot of sultry looks in the process—so in your mind, you’re winning.

Keep that winning streak going. Take your ripped dress-self and your summer cocktail out into the park. Flash your vaccination card like a wild, sexy beast, and dance in the slutty sky rain.

Cecilia Kennedy once taught Spanish and English courses in Ohio for many years. She now lives in the Greater Seattle area, and writes horror stories. Her blog (Fixin’ Leaks and Leeks: https://fixinleaksnleeksdiy.blog/) chronicles her humorous (and perhaps scary?) attempts at cooking and home repair.