Fresh air. Grocery store runs. Going for a walk. Happy hours. Drinks with friends.

These are just a few of the things I used to take for granted. And sharing a cocktail post on here? Well, I took that for granted to. What was once just another recipe being added to the “Eat” section of my site now feels like something that can unite us and bring us together via virtual happy hours and Facetime cocktail hangs. A recipe here unkowingly turns into a shared moment of cocktail creation, one we might be enjoying together without even realizing it. And I don’t know about you but that brings me comfort and puts a smile on my face in a time when I (and I’m sure you) need it more than ever.

Of course, I know any recipe I share here, anyone could make at anytime. But realizing that you could be in your kitchen making my recipe and I in mine making it, too, something about that shared moment, something that I never realized before, gives a whole new meaning to sharing recipes on my site. I feel lucky, I feel honored, I feel grateful.

Last week, Dave and I hosted our first live happy hour on Instragam, and we’ll be doing another tomorrow, and the following Wednesday, and probably every Wednesday for the foreseable future. While we hadn’t previously shared the gin and jam cocktail for you all to make alongside us, we were all still sipping on something yummy and that simple connection over cocktails just felt special. While nothing will ever replace real, live, in a bar, in person happy hours, I have to say, a virtual one, with all of you, is definitely the next best thing. If you haven’t yet done a virtual happy hour with your own nearest and dearest, I highly recommend it as a fun way of staying connected with family and/or friends.

And, in case you missed last week’s live happy hour, I’m sharing the jam cocktail recipe, below, along with substitions to make it your own. Essentially, if you’re out of mixers but stocked with jam and gin, or really any alcohol for that matter, this is your cocktail. It’s a bit of a crafty cocktail, but desperate times call for extra crafty measures.

I look forward to having you join us for more happy hours, whether it be live on Instagram, or just simply knowing your making my cocktail recipe in your kitchen at the same time I’m making it in mine.

And with that, I leave you with another statement that I usually take for granted but now feel far more meaningful, cheers friends!.

yields one cocktail

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ounces gin

• 1 ounce fresh lime juice

• 1 teaspoon orange marmalade or jam of preference

• 4 ounce club soda

• Fresh thyme, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

In a glass, add the jam, lime juice and gin. Stir until the jam starts to dissolve. Fill the glass with ice and pour in the soda water. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme and serve.

NOTES

• You can omit the gin for a mocktail.

• You can omit or swap out the lime juice for another citrus juice of your choice.

• Instead of thyme trying using rosemary.

• If you’re jam is too thick, trying heating it for a few moments prior to using it.