From two very elegant bloggers. Please take a moment to refresh yourselves with this post from The Peak of Chic and finish your evening with a little help from An Aesthete’s Lament.

This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is what we’re shooting for. Are you still here? Please……. you owe it to yourself.

Thank you.

If you don’t have a ham tub, a 6 qt. covered dutch oven makes a good substitute. From amazon.com. Intrigued? Read on…..)

How has your week of living more elegantly been? I hope you’ve adopted a few of the suggestions anyway. At any rate, it’s time to celebrate another end to another week.

In the event that you have more of the Keylimes left over after making the smoothies and the Papa Dobles, here is another very refreshing summer cocktail. These would be very nice to sip as sundowners, tomorrow.

The Gin Rickey.

4 parts Gin
2 parts Fresh lime juice
Top up with sparkling water (soda water, Perrier, seltzer)

Build in a highball glass over ice.

But what about today? It’s Friday. I hope that you started off the day with a song in your heart.

When I worked in the District, Fridays were always occasions for happy hours after work. At lunch, I would saunter down to the flower shop and buy a boutonniere and some flowers for Mrs. E. . We would arrange to meet (with or without friends), have a couple of drinks, and with any luck, make it to dinner.

You can’t do that too often. It’s wearing (and horridly expensive.) Why don’t you arrange for an impromptu drinks party at your place, instead?

Send around an instant message, or twitter, or call a dozen of your closest. Make it easy on yourself, serve red, white and sparkling wines, and beer. Or really go to town and serve these:

Mrs. E.’s Grandfather’s Hamtub Martinis
(Serves too many or not enough)

In a large tub that you use to cook a ham add:

1 large block of ice. (Allow a bag of ice to melt a bit and refreeze into one big chunk. Or add the bag and poke a hole in it so that a little water mixes in as the ice melts.)

Mix in 2 half gallon bottles of dry gin (Gordon’s works well) and 1/2 bottle of Dry Vermouth (or more to taste.) Stir with a soup ladle.

For the garnishes:
1 jar of queen sized, cracked green olives

Twists cut from the rinds of 3-4 extra large lemons

1 jar of cocktail onions

Take one onion, a twist and an olive, spear them with a cocktail pick. Repeat until you run out of ingredients. Float them in the tub of martinis.

Ladle out to passersby as needed.

Hide the lampshades. Happy weekend.

September 1956. A Borscht Belt comedian and performer from Brooklyn scores a Billboard Top 40 hit with a comedy single. It was still a hit at Burgundy Farms Country Day School for Animals and Children in 1979.

That’s a wrap, friends. It’s Friday and I’ve got too many chores to do. What are your plans for a marvelous summer weekend? What? Well, here are a few ideas:

1. Lawn party replete with Chinese lanterns in the trees.

2. Moroccan dinner for six seated on cushions around the coffee table.

3. Cocktails, the theatre, an after-theatre omelette supper, followed by dancing (roll up the rug!)