So it’s hot today in Portland. The temperature is in the 90s. The beach sounds like a good place to be… with a beach bottle.

We’re just not used to this kind of weather, at least not until late August when we might get hit with a heat wave. So, I’m in reverie in front of the air conditioner.

When I was living in Santa Monica, I could walk a few blocks to the beach. When special company came for a visit, I would make what I called a “beach bottle”.

How did I make it? Pay attention, Judith.

Squeeze fresh lemon juice into a bottle, from a just-picked lemon, off the tree in the backyard. Add water and sugar to taste. Here comes the good part:

Add whatever might be your pleasure at the time. Rum? Vodka? Gin? With a splash of Drambuie, Cointreau, Lemoncello, or whiskey for a taste of Kentucky.

Here’s a photo of me enjoying one when Hannah and al-Gene came for a visit. Santa Monica was paradise.

I’m not as trashed as I appear. Really. Ha, ha.