Frank Bascombe, from Richard Ford's prize winning trilogy (The Sportswriter, Independence Day, and The Lay of the Land), is back in a collection of four Ford novellas, Let Me Be Frank With You.
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Frank here ruminates - a lot. And something that recurs during these ruminations is the sonnet, Ozymandias. And while my Egyptian history needs brushing up, I do know that the star of that poem, the pharaoh Ramesses II, enjoyed wine. I also know that a very common sweetener in old Egypt was honey - so I wanted to begin with those ingredients.
One of the images that will stick with readers is Frank - surveying the wrecked neighborhood that used to be his - now full of hardworking men trying to lay claim to the land, again. He can hear snippets of their conversation - mostly Spanish - and that led me to think about drinks these men would enjoy.
Also, I was thirsty for Sangria, so I decided to recast it, this time using mezcal instead of brandy to complement the wine. And instead of tossing a lot of chopped fruit into the drink - as, yes, you should do with Sangria - I opted to just using fruit as a garnish. So in the end, I've got Shelley's Ozymandias coming at you by way of Spain. Enjoy.
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Ozymandias:
3 oz. red wine
1 oz mezcal
.5 oz honey syrup
Club soda
1 oz mezcal
.5 oz honey syrup
Club soda
Stir all - except the soda - with ice. Strain into a rocks-filled glass. Top with soda and garnish with orange and cherry.