The good thing about today is that it’s the federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a great American who, among many other profound things, said:

“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”

— Dr. Martin Luther King, 1967

I’d say that’s particularly true of wars that were started based on misdirection and lies.

The bad thing about today is that … well, not everybody gets the day off (Wes has to work today, pfeh), but I was thinking more along the lines of this: it’s the 86th anniversary of the day that Prohibition began in the United States, January 16, 1920. The “noble experiment” was, fortunately, a disastrous failure, and we can celebrate that at least, both today and on December 5, which was the Day of Repeal. In the meantime, here’s a celebratory cocktail that might be worth trying:

The Prohibition Cocktail

1-1/2 ounces Plymouth gin.
1-1/2 ounces Lillet blanc.
2 dashes Apry (or other apricot liqueur).
1 teaspoon orange juice.
1 dash Regans’ Orange Bitters No. 6 (optional).

Shake with ice for 10-12 seconds, and strain into a cocktail glass.
Squeeze a lemon twist over the drink, and garnish with the twist.

The bitters were not part of the original recipe, but it seemed to me to cry out for a dash.