Despite feeling like years have passed in our lives, our project sat like a faithful dog at the window waiting for us to come home. Nearing the end of Angie’s pregnancy, I expected us to have to take an extended break from our cocktailing, but I never thought it would be as long as a six month hiatus. In January, our weekends were filled with a baby shower in our hometown with family, house cleaning, and preparing the nest. February was a whirlwind with pregnancy photos, our last Valentine’s Day as non-parents, another baby shower with coworkers and friends, and finally a trip to Des Moines as our last hurrah before buckling down for the baby.
Buckle down we did, however we never expected the intensity of COVID-19. Through February, Angie and I were getting concerned about the virus on the news, but it didn’t feel real. Like most political controversy overseas like war threats or even emergencies like the Australia fires, it felt so distant and not a part of our lives or our future; we couldn’t have planned for our community to shut down.
The first time we felt the pressure of the virus was before everything closed down. A week before babe arrived, we took a trip for groceries. We weren’t panicked, but seeing how cleaning products, canned goods, toilet paper, and even essentials like flour or pasta were completely out of stock made us think maybe we should feel otherwise. The atmosphere of the public felt serious and filled with a dread that was almost tangible in the air. Not long after, the restaurant I work for closed, followed by the schools. Soon we were stuck at home waiting for a baby and wondering what would come next.
We took advantage of the time off. Every last cleaning project, some extra packing and recycling projects, and the ultimate preparation for the baby all came together at once. To be honest, that first week of our quarantine resulted in some of the most productive house-work I’ve ever completed in such a short span of time. We soon hit a point where we were bored, sitting on the couch playing games and watching shows, dreaming of the little person we were so excited to meet.
We didn’t know the sex of our baby yet. I will say, the decision not to find out the gender originally came from Angie. When she first asked me, I thought, Of course we will have a gender reveal party. Why wouldn’t we? I’m glad she offered an opposing opinion. It was really exciting to wonder who was going to join our life. Would it be Isabel or Elliot? Eager, we started a habit of going for longer and longer walks trying to kick start some contractions to find out as soon as we could.
Out of the blue, I got the call that a bottle of wine that we ordered had finally arrived at our favorite liquor store. So I excitedly, and cautiously, picked up the wine – Ameztoi Rubentis Txakolina. It was the last ingredient needed for us to finally make another cocktail. We were so excited to make some progress that we got started right away. One more before parenthood, right?
We kicked things off with clarified strawberry water. Sugar, pepper, and strawberries were brought to a simmer. Then, we dissolved gelatin sheets into the mixture, put it in the freezer, and the next day, let it melt through four layers of cheesecloth. The result was a beautiful, delicious, clear, red liquid that tastes like rich strawberries and a dash of pepper.
Meanwhile, Cocktail Kingdom hosted an Instagram contest called the At-Home Cocktail Competition. The rules were a limit of five ingredients, judged on the criteria of photo, name, and creative use of home ingredients. It sounded fun, so we decided to do everything at once and started brainstorming. So, a late Thursday night turned into an explosion of cocktail productivity.
Angie came up with a brilliant and delicious cocktail we named ‘Truffle Shuffle’. An oldie, but a goonie, she used Citadelle gin, Selezione Tartufi truffle honey syrup, acidulated pear juice, and a honeycomb garnish. The tangy, funky flavor of the truffle was incredible, and well offset by the bright and acidic pear juice. I really enjoyed this cocktail, and the Citadelle gin complimented nicely with its bright, citrusy profile.
My entry was called ‘Home Port Blues’. We had some blueberries in the fridge, I’m from Davenport, we were stuck at home, and the news was depressing. Thus, I came up with my cocktail–Kopke Fine Ruby Port, home-made blueberry honey syrup, vanilla extract, Francois Montand Blanc de Blanc brut, and a blueberry garnish. Honey, port, and vanilla extract sounded fun on paper, but I was afraid it might be too sweet in practice. Lo and behold, the brut balanced the massive sugar rush that was in this drink. I’m very happy with how it turned out.
That night, we also prepared strawberry Txakolina. For this step, we needed to steep strawberries in Ameztoi Rubentis Txakolina wine for 48 hours. In a few days, all we would need to do is strain the strawberries from the wine, add sugar and citric acid, and stir until dissolved. Then, strain again and reserve. Seemed easy enough, and the 48 hour steep set the timeline for us to complete this cocktail. At least, so we thought.
It was getting late as we finished up our cocktails, photography session, and preparations for the next entry from our Big, Beautiful Book. I told Angie I wanted to go to bed and post our cocktail entries for the contest in the morning. Angie was still feeling some motivation and suggested we finish our posts on Instagram before bed. It’s a good thing she said this. That Thursday night, March 26th, at nearly midnight, we finished our contest posts. Five hours of rough sleep later, I woke up to find that Angie was in labor. I know what you’re thinking. What about the strawberry Txakolina steeping in the fridge? I thought about it too. Alas, our baby wouldn’t espelette us finish. Enter: Labor.
Thursday night into Friday, I woke up a few times. Angie was clearly laboring, but I trusted her to tell me when she needed me and I chose to conserve my energy, getting as much sleep as possible. I remember this incredible moment where my arm was wrapped around her, my hand low on her belly. I was feeling adrenaline, I was feeling nervous, I was getting excited, but also concerned. I couldn’t fall asleep because I wanted to make sure I was there for Angie. Right then, I felt a limb push hard against my hand from near her hip. Considering the position, I knew it was the hand of our baby pushing against my palm in a long stretch, like a high five. This small moment calmed me down in an instant. I realized that we weren’t a team of two anymore. Angie didn’t just have me here to support her; we were three. A team of three, ready to face challenges big and small together. My inner videogame nerd self drifted to sleep with a smile and one last thought–ready player three.
Overnight, I had a strange dream. In my dream, I came home from the store to find our entire house completely packed up and in boxes. Angie was just standing there, extremely pregnant, and beaming with pride. I asked her why everything was packed and she said, “I wanted to surprise you so I got it all done for our big move!” Shocked, I immediately collapsed to the floor, crying. We weren’t supposed to be moving for about three or four more months. Now I had to unpack everything all over again! Apparently, my subconscious mind had no faith in Angie’s pregnancy brain.
The early morning that followed was pretty uneventful, all things considered. Angie handled contractions one at a time. I called the nurse on call, loaded the car, fed the birds, and went down our checklists. Angie got a good laugh when I told her about the dream. I’m glad it lightened the mood.
The nurse on call wanted us to wait one more hour before we came in. Angie was okay with that, but clearly reaching a point of inward, intense, mental focus. I was surprised to find that thus far she was pretty hands off. I would bring her water and offer aid, but I think the comfort of my presence and my preparedness to handle any of her needs on whim was all she needed from me.
I used this opportunity to prepare some things for, you guessed it, our Aviary cocktail. Knowing that we would still be at the hospital when the Txakolina was ready for the next step, I pre-measured some citric acid and sugar, set out some bowls and strainers, as well as some cheesecloth. I reached out to my sister and asked if she would be so kind as to finish following the instructions for the step with everything set and ready for her. She accepted the responsibility.
Labor was getting more intense and we knew it was time to get loaded up in the car. Once we arrived at the hospital, we entered the emergency room. The nurses made us go to separate desks to check in. I nervously wondered, what with COVID-19 in full swing, whether there would be any issues of us getting separated, even for a little while. I wanted to be there for every moment and help Angie in any way I could. Fortunately, all was fine and they brought us back together and led us to the birthing center.
Rachel, our RN who was taking care of our first check-in at triage, was very impressed with Angie’s fortitude and resolve. We were especially impressed when we found out her dilation. First check at 8:45am, and she was already at 8cm. Baby was rocking too at 140bpm.
All of Angie’s tests were coming back perfect. The baby was showing to be in excellent health with every heart-rate check, and Angie’s blood pressure was well within control. In fact, we had tests come back that were so good and under control that the staff remarked ‘your tests are healthy for a person who isn’t even pregnant, which is a very good thing.’
Angie has always been a very cuddly person, which is great because I am too. We spend more time than most people with our hands locked together or arms around each other. It’s what makes us most comfortable. My mom raised me to be compassionate and a wife pamperer. Back rubs, foot massages, hand rubs, the works. I was in the labor room when my mom gave birth to my little sister, and I spent most of my time behind my mom rubbing her back, shoulders, and arms. This is why it came as a surprise for me when I was not able to apply all of my training for Angie. Once her contractions got this intense, Angie did not want to be touched. I resorted to dad jokes and company to keep Angie’s spirits up. Angie labored while I played a Legend of Zelda music box playlist on a speaker to provide a relaxing, nerdy ambience.
I had to completely change my mindset of how to help. I knew that Angie is strong and could handle this. I just had to gently remind her of that fact and let her take charge. It meant I had a lot more time to write about our labor experience.
We had spoken many times about whether or not I would catch the baby. I told her I was more than willing to, but also happy not to. I felt like it was up to her where she needed me. If she was handling the contractions and pushing well and didn’t need me at her side, then I would catch the baby. If she needed my help every step of the way, then I would be there for her and let the midwife catch the baby. I didn’t view either position to be better than the other; I was just happy to be there.
The latter turned out to be our plan of action. Pushing was hard for Angie, and getting into a position that suited her even harder. I ended up very actively helping her stay in position when the time came. At 1:00pm I finally saw the top of our baby’s head.
Then, at 1:16 pm our baby came out in an instant and I burst into tears. Soon we learned his name. Born on March 27th, Elliot Ray Boyd, six pounds one ounce, nineteen and a half inches long. Although he was born small, he proved to be extremely healthy with every test.
The next two days were a blur of cuddles and recovery. Our little family was at last complete. I didn’t have to deal with the pain of recovery, so from my perspective it was like staying in a hotel. Except, due to COVID, we weren’t allowed to leave the room for any reason whatsoever, weren’t allowed to have visitors, and had to order room service for everything we needed. So instead, we just constantly cuddled our beautiful baby boy in our room, which I can’t complain about.
I could probably write a novel about the days that followed. Elliot’s curious eyes and beautiful smile. Especially the experience of witnessing Angela fall deeply in love with our son. I think that is something beyond remarkable to behold. That being said, we had a cocktail to finish and celebrate. Enter: Espelette You Finish.
Now, I have a Big, Beautiful Book, and a Beautiful, Baby Boy. We made it home safe and sound. I am pleased to report that my sister handled the strawberry Txakolina without issue. She left a joke behind for us to find; a friend of ours is severely allergic to strawberries, so she labeled it “anti-*insert friend’s name here* potion”, which gave us a good laugh.
We went on to make espelette ice and its N/A counterpart. We combined simple syrup, water, spruce tips, and for the alcoholic version, gin, in a sealed bag for sous vide. Once the mixture was ready, we chilled it, strained it, and combined it with espelette pepper flakes and lemon juice in a blender. Once amalgamated, we strained it into a 1.25” ice mold and put it in the freezer.
At last, the prep was done and the cocktails were upon us. For each respective drink, the instructions were simple. Combine in a mixing glass/tin, stir, load into a carbonation device, carbonate, then pour over espelette ice to enjoy. Angie took photos while I entertained Elliot, and we had finally finished the espelette cocktail.
Espelette You Finish has a tangy spice to it, but it gleams with balance. I found that it was not too sweet, nor too savory, nor too spicy, or even too boozy. As the ice melted, it became more and more herbaceous with spruce taking control of the stage. We were both truly impressed by both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions of this drink.
Sadly, between new parenting, some job hunting, and other factors, it took me about a month and half to finally put some fingers to keys on writing this post, and likewise for Angie to edit the shots. We’re glad to be back at it now, with a new member on our team. Welcome to our world, Elliot.
Congratulations!
Thank you so much!