Atlanta Beauty

I hadn't felt inspired lately. Neither had the Pittsburgh Penguins. After the debacle on 11/10/10 which I'll forever refer to as the Boston Bruins Massacre, things were looking pretty bleak indeed for our guys. There were several question marks. Two big ones were Marc-Andre Fleury and Evgeni Malkin.

Then on the 12th, the Penguins roared back to life with a 5-1 win over a severely injured Tampa Bay Lightning. (Hey, our team started the season with tons of injuries, so fair's fair.) Last night, they went to Atlanta to play the Thrashers.

The influx of former Chicago Blackhawks into Atlanta, as well as the fact that the Penguins were playing the second of back-to-back games, had me worried for a moment. So did the fact that Brent Sopel, a Thrashhawk who I normally like, scored the first goal, and it went unanswered for a very long time. But Fleury made some amazing saves. Then Evgeni Malkin, bless his heart, scored the first Penguins hat trick of the season! 4-2, baby! Everyone's right. I worry too much.

This is a drink that I made as a tribute to Atlanta. I actually drank this last night. It's a beautiful city. It gave us Coca-Cola and OutKast, the zoo has a lovely panda family, and it's got a fascinating mixture of old and new. It's also still a wonderful place for slumping Penguins players to come back strong. I love Atlanta!

Atlanta Beauty

6 ounces Coca-Cola or Coke Zero
2 1/2 ounces Southern Comfort Peach

Combine ingredients in a glass with a few ice cubes. Stir gently.

Didn't say it was gonna be complicated, right?