Reverend Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy, a rookie defenseman who's familiar to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton fans, had himself an interesting game against the Florida Panthers last night. He got into his first NHL fight, scored his first NHL goal, and received his first NHL stitches after inadvertently blocking a shot with his face. The 5-2 win might have happened without him, but it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun. That deserves some recognition.

I was in love with variations on the caipirinha, the national cocktail of Brazil, last season. It's fruit crushed with cachuaca or clear rum, basically. But recently, I wanted to try something a bit different. No fruit, just spices. It doesn't look pretty, but it came out awesome.

Reverend Lovejoy

2 1/2 ounces cachuaca or white rum
1/2 inch of peeled, fresh ginger root, cut into slices
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
2 teaspoons sugar
crushed ice

After you prepare the ginger root and cinnamon stick, place at the bottom of a wide-mouthed glass. Add sugar. Pour in cachuaca or rum. Muddle spices. (A wooden spoon works best for this.) When the spices are blended in, fill the glass with crushed ice.