Occasionally, my immunity is compromised and sneaky cold germs infiltrate what I usually consider to be strong barrier walls inside my body.  Damn those bastards. Germs are ugly, villainous invaders with nothing good to say, do or think about. As a matter of fact, they remind me of one certain bitch on the school PTA. 

PTA? Oh good lord. Someone stab me. Have I really reduced myself to comparing cold viruses to middle-aged housewives in a column about drinking? 

This is an obvious endangerment to my soul and what keeps me young at heart. Bandito Betty keeps me in trouble, but it's Mr. DeRosa who knows how to stir it up. What's his natural remedy for cold-like symptoms?  Three drinks. 

That, my friends, is why I married him.

Drink One: Lemon Meringue Martini (bartender's choice) - Mama Stortini's is a Tacoma legend no longer located in Tacoma, nor owned by the historically political Stortini family. Yet somehow the restaurant has managed to keep up both the quality AND the quantity of warm and delicious Italian-themed comfort food at its best.

What wasn't at it's best, however, was the Lemon Meringue Martini. In theory it sounded gulp-worthy: vanilla vodka shaken with lemon something-or-other and whipped cream. In reality it was a disaster.  Whipped cream shaken into a martini? Gross.

Drink Two: Raspberry Lemon Drop (most popular drink within last hour) - Mmmmmm - a lemon drop martini traced with Chambord. My taste buds battled it out with those cold germs inside my body, wreaking havoc on my sensory system and fooling my brain into thinking I was all better. Funny how alcohol's mind-numbing effects work in such a positive way, no matter how sick your body is. Or how sick-looking your blind date is. I know you know what I'm talking about. Admit it. (And you totally slept with him anyway, didn't you?)

Drink Three: Cline Zinfandel (my choice) - But of course I ended with a zinfandel. I may be sick, but I'm not stupid. OK, maybe I'm a little stupid. Like that time I let Bandito Betty convince me to dress up in flannel footie pajamas and jump in front of 25 Tacoma landmarks while she snapped my picture for the Spew blog. 

Oh, no wait! I convinced her to do that! Sucker! - Steph DeRosa

Mama Stortini's Restaurant

3207 E. Main, Puyallup
253.845.7569