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    Every September (Zero Proof)
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    Every September (Zero Proof)

    A zero-proof glass of cold seltzer over one clear block with a wide lemon peel — set down without a toast

    Twenty-five years ago this September she was on a flight stranded over Baltimore while the towers fell. She has spent every anniversary since running some part of the ceremony that followed — volunteer runs into Ground Zero, and mourning she postponed for her own father in order to help New York mourn six thousand strangers.

    Why this cocktail? Twenty-five Septembers at the same ceremony. Zero proof, no toast, set down quietly.

    The Story

    She has never missed a single September. This is the one glass on the tray with nothing in it to soften anything: no proof, no sweetener, no garnish beyond a peel, poured over a single clear block and placed down quietly rather than raised. Twenty-five years of standing at the same ceremony is not an accomplishment she markets, which is exactly why it belongs on the tray.

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    Prep: 2 minYield: 1 zero-proof glass

    Ingredients

    • 6 oz cold seltzer
    • 1 large clear ice block
    • Wide lemon peel
    • Pinch of sea salt (optional)

    Preparation

    1. 1.Set one clear ice block in a chilled rocks glass.
    2. 2.Fill slowly with very cold seltzer.
    3. 3.Express a wide lemon peel over the surface and lay it across the rim.
    4. 4.Set the glass down without raising it.