The Home Glass

My husband and I both love gin-and-tonics, but only one of us (guess who) believes that they can’t be served after Labor Day—so only one of us is feeling a little sad that today’s G&T will be her last of the year.

The question of whether such rules matter made me wonder if any comparable rules exist in the world of wine. The only example I could think of was Beaujolais Nouveau, which is released every year on the third Thursday of November and—for reasons having to do with both taste and marketing—is usually consumed soon thereafter.

Nothing speaks better to matters of culinary tradition than the Joy of Cooking, so I consulted our copy and found a recipe for May Wine, which is meant to be consumed only in the spring. But May Wine—made from dry white wine, powdered sugar, carbonated water, and sprigs of something called waldmeister—is essentially a punch, so that doesn’t count…

Thinking that perhaps this is more an etiquette question than a culinary one, I turned to Emily Post, but all she has to say on the matter is that only wine (as opposed to cocktails) should be served at luncheons—unless there are men present, in which case the hooch can flow freely. Oh Emily…

But while I don’t think we need to get sexist about it, I’m also not really one for cocktails before 5 p.m., except for Bloody Marys on Thanksgiving. And lest that makes me sound like too much of a rules freak, I’ll give the final word on the topic to this guy.

Happy Labor Day!