Tonight we’re going to grill a little and spend the long evening on the back deck watching it slowly get dark, hoping the loud crows nesting nearby don’t try to attack us, and sipping cocktails. We stopped by one of Washington State’s depressingly utilitarian liquor stores and picked up supplies to make my favorite cocktail, The Jasmine:

• 1/4 ounce of Cointreau
• the juice of half a lemon
• 1 1/2 ounces of gin
• a dash of Campari

Shake hard over ice and serve up.