Lockdown Lemonade #42 by Jena Douglas

I Made “Quarantinis” out of Lockdown Lemonade! 

It might sound odd, but I loved the lockdown. First of all, I know that I’m blessed to live in this beautiful city of Santa Barbara. So, there’s that. And I even learned how to make “Quarantinis”! But seriously, the lockdown also allowed me time to set up a studio, write a few new songs, and finish my third album, “Hook Your Chin To A Star!” Basically, I learned a lot and gained some pretty mad skills in the studio. 

The truth is, I’m a nerdy, stay-at-home kinda gal anyway. Unlike many of my friends, who missed their daily routines of going out and socializing, I LOVE staying home. While on lockdown, I could join song circles and have parties via zoom. This was so awesome for me – the introverted homebody, because I could play and listen to live music without going anywhere. Online song circles introduced me to other musicians from other states and countries that I may have never met but for the LOCKDOWN. But I was also lucky … 

During the pandemic, I had a small nuclear family that included a bass player, several guitar players, and a drummer (whoo hooo!).  We were all cautious at first and started off with all the windows and doors open while playing indoors with masks. Then, after several weeks of isolating, we closed the doors and dispensed with the masks. That’s when the fun began, because we all had plenty of time on our hands! So, there’s my lockdown lemonade story.

I made “Quarantinis” out of my lemonade and loved it!

Quarantini Recipe

• 3 oz vodka (or gin)
• 2 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 packet of Emergen-C 

Dissolve honey in warm water. Fill a large glass with ice and add all ingredients over ice except the packet of Emergen-C.  Pour the Emergen-C onto a small plate, wet the rim of a cocktail glass and then dip the glass’s rim into the small plate of Emergen-C and set aside. Shake or stir ingredients in the large glass with the ice in it and then pour into the cocktail glass with a strip of lemon peel.

~ Jena Douglas

Jena Douglas is a Santa Barbara based Singer-Songwriter. Shortly after receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from U.C.S.B. in 2000, she began writing what she calls “Power-Based Ballads” and became the lead singer for the Linda Ronstadt tribute band, “The Stone Phoneys.”  She is currently working on an album to be out by November 2021 called, “Hook Your Chin to a Star,” based on stories told by her Grandmother about the challenges of moving from the luscious green hills of Kentucky to the dangerous dry desert of Arizona. Before the pandemic, Jena also taught songwriting at Girls Rock in Santa Barbara.   To hear more of her music, visit www.jenadouglasmusic.com.

Lockdown Lemonade is FAR-West’s response to the dramatic and drastic shifts of 2020’s global health and economic crises. For many, this cultural reckoning and political upheaval spurred a period of personal reflection and the discovery of coping mechanisms some of us didn’t even know we had. Lockdown Lemonade is a look at the bright side. With this collection of flash creative nonfiction, brief personal essays, recollections, and musings from members of our community, we hope to shine a light on the best things that can and have come out of the most challenging of times. This column will continue on a weekly basis and postings will be released at 10 AM Pacific every Monday, so watch for them! For guidelines and submission details, please contact Julie Zipperer at julieZ@far-west.org or Marlynn Block at marlynn@far-west.org Submissions will be posted based on approval from the Lockdown Lemonade Committee.