Moms with kids of all ages can recall with mixed emotions the chaotic time after the birth of their first child.  Yes, it’s a wondrous time in one’s life to bring home a newborn child.  But there is also the isolation, the lack of sleep, the “What the hell do I do now?” feelings.  It can be so much more difficult if you start your family without having a support network or extended family nearby .

I found myself in that predicament when I had my daughter Emma in 1997.  The delivery went off without a hitch, but once we came home, I began to panic.  I had no experience with kids, unless you count the babysitting I did 20 years prior.  Sure, we took a baby basics class to learn what to expect, but all of that was forgotten when my brain stopped functioning due to lack of sleep.  Luckily my obstetrician told me about a gym that happened to be in the same building as her office, the Pregnagym.  It was a place for expectant and nursing mothers to go for exercise and, as I discovered later, friendship, commiseration and camaraderie.  I began going to the Pregnagym soon after Emma turned six weeks old.  I could exercise with her next to me in a swing, and if I was lucky, she would fall asleep while I peddled on the stationary bike.  I got the stress relief that comes after a good sweat and a small respite from a newborn’s fussiness.  It was a total game changer.

As Emma got a bit older, I continued at the Pregnagym and met many other moms with babies the same age.  Some of them had formed a playgroup and invited me to join.  “Playgroup” was a bit of a misnomer at that point, since three month-old babies don’t exactly play.  We moms would get together at someone’s house, sit around a large blanket and watch our babies lie there next to each other.  We didn’t realize what was in store for us and didn’t fully appreciate being able to sit down for a good chunk of the afternoon.  We talked about sleeping patterns, pacifiers and nasty diapers, among many other subjects.

Even though we met because of our babies, a bond formed between the moms that still exists to this day.  I would compare it to how war veterans must feel after being in battle together (while in no way minimizing or belittling what our veterans do for us) – they lived through an intense situation and had each other’s backs.  That defined our playgroup!

So how does this quaint story about a Mommy and Me group relate to a drink called a Frosted Cowboy?  I met my good friend Charlene at the Pregnagym and we were both part of that playgoup.  Charlene has been a writer for as long as I’ve known her. She has just published her first book, Frosted Cowboy, and I couldn’t be happier for her.  I know about the many years she spent toiling on this effort, all the mornings she got up at 5am to work on it before the rest of her family awoke.  So to see it in print- I think I’m as excited as she must be!

Frosted Cowboy is about Laney Delaney and her adventures in life and love.  The title refers to a cocktail that Laney orders at the country bar she goes to with her friend in the opening chapter.

Here’s the recipe, straight from Charlene:

 3 ounces silver tequila

4 ounces pomegranate lime juice*

2 slices fresh jalapeño (though jarred jalapeño will do in a pinch)

1 lime wedge

1 tablespoon sea salt

2 tablespoons sugar

*If you cannot find pomegranate lime juice you can use 3 ounces pomegranate juice and 1 ounce lime juice (or the juice of 1 lime).

Mix the sea salt and sugar together on a plate. Run the lime wedge around the rim of the glass and then press the rim on the plate until it is heavily coated with the sugar-salt mixture. (This is the most important part of the drink, well, after the tequila of course, so do not skip this step!)

Pour the tequila and juice into a cocktail shaker with ice and the jalapeño slices. Squeeze the juice from the lime wedge in the shaker and throw that in there too. Shake for about 30 seconds (if you can wait that long) and pour into salty-sugary glass.

You will love this drink almost as much as you’ll love Charlene’s book.  The jalapenos won’t hurt you, but you will pick up on the spice the longer they sit in your glass.  So my advice to you drinkers who don’t like spicy: drink fast!

You can buy Charlene’s book here.  Go buy it now!  Then enjoy a Frosted Cowboy of your own.