The past four days in Tampa have been fun, but no amount of palm trees or pastels are going to get me in the mood for this week’s ReliaQuest Bowl.
I’m not alone. Alabama doesn’t seem to be in the bowl spirit either. The Crimson Tide scrounged up just five players willing to participate in the team’s free trip to Busch Gardens last week. Michigan sent more of its roster, but the Wolverines are having a harder time convincing any of their stars to take part in the bowl game itself.
The rematch of last season’s Rose Bowl lacks the luster from a year ago. While there’s plenty of sunshine to spare down here in South Florida, I won’t be pumping any more of it into my coverage of Tuesday’s matchup.
I’m ready to close the book on this roller-coaster year and turn my attention to what figures to be an intriguing offseason for Kalen DeBoer and company.
Following the game against Michigan, Alabama’s transfer portal will remain open for five more days. From there, the key date on the Tide’s calendar is Jan. 15, which is the deadline for players to declare for the NFL draft.
Several of Alabama’s stars will have tough draft decisions to make in the coming weeks. None of them asked for my opinion, but since we don't have anything better to do at the moment, here’s my Alabama version of “Should I Stay or Should I Go.”
With that said, pour yourself a drink and let's dive in.
Drink of the week — Gold Rush
The Gold Rush has already been a drink of the week this year, but it’s one of my favorites, so we’re going back to the well. This classic cocktail is essentially the next-level version of a whiskey sour. It’s also a well-balanced drink for those who aren’t in a rush and want to stay around for a while.
Our friends at Session Cocktails stir this up by using two ounces of Old Forester bourbon, 3/4 ounces of lemon juice and 3/4 ounces of honey syrup (three parts honey to one part water). From there, shake over ice, strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice and enjoy.
Cheers!
(Commercial break: My drink of the week section is now sponsored by my friends at Session Cocktails in Tuscaloosa. Session has been a mainstay in Tuscaloosa’s cocktail scene since 2019 and offers some of the tastiest drinks in town. Stop by and tell them I said hi!)
