Is there anything that the world needs more than a sip of God’s gratuitous grace? An invitation to a sacred meeting to just be together, God with us. To sit and sink into a single moment, forsaking today’s work and tomorrow’s worries. 

In a world where it feels like we’ve lost our centre of gravity, perhaps it’s time for followers of Christ to invest in learning the timeless art of crafting cocktails. The kind of drinks that make us stop and feel the grounding force of God’s generous hospitality. 

Some of us may be called to abstain from alcohol to honour our own limits or of those around us … or perhaps to embody a different way of life. There is a growing market for zero ABV (non-alcoholic) spirits for those who are looking to cultivate this form of hospitality without consuming alcohol. I was a bartender throughout my first pregnancy and I mastered the art of mocktails! 

For others though, wholesale prohibition isn’t the answer to our culture’s overconsumption. A hand-crafted cocktail has redemptive potential – encouraging us to enjoy the gifts of creation mindfully, with gratitude. 

Creating and enjoying a cocktail is an entire sensory experience. The best are works of art: vibrant colours, imaginative garnishes, delicate glassware, delightful mouthfeels, evolving flavours. They intoxicate all of our senses, summoning us back to our bodies to taste and see that the Lord of all creation is good. 

This can be a powerful way for us to exit the expansive arc of emails and updates to practise presence with God, his world and one another.

The preacher in Ecclesiastes didn’t have an iPhone but he seems to know the disorienting reality of “life under the sun.” He searches far and wide for something to hold onto. But all of life slips through his fingertips like a vapour. 

What is his grand conclusion? On what ground does he find his footing? Is it on the stability of a tightly-knit theology or the traditions of his ancestors? The pursuit of progress? 

Not quite. The preacher’s grounding anthem goes, “So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?” (Eccl 2:24-25)

No matter how hard we try to chase meaning, it remains true that we are creatures of God. We are called to receive from the hand of our Father and try to find joy in his gifts – the gifts of work, food and drink. 

So why not cultivate contentment through cocktails. Through the intimate connection with ingredients and guests that can root us in the love of God right in our midst, the life-giving blessings of a Creator who rejoices over his creation and invites us to do the same. 

A glimpse of restored humanity in a fallen world.