Memories are made of this

Cubra Libre

The first sip of my airline Bacardi rum and coke and I was taken straight back to my family holidays of old.

When my twins were younger we would holiday with my family in their time share in Gran Canaria.

Holidays were frantic, trying to keep the children happy and the waiting staff at the restaurants on our side as our twins would fire baked bean missiles across crowded dining rooms.

They later, very kindly, offered us our very own outside eating zone where patrons and staff alike could relax at a safe firing distance. 

Looking back these were the best of holidays.

Four until five o'clock was happy hour. The men would race down to the poolside bar leaving the women getting ready with the children. 'Dos cubra libra y dos grande cerveza por favor'.

We had cunningly worked out that at happy hour 'two for one' we could benefit from the other persons second free drink and thus mix our drinks. We were naturally very proud at our British inventiveness.

Of course being British we had to over complicate our well trained system. If we had a third member of the team for instance we could not mix our drinks evenly. At this point we adopted the 'blind man' concept and ordered for a fourth person and again all was harmonious with the world.

That was until my late father, being fastidious by nature, ensured the waiter knew exactly what we wanted delivered 'so that's four beers and four cubra libra'. Naturally working out the end result of drinks we would have on the table the waiter then would parley back with 'so you want eight beer and eight cubra libra?'

Confusion reigned.

We replayed this Laurel and Hardy sketch every night and although at the time I'm sure it was tiresome looking back these were the highlights of our day.

Our wives would then rejoin us for dinner looking suitably overdressed and resplendent with fresh suntan and summer frocks and energiser bunny twins in tow ready to wreak havoc.

All this from a sip of Bacardi and coke.

Food & Wine by Paul Sheerin
Pshearse@gmail.com