Hi, collegiettes™! Yours truly just turned 21, and in honor of this exciting feat, I’ve decided to make this week’s article about all of the fantastic ways to celebrate your 21st in Eugene. Unfortunately, not all of you are as blessed as myself to have your birthday fall on the weekend, but not to worry – I have a solution for you, too!
The bottom line is, a collegiette™ simply can’t turn 21 without some sort of a bang, and with the advice of real live UO students, I plan to help you execute a big one.
The Bars
I had literally no clue how I was supposed to celebrate “the big one” – I had never set foot in a bar before. Personally, I think sneaking into bars and buying fakes ruins the surprise and excitement that your 21st is supposed to bring, but I’m also too much of a goody goody to even so much as think of trying to pull one over on a bouncer. So, being the dork that I am, I spent a lot of the time leading up to my birthday asking friends what’s “normal” to do on your 21st. “I would start at Rennie’s, then go to Taylor’s, and end the night at Max’s because it has the best last call ever! But if I were to re-do my 21st, I might have hit up downtown and gone to John Henry’s and the Starlight Lounge, which has $2 Patron shots from 9:30-10:30,” said 22 year old senior Matt Silva. And for those of you who don’t know, ”last call” means that the bar plays kickass old music that everyone sings along to when they’re super hammered.
On the other hand, it’s also pretty common for 21ers to hit the bars at the stroke of midnight on their birthday and then throw a party the following night on the big day. Cindy Nelson, a 21 year old senior, offered some great insight for those of you who choose to take this route: “Most people like to go to Taylor’s, Rennie’s, or Agate Alley Bistro because they are typical campus bars. But I knew that I would be in that region often since I’m a student and whatnot…So instead, what I wanted to do was explore downtown bars, which are more relaxed and less chaotic. It felt less overwhelming, and since I was having my 21st birthday party the next day, I didn’t want to go too hard the night before.” This is a great way to experience the bar scene on your big night and juggle a party without feeling like death – IF you keep a handle on things the night before, of course! I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve never really been into the whole ‘projectile vomiting at the bartender’ thing. At all.
The Alternative
So what if your birthday falls on a school night? You’re in college. Live a little! I have some friends who had the misfortune of turning 21 on a school night (not counting Thursdays, of course) and heard from them that the bars are pretty lame. Honestly, I think it would kind of blow to have your first bar experience be a snore, so here’s my advice: wait for the weekend, but in the meantime, grab your closest girlfriends, and put your valid ID to good use! Buy yourself some liquor, and experiment with different martini recipes. As my birthday gift to you, I’m sharing the orgasmically delicious Lemon Drop Martini recipe that my mom and I created. The best part is that it’s not rocket science, and it’s close to impossible to mess up. You will need:
Lemons
A fifth of Absolut Citron
Sugar
Water
A shot glass
A martini shaker
The ratio of ingredients for these martinis is 1:1:1; that is, one shot of lemon juice, one shot of simple syrup, and one shot of vodka permartini. The number of lemons you’ll need varies depending on how many drinks you’re planning on making, but roughly one lemon makes enough juice for one or two drinks. So you’ll want to squeeze the lemon juice into a container (I use Tupperware, but pretty much anything works), and put it in the fridge to chill. To make the simple syrup, the ratio is one cup of water to one cup of sugar. Make as much as needed. Dissolve the sugar into the water at low to medium heat, and pour it into a container. Chill in the fridge or freezer to expedite the process. When you’re ready to pour these delicious drinks, pour one shot of each (lemon, syrup, and vodka) per drink over ice into the shaker.
Shake well, serve, and enjoy!