the two big problems, which trickled down to cause other problems:

- low energy level. leading to feeling uninspired, rushed, less willing fix mistakes and adjust flavors, more willing to accept mediocrity
- lack of appetite. i tasted everything i made, and tweaked accordingly, but one’s palate when one is ready for a delicious cocktail is far different than when one is ready to lie down on the couch with an ice bag.

some specific problems:

- i premade/mixed/muddled, with the thought that letting herbs, ginger, etc steep in the mixture would improve flavor. (i also thought the mess would be in my kitchen and not my brothers. (turns out i made a mess in both)) i was wrong. flavors were more intense, but not better. [note: i may have also over muddled them, i've since learned that such a thing is an everpresent danger with herbs]
- i made three drinks: watermelon margarita (like a regular margarita but substituting watermelon syrup for simple syrup), beau retard, and urb saint. (urb saint is a fantastic drink by alex smith of thirsty bear, recipe can be found here) the watermelon syrup was maybe past its prime. the beau retard was a little booze heavy (but no one seemed to mind). the urb saint, i decided to add more kumquat than the recipe called for, which is fine, but the correct thing to do was to just add a little at a time, tasting as i went. instead i just doubled the amount. because of this, or because of the pre-mixing, the drink was too pithy. but still drinkable.

sickness-based abstinence sucks mega donkey balls. persimmon experiments aint doin theyselves.