On Saturdays we’d tour around tapas bars, seeing what they did well, what they could do better. We didn’t write reviews. Instead, we drank too much red wine and laughed, making notes on what to try, what we could improve. On Sundays we went to the food market, wandering through the colourful, fresh fruit, with Milo trying to barter in broken Catalan whilst I smiled and laughed in the background. We cooked, dancing barefoot on the wooden floorboards along to the CD of love songs we’d received in the post. Clare Curtis, Letters to My Daughter. She’d asked my permission this time, to let me be part of her story, to let her be part of mine. Dad had helped her record them, in between swing dancing Jen right into an old-fashioned date. It was weird, for them as well as me, but they were happy. They both deserved that. Along with the CD came a cut-out from a glossy magazine. ‘Shocking engagement break-up!’ Seemed that contractual issues with the TV show had ended the engagement. I actually felt a little sorry for Rob, but I didn’t keep the article. He still had his TV show and his DJ’ing and his minor level of fame – everything he always wanted. And I had found exactly what I wanted too.
Milo and I knew this life wouldn’t last forever – Barcelona was no place to open a tapas restaurant, it was too full of excellent places already. When our studies were done with, we’d decided we’d look for a new town, search for the perfect space. After months of whinging from my mother, I’d accepted the royalties from ‘Baby Don’t Ask Me to Stay’, promising to use it to fund the bar. We already had guidebooks piled up in the corners, circling the venues with the best natural produce, the greatest wines. Bars where it was okay to treat a customer like your mate, and wear a bit of sparkle in the evenings. I was tempted to ask if we could call it Persephone’s, but I realized I’d spent enough time in the shadow of her name. Milo said we’d figure it out.
Until then, we had found a place to learn and love, and dream. And that was enough.
Savvy’s Ginger Berry Martini
(makes one)
25ml vodka
25ml raspberry vodka
A handful of fresh raspberries
15ml ginger syrup
½ tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon cranberry juice
1 slice of fresh lime
Put 3 or 4 fresh raspberries into a cocktail shaker and muddle to crush them. Add ice to the shaker, then add the remaining ingredients. Shake well then strain and serve in chilled Martini glass with a slice of lime and a raspberry garnish.
For the ginger syrup
235 g sugar
1 lime (peeled)
475 ml water
3cm ginger root (peeled and diced)
Put all ingredients into saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 mins partially covered. Strain mixture then leave to cool. Keep refrigerated once cold. This will make about 10 servings of syrup – the bigger a piece of ginger you put in, the spicier it will be!
Book Club questions
Did you think the characters changed throughout the book? Who changed the most?
Discuss the relationship between Savvy and the females in her life.
Which character did you relate to the most?
Discuss the role of the Martini Club in the plot.
Savvy’s friends and family haven’t agreed with her choices in the past. Do you think they should have told Savvy how they felt?
What did you think of Mia’s character in the novel?
Music has a powerful effect on Savvy in the book. Do you agree that music provokes strong emotions?
What were your thoughts on the element of romance within Cocktails and Dreams?
Did you think Milo was right to feel betrayed by Savvy?
Did your perception of Savvy’s mother change by the end of the novel?
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First published in the United Kingdom in 2017 by Canelo
Canelo Digital Publishing Limited
57 Shepherds Lane
Beaconsfield, Bucks HP9 2DU
United Kingdom
Copyright © A. L. Michael, 2017
The moral right of A. L. Michael to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781911591306
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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