Since the pandemic has kept us trapped at home, it can be difficult to keep work life and home life separate. It’s something I have dealt with as a consultant for more than a decade, but at least before I was able to hit up a coffee shop or venture somewhere else.

Sure, it’s great to be able to throw a load of laundry (or two or three) in during the day, but the boundaries have been blurred. There are days I look up to see I should have been making dinner by now.  And the lure of my office always seems to be pulling me back to it whenever I have some downtime in the evenings or weekends.

I tried a lot of ways to maintain the boundary but often, it wasn’t working consistently.

As the holiday season approached, I was eager to try some new cocktails to brighten my dull, pandemic-numbed spirit.  And as a result, a new tradition started with my husband: a cocktail (or two) in the ‘formal’ living/piano room, ala mid-century.  You know what I mean: the old Mad Men cliche where the wife and husband sip cocktails in a sputnik-era room while the kids are nowhere to be found. (Trust me, ours are in our den around the corner often watching something on Disney+.)

It’s been fun doing this and has really worked for us.  Although we see each other often during the day as our home offices are next to each other, this really sets the tone to shift. Turns out this is exactly what experts say to do. Well, they don’t say to drink cocktails, per se, but they do say suggest having a ritual that allows you to make the shift from work to home is important.

For us, for now, it’s enjoying a holiday cocktail. Here’s our current favorite, which I call Peppermint Brownie Sundae Martini.

It just has four lovely ingredients: Whipped Vodka, Brownie Liquor, Peppermint Irish Cream, and Heavy Cream. (Although you could substitute half-n-half for the cream. But hey, it’s the holidays, right?) And it’s as simple as combining in a cocktail shaker with some ice, add some shaking, and pour. Of course, you could rim the glasses with sprinkles or even candy canes and I am sure we could swirl chocolate sauce into the glass before pouring.  But we just like it without the added ‘stuff’ as it’s wonderful without it.

What you get when you sip is the deep chocolate warmth of a brownie first, then slowly the peppermint cream flavor.  It’s simply a winner in our book.

Here’s the basic recipe for one:

• 1.5 ounce peppermint Irish creme
• 1.5 ounce brownie liquor
• 1 ounce whipped cream flavored vodka
• 1 ounce cream

Mix with ice and strain into glass.

CHEERS!