Darkness arrives before we get home from work leaving us without much cheer to face the long night. To survive, we need to celebrate the little moments. This November I say take whatever flimsy excuse you got and congratulate without reserve. Work out in the gym five days in a row? Boom, Celebrate! Manage to wake up before hitting snooze to meditate with Oprah and Deepak? You’re a hero, Cheers! Remembered your keys, cell phone and wallet, for once? Take a bow, Santé!

So, what’s my survival advice: part two? Gather around a candlelit table, raise a glass, and give a nod to someone for something. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting you booze your way into December. No, not at all. In fact, if you are dedicated to being alcohol free, stay that way (just don’t forget to frolic when you can!). But if you are coming home and hitting the bottle without a celebration, you’re wasting an opportunity to say a merry hip, hip, hurrah and feel some merriment, and this month especially we need to applaud the small stuff. Don’t let the day to day wear you down, instead, find your sliver of worth despite the insidious blackness. Create a special moment to savor a cocktail with someone who loves your smile. Let joy warm your precious soul. Let yourself feel good about your day, your week, and your work. Yes, you’re truly amazing and worth an evening of mirth!

We have a favorite haunt, our go-to for those BIG occasions, a favorite table tucked away in a favorite restaurant, but sadly, NONE of those BIG dates exist during November. To survive we shake up a cocktail at home to commemorate the small occasions. Lately our drink of choice is centered around one ingredient: St-Germain. Many delicious concoctions originate from this “liqueur created in the artisanal French manner from freshly hand-picked elderflower blossoms.”

If I didn’t love this liqueur enough, the advice found on the St-Germain website stole my heart: “To live the life of a bon vivant, one must learn to adopt a modicum of insouciance and elegance. Beginning with the apéritif. The apéritif’s purpose is to stimulate one’s appetite and prepare for the inevitable joys to come. Répéter: Stimulate, not inebriate” (ST-Germain). Get it? A spirited celebration, not a face-down pass-out. In a state of elegance prepare for the inevitable joys to come. How lovely!

In our cupboard we also keep a special Kentucky bourbon from a small batch distillery, Rowan’s Creek. Adding a dash of the Southern USA into the glass is plain brilliance. Putting these two delights together is well, delightful!

I invite you to use the following two recipes to liven up your celebrations, big or small.

Elderfashion Cocktail: Add the ingredients, in the order given, to an Old Fashioned glass:

• 2 oz Kentucky Bourbon
• 1 oz St-Germain
• 1 tsp Club soda
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Fill the glass with ice, stir, and garnish with an orange peel.

The St-Germain Cocktail: Pour the Champagne, add the St-Germain, and finally the club soda into a flute.

• 2 parts Champagne
• 1 1/2 St-Germain
• 2 part Club Soda

Raise your glass high. Congratulate yourself for being the very best you possible. Send some cheer my way, and I’ll do the same, sweet sweet friends. Together we will get through this cruel month.