A shot in the arm

Telluride Daily Planet, Friday, February 28, 2025

You can relax — this has nothing to do with vaccines.

Recently, however, I’ve had a bit of an obsession with juice shots made of ginger, lemon and turmeric. The first one I ever downed was probably from a beach-side truck 10 years ago in the Hawaiian Islands. Being someone who has always loved the idea of a quick fix, there was something in a tiny cup of thick liquid that appealed. Magic potion, medicine, thimbleful, direct shot in the arm — and into the blood.

I responded to everything about it — the tang, sour, sweet, bitter, sharp — including that effect of feeling like my stems had just been put into a bucket of fresh water. I perked up, in much the same way I still perk up to green drinks and, to a certain extent, to a lot of plain, filtered water.

But, I mean, there’s really something to be said for small. We are so ruthlessly big on big here, a trend that settled at least a generation ago with triple-decker burgers, troughs of salad, 20 oz coffees, big-gulp sodas, big-box stores. Oh, and colossal bags of dog food! It’s all bigger than ever before. What exactly has happened since the time of six-ounce Cokes and tiny popcorns?

So when I see something small with the promise of big results, I guess I get excited. Recently, when my husband got the nasty bronchial crud that was going around, I did whatever was necessary not to get it myself. In germy times, we get selfish. And in my world, that would include the air purifier on 24/7, a mask on hand, my regular supplements, the great outdoors and, this time around, a tonic I could make myself.

The recipe I found online consisted of coconut water, a lot of ginger, two whole lemons (juiced separately and seeds removed but not unpeeled), a teaspoon of turmeric or fresh instead, salt, black pepper and maple syrup. I blended it in an old Vitamix for a couple of minutes, then strained it in a cheap strainer with the help of a spatula, and got about a pint of product.

The first shot made my eyes pop out: delicious! I dosed my husband and he tolerated it, probably not wanting to derail my enthusiasm.

Juicing may have been around since ancient times when figs and pomegranates were mashed into something that could trickle down your throat. But it really landed with the advent of machines, notably in the 1930s with the Norwalk and the 1950s with the Champion Juicer (mine is 35 years old). Though juicers are said to be either masticating or centrifugal — with pros and cons for each — a blender is sort of its own category since it doesn’t strain the juice out, per se.

Your relationship with juice? Well, it can run the gamut from being the die-hard proponent of a vegan fountain of youth to someone who literally spurns anything high in sugar content but low in fiber. I believe juice, in moderate quantities — either small servings or fewer servings — is wholesome. I’ve had friends swear by juice fasts for cleansing and friends who swear it is what has kept them forever young and energetic.

Personally, I like fiber with sugar and so I don’t drink lots of juices unless the blend includes vegetables or sour fruits. I know I need to watch my sugar intake for longevity, as well as for the sake of my digestive system. But we’re all different.

Do you know what gives you energy? What you may love but actually tanks you?

These are important questions!

For the reasons above, it’s easy for me to love a good shot of ramped up juice. Of course, there all sorts of varieties: turmeric shots in coconut, or pineapple or orange. Wheatgrass. Carrot-ginger or apple-ginger. Green shots. And apple cider vinegar shots, which might well be my next little experiment: warm water, honey, ACV, lemon juice, pinch of ground ginger, maybe a dash of salt. This is said to be good for digestion and lowering blood sugar. (Use the fermented and cloudy ACV to ensure it is fermented.)

In the 1980s in Telluride, there was a restaurant called The Cimarron (where La Marmotte is now). The owner, Buzzy Bent, was a California surfer who had co-founded the Charthouse Restaurants, first in Aspen, and then in California. The Cimarron in Telluride had a California steakhouse feel, for sure, complete with wood paneling and salad bar. And it was where I had my first actual juice shot: right there on the salad bar you could help yourself to a tiny shot of carrot juice. Genius!