Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk Day
Feb 11
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"It's no good crying over spilt milk, because all the forces of the universe were bent on spilling it."
~W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage, 1915
Ah well, at least the human condition allows for dancing to cheer, such as this easy to learn jig! However, if crying over spilled plain milk seems just too mundane for these days of artisan dairy products, you now have curious and unusual choices to lament over should they accidentally slip from your hand, including: yak butter, water buffalo gelato, reindeer cheese, camel milk, kumis (alcoholic horse milk), human cheese (!), sheep yogurt, moose cheese, goat ice cream, donkey cheese, or pig milk ricotta. Goodness gracious! If that list is just a bit too much, enjoy a bracing cup of traditional tea with milk in readiness for dancing, or perhaps mix yourself up an après-dance "Spilt Milk" cocktail (recipe included, using a milk liqueur of your choice). And mind that milk! Moo! 🥛 🐄
Spilt Milk
A day for not regretting what cannot be undone, the old adage "Don't cry over spilt (spilled) milk was first recorded in the 1600s as "Don't weep over shed milk."
Today, you have your choice over milk to cry (or not) over: whole milk, nonfat, low fat, 2% fat, oat milk, hemp milk, soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, kefir, rice milk, goat milk, etc ... .
And it that's not enough of a choice, the more exotic milk products now available include: yak butter, water buffalo gelato, reindeer cheese, camel milk, kumis (alcoholic horse milk), human cheese, sheep yogurt, moose cheese, goat ice cream, donkey cheese, or pig milk ricotta.
If that list has you reeling a bit, why not try a version of the "Spilt Milk" cocktail, substituting your favorite Scotch for the original rye whiskey, and using the milk of your choice for the liqueur.
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1 1/2 ounces rye whiskey
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1/4 ounce amaretto
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1/2 ounce milk liqueur
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1/2 ounce cherry shrub
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pinch sea salt flakes
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2 lemon wedges
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dash apricot kernel bitters
Garnish: lemon twist or gingersnap cookie
To make the cherry shrub and the vodka based milk liqueur, click the slogan below for the whole recipe!
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
