I only met Donimo recently, but I’m sure glad I got to spend some time with her. I didn’t know a whole lot about Donimo’s preferences this way but I always thought she was pretty classy. The night I heard she’d passed on, I wanted to raise one to her, so I decided to make a martini. 2:1 gin:vodka, shaken, lemon rind twist. Didn’t have vermouth, though, so I substituted rhubarb bitters. A slightly obscure and peculiar replacement but honestly: all the better for it. I kind of felt like that was appropriate. So for now and forever I’m going to call it the Donimortini. I hope that would have pleased her (even though Sarah’s since told me Donimo wasn’t fond of gin).
I met Donimo during a really difficult time, as my Dad was fading. She sent me a lovely card after Dad passed away, and I am very happy that she felt comfortable enough with me to thank me for “being so easy to be around”. She said I made her feel understood, and I have to feel proud of that. I just wish I’d had the chance to say how much I appreciated how gentle she was with me, too. I’ll miss you, Donimo. And I’m still going to fix that buzzing stereo of yours.