Saratoga – Still – Natural Spring Water

“Since 1872” it says on the handsome, blue-as-a-Brioschi (when it was glass) bottle, a tall cobalt container—28 ounces, which maybe had some significance in 1872. That’s a long time ago—does that spring water just keep coming? It’s from—well, it lists springs from three different states! Do they gather all the water and blend it, or what? I’m not going to investigate this because I’m not that interested—just because this water tastes, to me, absolutely neutral—no character at all, unless it’s so subtle you have to be a real connoisseur to get it. I mean, it’s good—there’s nothing better than water that doesn’t taste bad—so I guess you could say it’s delicious! But personally, I’d be into a little more evidence of minerals. One of the “sources” is Sweet Water Springs in Saratoga Springs, NY, where it no doubt gets its name, which is a place famous for, I think, horse racing and a writers’ colony. I’ve always wanted to visit there. It occurs to me, now… what if there was a distilled spirit that was this clean and neutral tasting? You could sip it down, like I’m doing with this water, totally refreshed and with no sense of revulsion or danger—but it was alcohol? But instead of making you sweat in misery, hoop and holler, and act nasty to your loved ones, you’d feel no different whatsoever—aside from being hydrated—but that was called, “being drunk?”

No. 147 – 5.10.26