Gunner’s Libation: The Gunner

This weekend, a group of us will gather — on 11/11 — to celebrate the life of a dear friend: Gunilla Asher, beloved publisher of The Aspen Times and founder of this column. Gunilla wrote this column without any real training, other than in the spirit of “she is not a connoisseur, but she is heavily practiced.” We’ve carried on the crusade in her memory for more than three years now. In honor of Gunilla, I’m sharing the first Libations column I had the priviledge of writing after her passing … “Sometimes, you just gotta keep it simple. The morning after Gunilla Asher’s memorial — a beautiful tribute to an amazing woman — was just such a time. No more tequila shots (we had plenty of those the night before); no froufrou bellinis (G would have told us to harden up) … what we needed was a good ol’ Gunner. Easy to make and easier to drink, The Gunner is a simple mix of vodka, San Pellegrino Blood Orange soda and ice. It’s the last libation many of us shared with Gunilla, so it was with great pride we tried to channel G through the Ouija Board with Gunners in our hands. I doubt it’ll be the last time.”

Libations was created by beloved Aspen Times publisher Gunilla Asher, who died June 2, 2014, after a brave battle with cancer. Cheers — to Gunner!