Illustration: Aaron Meshon

Take It From Me

Home Bartending with Flair

Avoid addressing individual requests. You are not a paid professional. Feel free to act like one if you’re impervious to laughter.

Choose your poison. Take inspiration from a cocktail you know and like, be it fruity-sweet, citrusy-tart, or aromatic-herbaceous. Think of this as your flavor profile, and then select your preferred spirit to use as a base.

Take notes. You’ll be relieved to know that relative proportions are fairly constant in a basic cocktail recipe: three parts spirit, two parts liqueur or sweetening agent, and one part citrus. Experiment freely, but measure and record to ensure repeatability.

Assess all ingredients on hand. Any juice, flavored syrup, or tasty liquid is fair game. Just don’t combine flavors you wouldn’t want in your mouth at the same time.

Don’t sweat it. You can always take a favorite drink and switch out one ingredient for something unusual. Your guests will be impressed with the surprising twist.

Keep garnishes low key. Let us imagine your proud creation begs for a signature. Or perhaps less favorable results necessitate a brightly colored distraction. Resist the temptation to overdramatize with Chinese parasols or gummi bears. Instead, sculpt a decorative curl of citrus peel for the glass rim.

Exude confidence. If that’s beyond the realm of possibility, exhibit a Buddha-like smile.

How to Succeed in Family Business

DAVID PELLEGRINI, A74, PSYCHOLOGIST AND FAMILY BUSINESS CONSULTANT, WASHINGTON, D.C. (PELLEGRINICONSULT.COM)

Know what you’re up against. Although family-owned businesses account for eighty to ninety percent of all businesses in the United States, fewer than a third make it to the second generation. Family harmony can suffer as well, because the mission of a family is to nurture offspring, while the mission of a business is to drive profits—which can mean driving offspring out.

Play fair. Establish ground rules for determining what qualifies a family member to become part of the business. Pay market salaries tied to job responsibilities and performance. Follow best business practices for management and talent development.

Look to the future. Lay out transparent succession plans as early as possible, and invest in preparing the next generation. Draft buy-sell agreements years in advance of when they might be needed.

Communicate. Make sure distinctions between family roles and business roles remain clear. Proactively resolve conflicts, and attend to the family dynamics—such as rivalries and passive-aggressive behavior patterns—that could end up hindering business success. Helping Children Cope with Trauma

Helping Children Cope with Trauma

ERIN SEATON, LECTURER IN SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, TUFTS

Know what to watch for. In a child who has experienced an event such as a loss, an assault, or a natural disaster, signs of trauma can be subtle. If your children are elementary-school age, they might express anxiety, display outbursts, or have difficulty focusing. Adolescents may feel depressed or guilty, and turn to drugs or alcohol.

Enlist the power of routine. For young children, maintaining schedules for mealtime and bedtime can provide a sense of security and comfort. Older children may benefit from returning to their regular athletic, artistic, or other extracurricular activities.

Follow their cues. Encourage them to talk about their feelings, but don’t ask questions until you sense they are ready, and remember that there may be times when they simply need to relax and focus on doing things they enjoy.

Balance honesty with sensitivity. Young children and sensitive older children need basic information in response to questions they may have about the traumatic event, but they do not need overwhelming details.

Reach out. Help children identify other adults who could offer support and guidance, such as relatives, caregivers, teachers, counselors, coaches, and community and religious leaders.

Choosing a Healthy Purebred Pet

JEROLD S. BELL, CLINICAL ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF GENETICS, CUMMINGS SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

Know the risks. When purchasing a purebred puppy or kitten, everyone thinks about how lovable it will be. However, there is something much more important to consider—its genetic health. Health-tested parents produce healthier offspring. I don’t know when dog and cat breeding received the green light to proceed without any consideration of genetic health, but it has—even though health testing is basically quality control. In what other endeavor is quality control optional?

Do some research. Check with the Canine Health Information Center (caninehealthinfo.org) to learn about breed-specific tests for dogs. Then look up the parents of a prospective pet dog on the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals website (offa.org) to make sure the testing has been done. Similar sites for cats do not exist, but International Cat Care lists common genetic diseases in each breed and notes whether tests are available (icatcare.org).

Hold breeders responsible. Genetic tests for animals are not expensive, and most only need to be done once. They commonly include radiographs for hip dysplasia, examinations of the eyes and heart, and DNA tests. Research a pet purchase just as you would a major appliance, and if health testing has not been done, walk away. Remember, the failure to perform genetic screening doesn’t hurt the breeder—it hurts the dogs and cats, and their owners.