Sometimes a "Wishing Well" is (almost) all it takes

2 cocktails: bergamot oil, 6 cl Maraschino, 20 cl dry sparkling wine or champagne, ice.

Grading exams is not nobody's favourite pastime. To begin with, you can spend hours to come up with a seemingly simple problem-set that can (in theory) be answered with one or two short sentences each, aided perhaps by a few of what you think are trivial calculations. However, students are infinitely more creative in devising convoluted ways to address your problem-set. Pointing them in the right direction is like trying to help students find the proverbial needle in a haystack. Coming up with good exam questions which are understood by most is an art-form.

Here, this cocktail may provide some comfort for everyones struggle.

The bergamot orange is a citrus fruit with a strongly bitter note that is impossible to enjoy in its pure oil form. However, with proper dosage it can be a revelation in your drinks. When purchasing this oil, make sure it is produced with consumption grade and not as fragrance oil. BTW, one of the key aromatic flavours to earl grey tea is bergamot.

The challenge is to manage getting no more than a tiny amount of this oil into your drink. A single drop would be far, far to much. A toothpick briefly dipped into the oil and then used to stir the liquids can be enough to transfer the right amount of lemony bitter. Some fun experimentation may be required to get this right.

Add Maraschino to glasses with ice. Pour sparkling wine or champagne on top and stir lightly with said toothpick or with a spoon.

I know they say "don't drink and d(e)rive" but my experience with drinking cocktails while grading has been positive throughout. I am kidding, of course. Really, don't drink and grade. It's a slippery slope. This cocktail is easy to make though. So you can refill quickly if needed.

Zum Wohl, cheers, enjoy.