unmarried women vote in great numbers, the Democrats are likely to retain their majority in the Senate. If unmarried women stay home, Republicans will probably win the six seats they need to take over.

In midterm congressional elections, unlike presidential elections, winners are more likely to be determined by which voters turn out than by which party is more popular. In the 2008 presidential election, about 131 million people voted; in the 2010 congressional election, only 95 million voted — a drop-off of 36 million, or about 27%.

That drop-off meant the difference between a Democratic victory (in 2008) and a Republican triumph (in 2010). The voters who didn't show up, as is often the case in a congressional election year, were disproportionately Democratic, including millions of young people, minorityThe dog days of August are upon us and with them, a marked slowdown in productivity. Nobody answers our calls, hardly anyone responds to emails, and those of us in the office find ourselves fantasizing about drinking icy beverages in faraway locales. Which got us wondering: What are people in Jerusalem drinking these days? Has the Holy City picked up on the craft cocktail movement currently holding sway throughout the Diaspora? And what drink best captures the life and spirit of the city?

We sent Daniel Estrin to investigate. Happy to oblige, he criss-crossed the city, making stops at three bars—HaSadna in Talpiot, the American Colony in East Jerusalem, and Shuka in Mahane Yehuda—to find out what special drinks the bartenders are serving this season and who’s drinking them.