Notes On A Cocktail Or Put Down That Liquid Nonsense And Pick Up A REAL Drink, For Chrissakes!

What's playing:

Love’s Right Here…Black Spade

Hot Fun In The Summertime…Sly & The Family Stone

Bring Back The Love…Bebel Gilberto

Entre Chien Et Loup…Caural

Clean Living…RJD2

You Make Me Feel...Gusgus

Tell Her Love Felt The Need…Eddie Kendricks

The current economic wet blanket has spurred a curious upshot: a renewed appreciation of the classics. Pick a genre, any genre—fashion, movies, literature—and there’s a sort of “looking back” that’s prevalent. My recent chat with a top-notch mixologist confirmed that the realm of cocktails is no exception. Tough times call for spirited (pun intended) drinkable classics. Be it a drink, a film, or a pair of platform pumps, there’s something reassuring about things that have stood the test of time.

Though much has been written, the cocktail’s history and etymology remain murky. The lack of cold hard facts and dates make for an excellent mystery, and mysteries make great topics of debate. And debates are great while imbibing. One of the earliest recorded mentions is from the Farmer’s Cabinet of 1803. Though context made it clear that a cocktail was a beverage, not much else was revealed, until this was printed three years later in The Balance and Columbian Repository: "Cock tail, then, is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters—it is vulgarly called a bittered sling…it renders the heart stout and bold, at the same time it fuddles the head." The similarity of ingredients could lead one the suspect that this vintage cocktail was the precursor of The Old Fashioned. And who can’t use a “stout” heart from time to time?

Enter the Martini. It’s origins steeped in myth and legend, this century-old refresher evolved into a dry, slightly salty delight. I’ve had apple martinis, chocolate martinis, tea martinis, fruity martinis, you name it, but none compares to the Zen-like perfection of the original. And make mine extra dirty. With the help of Ian Fleming’s James Bond stories, the ‘tini has become a sort of archetypal cocktail. Why did James, like his creator, prefer “shaken, not stirred”? Perhaps, he liked how shaking “bruised” the gin, and made the drink colder and slightly more bitter. How fitting, Mr. Bond.

There’s nothing better than a dose of repression to bring out the devil in us. The Prohibition Act of 1919 made alcohol manufacture, sales, and consumption illegal across the nation. Though it’s pietistic supporters wanted to “dry out” the country, their efforts did more for the popularity of cocktails than any modern Madison Avenue ad campaign could hope to. As with any forbidden delight, an underground market emerged, filled with bootleggers, speakeasies, and rotgut hooch. Hooch (slang for cheaply made, inferior quality spirits) could be so unpleasant that creative mixes were concocted to hide its taste. When President Roosevelt lifted the ban on spirits in 1933, avenues opened for better variety and quality. But to this day, there are still towns and counties with prohibitive liquor laws.

If you’re looking for some new-old refreshments to bring in the new year, try one of these masterpieces:

The Old Fashioned: quite possibly the original cocktail, it never gets old and is never out of fashion.

The Manhattan: named for its birthplace. Traditionalists prefer rye whiskey, modernists prefer Canadian whiskey.

Tom Collins: immortalized in the late 1800s by Jerry Thomas. Try cousins John or Juan.

Sidecar: emerged at the close of World War I, robust and very French.

Deauville: born in New Orleans in the 1930s, a sweet-sour brandy bracer.

Pimm’s Cup: a U.K. favorite that’s crisp and clean, but don’t let the freshness slip up on you!

Life is a lot like a good cocktail: a bit sweet, a tinge dry, sometimes bubbly, always interesting, sometimes knocking you on your ass. May your holiday season (raises Pimm’s Cup in a toast) be agreeably mischievous. Here’s to you!

Yours in spirits,

Ella de la Luna

What Is Cool?

What is Cool really?

It’s been years since my Uncle Harold died. In fact, it seems like another lifetime since then. I was just a kid when bone cancer claimed his life. My brother, a close cousin, and I still reminisce about the things Uncle Harold would say and do. If you ask anyone who knew him to describe his ways, the word “cool” would definitely be uttered.

What is Coolness? Everyone seems to recognize it, but what’s at its core? We toss the term around so loosely, at times it's hard to define. Growing up with a close relative like Uncle Harold, my exposure to Cool came early in life. Most would agree that cool starts with a state of mind. It’s unfussy, non-plussed, and unpretentious. One way NOT to be cool is to try. Uncle Harold spoke up; if he had an opinion, he put it forth. If he had nothing vital to add to a conversation, he observed, never displaying any self-inflicted pressure to have the last word. He was succinct with his words and efficient in his delivery. No one I’ve met since has made curse words sound as sweet. He had a cool walk, which we kids were surprised to learn was the result of a leg injury (ha!). He had his own style. He rarely left home without donning his favorite topper, a Greek fisherman’s hat, which he rocked half-cocked to the side—the right side, in fact! C'mon, what constituent of Cool wears their hats level? If personal style is one’s personality translated into clothing, then Uncle Harold’s inside and outside were in sync. One look at him, and you knew he was a likable cat, but not one whose path you should cross with any bullsh*$%. He was unapologetically himself, even when it pissed off others. Yet, he was no bully or emotional brute. He was, and remains, my favorite uncle because you always knew where you stood with him. You knew he loved you. He rarely said it, but you undoubtedly felt it.

So in honor of my late Uncle Harold, here is the recipe for Cool that he’s inspired:

As much self-acceptance as you can muster, then muster even more

2 cups Loyaltly

3 jiggers Don’t Tread On Me

½ tbsp F*#@ the Bullsh*%

5lb bag of Love For Family

1 cup Forthrightness

2 heaping tbsp Sincerity

1 cup Generosity

½ cup Funny As Hell

Optional: A Good Topper and a Slight Limp

Combine all ingredients, then enjoy.

Ella de la Luna,

CEO of Mischief

What’s Playing Now:

Billie Holiday……....You Better Go Now

Prince………………...I Feel For You

Don-E……………...…Let Me Be Yours

De La Soul……..……Declaration

Georg Leven………..I Got Somebody New

Feist………………...…Past In Present

Public Enemy..........You're Gonna Get Yours

Beastie Boys………..Triple Trouble

Foreign Exchange...Sincere