Drinks for Dames

One woman's journey through the world of cocktails, mixology, home bartending and maybe even an odd speakeasy or two.

[onesmartbroad]

An apple-infused vodka cocktail a day

[onesmartbroad]

Pear and cinnamon infused Bourbon. How was your Monday?

[onesmartbroad]

Happy Halloween

[onesmartbroad]

We made it to Thursday and that calls for a Champagne Cocktail. Obviously.

[onesmartbroad]

I believe this to be the prettiest Ward 8 Cocktail I ever did see.

[onesmartbroad]

Elizabeth Taylor at the 1970 Academy Awards. I wish I knew what she was drinking because I would order exactly that for the rest of my life.

[onesmartbroad]

This Tiki Tuesday is brought to you by pisco, passion fruit liqueur, lime, butterfly pea syrup and magic.

[onesmartbroad]

Summer ain’t over just yet

[onesmartbroad]

Hello there holiday weekend

[onesmartbroad]

Classic Movie Monday: Cocktail Edition

Have you ever watched Casablanca just to see what everyone orders from the bar? Because even though Rick famously calls his place a gin joint, it’s mainly a marathon of brandy, Cointreau and Champagne. Perfect choices, I guess, if you’re stuck in Purgatory. Only one gin drink is ever mentioned: a French 75.

But my favorite scene of all features Carl the waiter and Mr and Mrs Leuchtag, who invite Carl to join them for a celebratory drink before they leave for America. “Oh, thank you very much,” Carl replies, “I thought you would ask me so I brought the good brandy. And a third glass.” Always try to be like Carl.

[onesmartbroad]

What did people do before the Negroni was invented?

[onesmartbroad]

All of a sudden, Wednesday’s looking pretty good.

[onesmartbroad]

1939 Seagram’s Ad

For those “whose many interests demand clear thinking and sound judgment”

[onesmartbroad]

“I’m an advertising man…I’ve got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex-wives and several bartenders that depend upon me, and I don’t intend to disappoint them.” - Roger Thornhill, North By Northwest

[onesmartbroad]

It’s Thirsty Thursday

All day long.

[onesmartbroad]

Know Your Bartender: Prohibition Edition

Owner and barman Jose Abeal Otero working hard and smoking harder at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, Havana, 1929. 

Prohibition in the US meant big business in Cuba. Each year from 1920 through 1931, as many as 90,000 Americans would travel south so they could, for a few days, legally visit a bar. Gullets were dry and wallets were open.

And Joe welcomed them all

A Spaniard who had worked at bars in New Orleans and Miami, Abeal became America’s favorite bartender when he moved to Havana and opened his own place. Sloppy Joe’s was the second stop for most arriving Americans – partly because it was the second closest to the dock. 

But the crowds came back because of Abeal.

Sloppy Joe’s Bar became so famous, Movietone News filmed stories about it and Ernest Hemingway’s neighborhood bar in Miami took the name to use as their own. Watch old video and it’s clear that Jose Abeal has definite charm. His way of throwing a drink looks less like flair and more like ballroom dancing. He is in constant motion. He clinks glasses with all the customers. The women at the bar seem enchanted. I understand why. 

The recipe: Sloppy Joe’s Special Cocktail 

Jose Abeal served up all the top cocktails of the day, from the Douglas Fairbanks to the then-new and exotic Mojito. And of course he had a signature drink, the Sloppy Joe’s Special. Fun tradition: whenever this cocktail was ordered, the entire crowd would raise a glass to toast the barman. “To Sloppy Joe’s! Happy days!”

From the bar’s own 1933 cocktail manual:

So let’s mix one up and give a thought to hard-working, oddly attractive bartenders near and far, past and present. Lord knows, a girl loves them. 

Happy days!

[onesmartbroad]

Champagne should be served on every flight, always, no matter what.