…from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour BarHow you doin”? The Harvey Wallbanger Cocktail was a nice, simple way to dress up the basic screwdriver, a classic entry-level cocktail. This became a house special drink at my waterfront Customs House Restaurant in Foster City, California. If you want to make it at home, you do need to purchase a tall bottle of Galliano, but once it's on the liquor shelf, you'll have enough Galliano for 50 or so Harvey Wallbangers, so you'll be in good shape. "As with many cocktails, there are a couple of claims to the creation of the Harvey Wallbanger. One is that it may have been created as an "all I got left in the bar" drink. Supposedly, the host of a party in the mid-60s had only vodka, orange juice, and Galliano available. After a couple of these drinks, a guest named Harvey was found to be banging his head against the wall and cursing the drink that caused him so much misery. That's a fun story, but it's not all that believable. The accepted truth attributes the Harvey Wallbanger's creation to Donato "Duke" Antone who owned Duke's Blackwatch Bar in Hollywood. It was at this Sunset Boulevard joint in 1952 that Antone created the cocktail. He named it after a local surfer and bar regular named Tom Harvey. That sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? It was not until the late 1960s that a marketing director for the company importing Galliano "discovered" the drink. He created a surfer-themed ad campaign with the tagline "Harvey Wallbanger is the name, and I can be made!" By the time the disco era began, the drink was on everyone's lips. The 70s may have been the cocktail's glory days, but little gems like the Harvey Wallbanger are still around and are unforgettable. You can make a few adjustments to the recipe and pour more vodka or less orange juice if you like, though there's a balance to the recipe as written. Ingredients 1-1/2 ounces vodka 4 ounces orange juice (freshly squeezed is best) 1/2 ounce Galliano L'Autentico Liqueur (the one and only / there is no substitute) 1 orange wheel, for garnish 1 Maraschino cherry, for garnish Directions
ChefSecret: Do a switch-a-roo by using tequila instead of vodka and, you'll have a Freddie Fuddpucker. Quip of the Day: Harvey's grandfather clock suddenly stops working right one day. He loads it into his van and takes it to a clock repair shop. In the shop is a little old man who insists he is Swiss but has a heavy German accent. He asks Harvey, "Vat sims to be ze problem?" Harvey says, "I'm not sure, but it doesn't go 'tick-tock-tick-tock' anymore. Now it just goes 'tick...tick...tick.'" The old man says, "Mmm-Hm!" and steps behind the counter, where he rummages around a bit. He emerges with a huge flashlight and walks over to the grandfather clock. He turns the flashlight on and shines it directly into the clock’s face. Then he says in a menacing voice, "Ve haf vays of making you tock!" ------------------------------------------ Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #HappyHour #HarveyWallbanger #Vodka #Galliano #OJ #DukeAntone #Cheers #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024
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…from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour Bar How you doin’? I first learned how to fly when I was 16 years old and soloed a year later. I met a guy at Santa Monica Airport who saw me one afternoon dreaming at the planes. He asked if I wanted to go for a test flight. He took me and I fell in love. If my mother ever found out about it, she would have killed both of us. Flying a plane can be something special—hours and hours of tedious boredom, punctuated by moments of sheer terror. Chuck, my father-in-law and I bought an old World War I Jenny—a P-47D Thunderbolt made by Aircorps Aviation for $565. It was in pretty bad condition, and we lovingly built it back to flight condition. By today standards it was pretty crazy being made out of just balsa wood and dopped duck cloth. I had an altimeter, a compass and a gas gauge bubble. Wearing our leather coats and hats, we loved pulling signs and flying over the Queen Mary dropping water balloons on the ship below—just like the Red Barron. Chuck was a hero! He flew over 30 combat missions over Germany in a Consolidated B-24 Liberator during the big one—WWII. At that time, you only had to fly 23 missions before being sent back to the US to train new pilots. He never lost a member of his brave, well-decorated crew. What a plane! What a great guy! When we got back to mother earth we celebrated with my retro party drink, pretty-in-pink Aviator Cocktail—just for fun. This easy gin-based drink is one to get the party started, celebrating our successful bombing runs. My easy Aviator Cocktail is ready in just 5 minutes. Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 2 cocktails Ingredients 3-1/2 ounces gin 1-1/2 ounces lemon juice 1-1/2 ounces maraschino liqueur 3/4 ounces crème de violette Blueberries and lemon zest, to garnish Directions
ChefSecret: Crème de Violette is a floral liqueur first created in the 19th century by steeping violet petals in brandy and adding sugar. The coloring and flavoring are often natural but also can be artificial. That depends on the brand, as there is no legal requirement. Quip of the Day: Q. Why did the pilot go to the psychologist? A. He needed help dealing with his emotional baggage. ------------------------------------------ Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #HappyHour #AviatorsCocktail #Gin #LemonJuice #MaraschinoLiqueur #CremeDeViolette #Cheers #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 …from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour BarHow you doin’? I’m not doing all that well today. I need a drink! I hate April 15th—Income Tax Day—when all becomes due. At least I don’t need to pay California Income taxes anymore. Sometimes, in order to create a new cocktail, all you need to do is to add bitters to an old cocktail. Seems like that’s in order today… and April 15th is the bitterest day of the year. The Income Tax Cocktail is a Bronx with bitters. But that's okay… the bitters add such depth of flavor with the Hendricks that the cocktail earns a new moniker. The origins of this drink are obscure; it dates to no later than the 1920s, but otherwise, no one seems to know where or when it came from, or how it was invented or named. Nevertheless, it's a tasty drink for a “bitter” day. It's worth it for this drink to buy and squeeze an actual fresh orange. The flavor's so much better than the stuff from a carton or jug. Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients 1-1/2 ounces gin (I prefer Hendricks gin) 3/4 ounce dry vermouth 3/4 ounce sweet vermouth 3/4 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice from 1 orange 3 dashes Angostura bitters Thin orange wheel for garnish Directions
ChefSecret: Hendricks is my favorite gin. I love it’s unique and distinctive flavor. Hendrick's Gin is produced by William Grant & Sons at the Girvan distillery, Scotland and launched in 1999—a fairly new product. The brand was created by spirits marketer Steven Grasse, while the gin itself was conceived by Lesley Gracie, a Yorkshire native, who was hired by William Grant & Sons to work in new liquid development for some of their products. A decade later she was tasked with creating a new super-premium gin. Quip of the Day: I tried to pay my taxes to the IRS with a smile. Turns out those greedy bastards prefer cash. Do you have a question or comment? Send your favorite recipes, pictures or thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. Recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #HappyHour #IncomeTaxCocktail #Gin #Vermouth #Hendrics #Cheers #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 …from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour Bar How you doin’? Located about two hours north of Los Angeles, Ojai is one of the most beautiful parts of California. My cousin, Monroe, was the mayor of Ojai. My brother and I used to take the Greyhound to the beautiful Ojai Valley to visit. We loved going to some of the small family farms that grew corn, tomatoes and Cutie tangerines. The trees were nestled into the hills and their branches were heavy with tiny tangerines—all ripe, all ready to be harvested. What a pleasure it is to pick a Cutie—okay, six or seven—right off the tree and devour them standing in the warmth of springtime sunshine. They’re easy to peel, sweet as can be, not even a hint of pucker, but they’ve still got a wonderful, citrus-y depth. They’re also terrifically juicy. Even at that young age as we stood in the fields, we thought, “Well, this will make a hell of cocktail when I get older” (what can I say?... we were ahead of our time). So, as an adult I went into the test kitchen and started with an earthy thyme simple syrup—it helps balance out the Pixie’s bold, fruity sweetness. I also added a very wee bit of the pucker back in with a half-shot of lemon juice… we like how it brings out the tangerine’s tangy depth. Once the juices and syrup are shaken up with the egg white and a generous pour of good old American bourbon, the cocktail has all the light, fluffy body of a classic whiskey sour, but none of the bite. It’s soft and floral and full of Ojai sunshine. Good any time… with its lovely peachy color, this cocktail has an elegance well-suited to any grand occasion. Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Cool time: 15 minutes Yield: 1 serving Ingredients For the thyme simple syrup 1 cup water 1 cup granulated sugar 12 fresh thyme sprigs For the cocktail 2 ounces bourbon 1 ounce Cutie tangerine juice 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/2 ounce thyme simple syrup 1 egg white Ice Pixie peel and thyme sprig, for garnish Directions To make the simple syrup
Note: The simple syrup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. To make the cocktail:
Quip of the Day: Q. Why did the tangerine stop in the middle of the road? A. Because it ran out of juice. ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your favorite recipes, pictures or thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. Recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #HappyHour #BourbonSour #ThymeSyrup #Cuties #Tangerines #Cheers #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup © Perspectives/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 …from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour Bar How you doin’? Try ordering this cocktail at your happy hour saloon. You’ll have the barkeep looking for his recipe book for this refreshing cocktail from Gabor Omufer, Bartender at the Cinnamon Club in London. It combines the warm, malty flavors of Genever with the caraway and aniseed notes of the Kummel Wolfschmidt, finishing with a healthy splash of tonic. A sumptuously spiced cocktail perfectly in keeping with East Indian cuisine. Bols Genever Original is a premium quality genever that is perfect for making cocktails with a dry and spicy taste. It is used in The Forgotten Cocktail, in the Red Light Negroni or the Ginger Mule, three classic examples of cocktails that showcase its versatility and flavor. Bols Genever Original is a delightfully complex triple grain spirit made from corn, rye and wheat and is blended with a selection of 22 botanicals. Bols Genever won Double Gold and Best of Show during the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America convention 2018 and was presented with the Best Dutch Genever Award during the World Best Gin competition 2018. Kümmel (also spelled kimmel or kummel) is a colorless herbal liqueur flavored with spices and herbs—most notably, caraway seeds and cumin, which impart a distinctly savory-spicy flavor. History has it that the liqueur was created by Dutch distiller Lucas Bols in 1575 (yes, the same Bols). It’s here in Holland that it was encountered by Peter the Great in the last decade of the 1600s, while he was illicitly gathering intel on Dutch shipbuilding methods. He apparently enjoyed it so much that he brought it home with him to Russia, where it ultimately became a mainstay. Kümmel began to further establish itself in Eastern and Western Europe in 1800s, when one family in Riga, Latvia—then under Russian rule--decided to go commercial with its traditional recipe; today that brand, Mentzendorff Kümmel (now produced in France by the Combier distillery) remains one of the most popular producers of kümmel, along with Combier (France), Gilka (Germany) and Wolfschmidt (Denmark). To my taste, I prefer the latter. Prep time: 5 minutes Yield: 1 cocktail Ingredients 3/4 ounce Bols Genever 3/4 ounce Kummel Wolfschmidt liqueur 2 to 3 drops Bob's cardamom bitters 4 ounces tonic water 4 to 5 large ice cubes orange zest garnish Directions
ChefSecret: Bob’s Cardamon Bitters are hand crafted aromatic cocktail bitters made in England by Bob Petrie himself using natural, fresh ingredients with the finest quality spirit to enhance the flavor and aroma of your cocktails. The robust aroma of cardamon combines well with underlying hints of lemon and eucalyptus and a trace of sweetness offset by a sharp bitterness. Quip of the Day: A gorilla goes up to a bar and asks for a gin and tonic. The bartender makes the G&T and says: “That'll be $20, and I must say we don't get many gorillas in here.” The gorilla replies: “With prices like that, I'm not surprised.” ------------------------------------------ Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #ForgottenTonicCocktail #BobsBitters #Genever #KummelWolfschmidtLiqueur #Cheers #HappyHour #2024 #T2T #URM #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 |
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