Cooking Lesson #319: Fuzzy Navel Cocktail

…from the Happy Hour Bar

How you doin’? It’s Happy Hour Friday and in Los Angeles we can now actually go out to a bar, have a conversation with our tender and enjoy a host of cocktails forgotten over the last 15 months.  

Are you into fuzzy navels? Not trying to get to personal, just want to know your cocktail preferences. What is a Fuzzy Navel, you ask? It is a mixed drink made from peach schnapps and orange juice—generally an equal amount of each is used to concoct it, although quantities may vary according to the whims of the mixologist. It can also be made with lemonade or a splash of vodka depending on the drinker's taste. The addition of another 1 or 1-1/2 ounces of vodka to the fuzzy navel creates a "Hairy Navel", the more "hair" referring to the increased strength of alcohol in the drink. A Hairy Navel or Fuzzy Russian recipe is as follows: 1 part vodka, 1 part peach schnapps, 4 parts orange juice.
 
In 1984, National Distillers launched DeKuyper Original Peachtree, the first peach flavor schnapps sold in the United States. Inspired by the success of the Screwdriver (vodka and orange juice), Peachtree and orange juice was quickly popularized across the country, particularly among women seeking a sweeter, low calorie vodka alternative. By 1985, Peachtree was the #1 selling schnapps brand in the U.S.
 
As part of a wider marketing campaign, National Distillers worked with an ad agency to create names for DeKuyper schnapps drink recipes, eventually landing on “Fuzzy Navel” for the popular Peachtree and orange juice combination.
 
The prominence of mixed drinks incorporating schnapps during the 1980s in my restaurants, including the fuzzy navel, the Slippery Nipple, and the Teeny Weeny Woo Woo, was described by New York Times critic, William Grimes, as "a kind of cult, rallying points for young drinkers in search of fun and not too picky about taste.”
 
The name "fuzzy" refers to the tiny hairs found on a peach and the "navel" refers to navel oranges. Remember that and you'll never forget which two ingredients to pour into this peach-flavored screwdriver.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Yield:  1 cocktail

Ingredients
3 fluid ounces peach schnapps
3 fluid ounces orange juice
1/2 cup ice
1 orange slice or peach slice, for garnish
 
Directions

1. Combine schnapps and orange juice in a highball glass.
2. Add ice, stir to combine.
3. Garnish with an orange or peach slice.

 
ChefSecrets:  Please drink responsibly—the only fuzzy thing about this cocktail of peach schnapps and orange juice will be your vision.

Quip of the Day: “Did you know that 4 out of 3 people struggle with math?”
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind.

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