Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Tie One On Tuesday!

The roaring 20's. Ladies were loose, the drinks were stiff and the time was high. What better way to spend a night than with a powerful drink while dancing the Charleston. Prohibition may have started but it definitely didn't stop us.


Contrary to popular belief not all Southerners sit on our verandas drinking Mint Julips. Most of us drank out of the jug with XXX on it, but I'll include this interesting drink cause I'm a Southern lady (quit snickering). This concoction is mainly sipped around the time of the Kentucky Derby but it is great for any of those hot summer nights.

Mint Julip
Ingredients
4 to 6 leaves of mint
1/2 oz. of Bourbon Whiskey
1 tsp. powdered sugar
2 tsp. water
Muddle mint leaves, powdered sugar, and water in a Collins glass.
Fill the glass with shaved or crushed ice and add bourbon.
Top with more ice and garnish with a mint sprig.

Oh my goodness! I do love a Margarita! I have no idea how such simple ingredients can cause such a riot, but give a few of these to a some sassy girls and  watch the dancing begin! This drink began in Tijuana when it was a popular vacation spot.

Margarita
2 oz. Tequila
1 oz. Cointreau
3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
ice cubes
Kosher salt
Rub a cut lime wedge around the rim of your glass then dip into a dish of kosher salt.
Pour ingredients into shaker, add ice, shake well and pour into your salt rimmed glass. Please-do not blend, not this time.

The Last Word, invented at the Detroit Athletic Club during the early 1920's was, up until recently, a "lost" cocktail. Revived thanks to the resurgence of interest in vintage cocktail, this drink takes a delicate balance to mix correctly. If you master it, you will have the last word and it will be, "Now you're on the trolley!"


Last Word
3/4 oz dry Gin
3/4 oz. Maraschino liqueur
3/4 oz green Chartreuse
3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
Ice cubes
Combine all the ingredients into a shaker with ice, and shake well for EXACTLY 10 seconds. Pour into a chilled glass.

The 1920's brought us excess and downfall (sound familiar?). Women got the right to vote, Speakeasies replaced saloons for social gatherings and The Harlem Renaissance was in full swing. Being the pioneers that we are, we learned to make a great cocktails even in the face of banned alcohol. It was truly a time of change.

2 comments:

Model Citizen aka Bonnie Rue said...

Love your mint julip recipe - I've never had it with powdered sugar. I'll have to make this. I just got done blogging about booze too. Must be something in the air!

Becky said...

Those little jugs (or old mason jars) helped to build the banks that would eventually finance Lowe's Hardware (now Lowe's Home Improvement,) Holly Farms Chicken (now owned by Tyson Foods,) 2 of the world's largest mirror manufacturers, and Nascar!

I loves me a margarita too!!!!