When
thinking of the Roaring Twenties, what does one imagine? Flapper dresses,
prohibition, jazz, gangsters and magnificently extravagant and glamourous
drinking parties that are all the more exciting because they could be broken up
by police at any moment. When you have to use secret passwords and hidden
doors, that's a party I want to be invited to! For me, it seems so romantic and
fun, I wish I could go back in time (and jump into the realm of fiction) and
experience just one of Jay Gatsby's amazing parties. But alas, I can't, so
instead I will just try to make some Prohibition style drinks at home...sans
flapper dress!
As most
everyone knows, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel that follows
a cast of characters living on Long Island in the summer of 1922. The story
revolves around Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire who has extravagant
parties at his mansion and who has a passion for Daisy Buchanan (who happens to
be married to Tom Buchanan, a man having his own affair). I assume that you all
know this classic novel so I don't even need to go there. You did read this in
high school like I did, right??
The The
Great Gatsby is literally drenched in alcohol (perfect for a blog about
cocktails!). There are "floating rounds of cocktails" for the guests
at all the glitzy parties, and Gatsby himself is alleged to have made his
fortune by bootlegging. The sugary drinks featured in the book and during
Prohibition were likely meant to disguise the bathtub gin and bootleg bourbon -
so glad that we can use "proper" alcohol nowadays. Below are two
drinks featured in the novel and two more that are inspired by it. So lets go make a cocktail!
The Gin
Rickey is one of two cocktails that are actually named in The Great Gatsby and
is said to have been a favourite of Fitzgerald. The drink appears on a summer day when Daisy tells her
husband Tom to "make us a cold drink" so that she can let Gatsby know
of her love for him without her husband around. Tom returns with "four gin
rickeys that clicked with ice".
It was a staple during prohibition and consists of gin, lime and soda.
Refreshing and delicious!
a
Put three or four ice cubes in a highball glass, and
squeeze in the juice of half a lime. Add around 60 ml of gin and top with soda.
Rub the lime wedge around the rim, then drop in the glass.
Mint
Julep
This is
the second drink that is mentioned in the novel, when Daisy, Tom and Gatsby are
having an argument in the hotel. "'l'll make you a mint julep," she
tells her husband. "Then you won't sound so stupid to yourself". Wow.
I wish I was so ballsy. This is a sugary drink (to cut the bourbon) and is
officially a pre-Prohibition drink that likely started in the southern United
States and slowly trickled northward. It survived Prohibition and became the
official drink of The Kentucky Derby.
Mix a teaspoon of sugar (you can adjust the taste) with a
splash of water in a highball glass until dissolved. Add a handful of mint
leaves (around 10) and gently bruise with a muddler or wooden spoon. Fill the
glass with crushed ice, then pur 60-90 ml of bourbon depending on the size of your glass. Stir, top up with more
crushed ice, and garnish with a few more mint leaves.
Between
the Sheets
This
cheeky drink is a version of the classic sidecar. It has rum, cognac and triple
sec, with a good dose of lemon. This was supposedly a staple for Fitzgerald and
friends and will certainly get you in the Roaring Twenties mood!
Mix 30 ml each of brandy, white rum and triple sec with 15
ml of fresh lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake, strain into a cocktail
glass and garnish with a lemon twist.
Last but
not least, the Champagne Cocktail, everyone's (including mine) fizzy favourite.
This adds glitz and glam to any party. So pop that cork and let the bubbly
flow! The Champagne Cocktail is sophisticated and glamourous and how I envision
Daisy and Gatsby.
Place a sugar cub in a chilled champagne glass, add 2 or 3
dashes of bitters, fill the glass with champagne and squeeze a lemon twist on
top.
Chin
chin!
No comments:
Post a Comment