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John La Fitte's...
Diane Millsap
Buy This at Allposters.com
La Belle Cuisine
(Memorial Day 2002)
Well, I've given this a lot of thought. Really
I have. Haven't lost any sleep over
it, but still, I take things like
this seriously. What do you drink on Memorial Day weekend? Or
any summer holiday weekend? Ideally? That would depend a whole
lot on where you're planning to be
and what you're going to eat, right? Of course.
I know. You're
thinking, duh!
Let's just say you've opted for the low-key, laid
back, down-home barbeque...
No sweat, just go with the
All-American
Barbecue Menu. Chances
are you'll be drinking beer. There was a time when I would
have opted for
Harper's or maybe Beck's. These days, it's
Abita Springs beer for
me. Amber. No contest. (Now that
I think of it, I might stick with ice-cold water or lemonade. Or
sweet tea!) Any of these would
also work well with
Emeril's
Garlic Meatball Po' Boys.
If you're going to have a Real Meal, the Charlie
Trotter Cooks at Home Menu
may be the way to go. A wine
suggestion with every course, yet. Might as well
just go with a
really fine Mosel. Halbtrocken, if you please (my personal
preference). Unless I'm in the mood for red wine, in which case I lean toward
a fine Cabarnet Sauvignon or a good Merlot.
If you're in the Greater New Orleans area, you can
simply do what a lot of folks
have come to depend on: swing by one of the
many daiquiri-to-go places. I kid
you not. But be sure to ride your
bike. We wouldn't want you to drink and drive!
There you'll find
any number of slushy drinks served in several different sizes of styrofoam
cups, EXCEPT for a plain ole every-day ordinary Daiquiri. You
know. Like they used to serve in the 50s or whenever.
Seriously, I ordered a Daiquiri in
a local bar recently, and the bar gal
(very young) looked at me quizzically and
said, "Strawberry,
right?" "Wrong. Just a plain, simple, ordinary
Daiquiri*."
She had
not a clue.
Papa Hemingway would be turning over in his grave, no?
I wound up drinking Cuba Libres. A rather distinguished looking gentleman
ambled over later
to let me know that he did remember what a Daiquiri was.
There's
hope, then.
What can you say???
* Hemingway
Daiquiri
2
ounces Bacardi Light rum
3/4-ounce lime juice
1 ounce simple syrup
(50/50 sugar and water mixture),
heated until
sugar
dissolves, cooled)
Chill martini glasses. Add
all ingredients to glass shaker. Shake well and strain
into chilled
martini glass. Garnish with lime peel. (Some folks insist on adding a splash
of maraschino liqueur, and/or a splash of grapefruit juice. Why? I do
not.)
But
back to the daiquiri-to-go thingy. Lest I forget, cash only please. One of
the lessons I learned the hard way my first time out. What you will find
is a great
variety of sluhes: Strawberry, Piña Colada, Margarita, Long
Island Iced Tea,
Fruit Punch, Mango Madness, Bananarama, Brainbuster once
in a while
(made with 151 proof rum). You get the idea. Yummy? Yes. Daiquiri? No!.
Okay. This is, after all, the Beverage Section of La Belle
Cuisine, so I would
assume you're looking for mixed drink recipes to spice
up your weekend, no?
I spent a good bit of time
today looking through the drink archives
and soon
realized that there were some
glaring omissions. Wow! Where is
the Salty
Dog? Where is the Screwdriver? And not so much as reference to a Harvey allbanger
for crying out loud!!! (Not that I drink this stuff, mind you...)
Well, I suppose I just
figured the everybody knows
how to make
those.
YOU do, right? Like gin and ginger ale, my
Very First
Alcoholic Beverage,
and still a sentimental favorite. Or like rum and coke, (for
me
it has to be
with
a wedge of
lime, so it's a Cuba Libre) or 7 & 7, or
Scotch
and soda...
Then again, maybe not?
Since
this is, after all, Memorial Day weekend, let's just start out with
a
bang. Okay?
Harvey Wallbanger
1 1/2 ounces vodka
4 ounces orange juice
1/2 ounce Galliano
In a highball glass almost filled with ice cubes, combine the vodka and
orange juice. Stir well. Float the Galliano on top. For a Harvey, you'll
pardon the expression, Ballbanger, add a shot of tequila along with the
vodka and OJ.)
Artillery Punch
1
cup sugar
2 tablespoons bitters
Juice of 6 lemons
1 quart brandy
1 quart Sherry
1 quart Claret wine
1 quart rye, bourbon or Scotch
1 quart club soda
Combine
sugar, bitters, lemon juice, brandy. Sherry, claret, rye, bourbon
or Scotch
and club soda, adding soda last. Serves 30. Maybe.
[A
word
of caution: Be forewarned…This goes down like Kool-Aid, but
will hit
you
like a ton of bricks! Trust me. I speak from traumatic experience...]
Salty Dog
2 ounces Vodka
4 ounces grapefruit juice (fresh, please!)
A dash or two of Angostura Bitters, if you like
Salt
Rub the rim of a glass (preferably
chilled) with the cut grapefruit, then
dip
the rim in salt. Combine the
vodka and grapefruit juice (and Bitters,
if using) in a shaker with ice,
shake until well chilled, remove the ice,
and pour into
the glass.
(This will prevent your drink from continuing
to get watered down. Heaven forbid!)
Screwdriver
Nothing to it. Orange juice and
vodka over ice. 4 to 1? Or 3 to 1?
Or maybe half and half??? Whatever floats your boat...
Lynchburg Lemonade
1 1/4 oz. Jack
Daniels
Splash of Triple Sec
Sour
mix
7-up
Shake the Jack
Daniels, Triple Sec and sour mix with ice, pour
into a
Highball glass. Top with splash of 7-up.
Here's what I used to drink, but I had to give
it up... As a matter of fact,
I've given it ALL up. But perhaps some of you still indulge a bit.
Lobotomy
Equal parts of:
Amaretto, Chambord, and pineapple juice
Champagne
Shake the Amaretto, Chambord and pineapple juice with ice. Strain
into a glass and top off with Champagne. You won't remember a
thing... And these days that may be just as well.
Featured Archive Recipes:
Cajun Lemonade
Classic Cocktail Collection
Daiquiri Collection
Margarita Collection
Refreshing Lemon Libations
Summer Heat Chaser Collection
Sweet and Luscious Sangria
More Beverage Recipes!
Summer Holiday Recipes!
Father's Day Recipe Index
Party Central
Daily Recipe Index
Recipe Archives Index
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