Who among us hasn't wanted to feel that old-school kind of classy that comes with sipping on a gin
rickey? Keep watching for even more retro cocktails that are overdue for a revival.
This rosy-hued drink is not the cocktail that made Milwaukee famous, but it was invented
in this beer-drinking, blue-collar town. Bryant's, Brew City's oldest cocktail bar,
is still serving up one-of-a-kind cocktails in a dimly lit lounge on the south side.
While the restaurant's bartenders boast a repertoire of over 450 drinks, they do offer
a small selection of drinks you can order by name, including their signature Pink Squirrel.
This sweet libation was popular with the ladies back in the '50s,
and while it was an admittedly different time
as far as social standards were concerned, we can at least appreciate their drinks.
"I don't know anything about the gold standard,
I'm afraid, but I do love little kittens. They're so soft and furry.
The traditional recipe calls for ice cream, as does Bryant's version — and
there's a fascinating history here. Ice cream drinks, the predecessor to adult milkshakes,
have long been a part of the state's supper club culture — although some
versions call for the Pink Squirrel to be made with cream instead.
To make a pink squirrel, blend two scoops of vanilla ice cream with
one ounce of white crème de cacao and one ounce of crème de noyaux,
an almond-flavored liqueur that gives the drink that distinctive, pretty color. Pour into a glass,
and garnish with whipped cream and a cherry — and perhaps a little pink paper parasol.
The Brandy Alexander has somewhat mysterious origins. Various sources provide several different
backstories claiming the Alexander was named after either a Russian tsar, a British princess,
or an American theater critic, although the most likely explanation is that it
was named for the turn-of-the-last-century bartender who came up with this concoction.
If you have crème de cacao leftover from making those Pink Squirrels, you can always use it
to blend up a batch of Brandy Alexanders, too. This is another dessert-type drink that can be
made with either cream or ice cream, although it's a tad stronger than the Pink Squirrel,
as it features brandy rather than getting its entire booze content from lower-alcohol liqueurs.
That wasn't always the case, though, and it was originally made with gin.
Then, it was called the Alexander #2.
To make a Brandy Alexander, mix an ounce and a half of cognac, an ounce of cream,
and an ounce of crème de cacao. Either dark or white will do because the brandy already lends
the drink a brown hue. Shake over ice, strain, and garnish with a sprinkle of grated nutmeg.
Here's a fun fact: This drink also has its own literary cameo.
Anthony Blanche orders this drink for a reluctant Charles Ryder in
"Brideshead Revisited." As Blanche said as he drank both his and Charles' cocktails,
"Down the little red lane they go."
Had enough creamy drink recipes? Then you may want to try this drink named after a 19th-century man
who preferred his cocktails sugar-free. As there was no such thing as Diet Coke at the time, and
it was Democratic lobbyist Joe Rickey who lobbied the bartender at his favorite D.C. watering hole
to build him a drink made with nothing more than bourbon, soda water, and lime. In time,
the idea caught on, and people began ordering "Rickeys" made with all different types of liquor.
The gin version, besides being the most popular,
is also a footnote in literary history. It was a favorite of the novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald,
and was also enjoyed by his most famous character, Jay "The Great" Gatsby.
Want to add this easy-to-make drink to your own home drink men? Make it by mixing two ounces of
gin with three-quarters of an ounce of lime juice and then topping up your glass with soda water.
The first published recipe for the sidecar appears in 1919 in a book called "Harry's ABC of Mixing
Cocktails," authored by Harry MacElhone. He was the Harry from Harry's New York Bar in Paris,
a drinking spot that was favored by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.
That's not the bar's only claim to fame, as they are also known for inventing a few
other classic drinks, too, including the Bloody Mary and the French 75.
The sidecar is said to get its name from a motorcycle attachment used as troop and
weapons transport during World War I, and it is possible that the drink was first created
as part of an Armistice Day celebration. Harry's original version called for equal parts of the
drink's three ingredients: cognac, the orange liqueur Cointreau, and fresh lemon juice.
That version is now known as "French school," but there's also now an "English school"
calling for two parts of cognac to one part of each of the remaining ingredients.
Yet another World War I-era drink is the previously mentioned French 75.
Said to be another Harry MacElhone creation, the French 75 was christened for its effect.
MacElhone compared drinking one of these to being hit by a French 75 millimeter artillery shell.
Unsurprisingly, then, the drink dates back to World War I: The US World War One Centennial
Commission does confirm the surprising fact that the French National Assembly voted to send
Champagne to the troops and to military hospitals on a regular basis to serve as a morale booster.
Champagne is one of the French 75's main ingredients, as are gin, sugar,
and lemon juice. A recipe published in the 1930 "Savoy Cocktail Book" calls for two parts of gin
to one of lemon juice, a spoonful of powdered sugar, and Champagne to fill a tall glass.
Arnaud's French 75 Bar in New Orleans, however,
makes the drink from which they took their name with cognac rather than gin.
It's a fitting choice, as cognac is more of a French thing than the Brits' favorite spirit,
gin. Their recipe calls for one and a quarter ounces of cognac, a quarter ounce simple syrup,
and a quarter ounce fresh lemon juice, shaken over ice and strained into a Champagne flute.
Top the glass off with Champagne, garnish with a twist of lemon peel, and ooh la la!
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