SiscoVanilla Has a Harvey Wallbanger Part I

Here's part two of my journey to the decade that I was born: The Seventies, as part of the Old Man Drinks cocktail challenge. As with my last post SiscoVanilla Has a Tequila Sunrise, I decided to focus on a cocktail that saw its heyday during the disco era: The Harvey Wallbanger.

Now I was too young to even know about the Harvey Wallbanger character, but according to cocktail history Harvey Wallbanger (the cartoon character) was created by ad-man Bill Young with the tagline “My name is Harvey, and I can be made.” Now the mythology on the name Harvey Wallbanger varies depending on the source.

The Old Man Drinks author Robert Schnakenberg states that the drink was created in 1952 by Los Angeles bartender Donato "Duke" Antone (who came up with such famous drinks as the Rusty Nail, the White Russian and the Godfather) at Duke's "Blackwatch" Bar on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.  Antone apparently named it after a drunk customer and surfer Tom Harvey who kept banging into the walls after having a few too many drinks. Sounds legit. Right? Well, it might not be so cut and dry.

According to the article How Three Classic Cocktails Got Their Names by Sam Dangremond from Town and Country dated July 20, 2015 Antone did create a cocktail known as the Duke's Screwdriver which had the same ingredients as the Harvey Wallbanger, I'll get back to this point in a few paragraphs. Until then, here's another story.

According to the article How the Harvey Wallbanger nearly killed the craft of cocktail making by Amy Zavatto of Fox News dated August 23, 2013:

Legend has it that a 1950s California surfer favored the drink and, one day after losing a pivotal surfing contest, walked into his usual Manhattan Beach watering hole, ordered his drink, and banged his head against the wall from the agony of defeat. His name was Harvey – and there you have it.

Ok. Now perhaps here is the true story. Robert Simonson in his December 14, 2012 article for Savuer entitled Searching for Harvey Wallbanger states that while Antone might have come up with the concept of what would become the Harvey Wallbanger aka the Duke's Screwdriver, credit for the name and character most likely belongs to McKesson Imports Co. McKesson Imports Co., was the company that represented Galliano here in the United States. With Galliano being one of ingredients in the Harvey Wallbanger, they decided to create the mascot and advertise the drink. It worked...to the tune of Galliano becoming the number one most imported liqueur at the time.

Regardless of the history, let's get to the cocktail itself.

As you can see from the image, I made the Harvey Wallbanger with Tito's Vodka, Orange Juice and Galliano. Here is where I screwed up. I didn't follow my advice from last post which was to use freshly squeezed juice whenever possible. I used store bought orange juice and to be honest, while there was a little added sweetness to it than with your standard screwdriver I couldn't tell if the cocktail had any Galliano. So the jury is still out on the Harvey Wallbanger until I can make another one using freshly squeezed orange juice. 

Here are my impressions on the drink upon tasting it:

I'll get back to Harvey soon enough. I also have a side post on Galliano itself coming up. Keep an eye out for it.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
SiscoVanilla

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SiscoVanilla Has a 🌅🍊Tequila Sunrise 🍊🌅

Welcome back folks to the next installment of SiscoVanilla Drinks. For today I'm going back to the 1970's with an offering from the Old Man Drinks cocktail book: The Tequila Sunrise. Before I go into the cocktail itself, I wanted to look into the varied histories of the cocktail. Apparently there are a few histories behind how this cocktail came to be.

The Old Man Drinks cocktail book mentions that this cocktail harks back to the Prohibition era in Tijuana, Mexico. According to author Robert Schnackenberg, the Tequila Sunrise came to life at the Agua Caliente Racetrack as a hangover cure for those who were betting on the ponies.

In his article How to Make a Tequila Sunrise from Esquire dated January 5, 2018, David Wondrich states that the cocktail was supposedly invented at the racetrack. For more on the Agua Caliente racetrack, check out the article The Glitter of Agua Caliente by Greg Niemann from BajaBound.com. But it doesn't quite finish there.

According to the post The Birth of the Tequila Sunrise from the Sahid Bartending Club dated October 27, 2013, a guide book called Bottoms Up! Subtitled El Catecismo del la Libacion was published and distributed throughout the property's bars and restaurants. In said book was the original recipe for the Agua Caliente's version of the Tequila Sunrise. Here it is:

THE TEQUILA SUNRISE
(recipe for 1 drink)

1. One jigger Tequila.
2. One half lime, squeezed. Insert peel.
3. EXACTLY six dashes grenadine.
4. EXACTLY two dashes Crème de Cassis.
5. Two lumps ice.
6. Serve in highball glass, filled to brim with healthful Agua Caliente "Roca Blanca" water. If not available, fizz with seltzer.
7. Stir slightly.

There is no Orange Juice as in the recipe we know today. On to origin story number 2.

Now we are in post-Prohibition Arizona at the Biltmore hotel. Now according to the article Just Another Tequila Sunrise by Jeff Burkhart from the National Geographic Assignment Blog dated on February 17th, 2012, the Biltmore states that their bartender Gene Sulit came up with the idea for the Tequila Sunrise during the 1930's. His cocktail consisted of tequila, lime juice, soda and crème de cassis. Burkhart states that he couldn't find any listing for this recipe in any of the cocktail books of the time and after. Aside from the grenadine, Sulit's recipe is very similar to the one listed above. Let's fast forward to the 1970's.

The third origin story takes us back to the Pacific Coast to the Northern California town of Sausalito. The story states that bartenders Bobby Lozoff and Billy Rice at the Trident came up with the Tequila Sunrise. It wasn't until the Rolling Stones arrived at the Trident in 1972 that the cocktail took off. Offering the drink to Mick Jagger, the cocktail became the go-to drink for the Stones across the country. To the point that one of the nicknames for their tour was the "cocaine and tequila sunrise tour." In stepped Lou, the manager of the Trident. For this I'll let Burkhart continue telling the story:

In 1973, Jose Cuervo seized on this new cocktail sensation and began marketing it in various print advertisements, eventually releasing it as one of their canned “club cocktails.”

“Lou, (the manager of the Trident) talked to the Cuervo people,” said Lozoff. “We were the biggest outlet in the United States, and they were talking to us – that recipe, with crème de cassis went on the back of bottles, and at one point our recipe made it on the back of the gold bottle.”

But don't take his word for it. Watch this video to hear the story being related straight from the mouths of those who lived it at the Trident:

The video states that the creme de cassis was removed for simplicity sake. Was Lozoff's version based on the above listed recipe from the Agua Caliente? Who really knows. Does it really matter? I'll leave that up to you. 

Add to the mix the Eagles song entitled Tequila Sunrise, which ironically isn't about the cocktail but about just drinking tequila until the sun rises. Nonetheless, the popularity of the song just further made the cocktail one of the go-to drinks of the 1970's. On to the cocktail itself. 

I decided to make the cocktail based on the current version that is found in cocktail books. Here is the cocktail and the recipe I used:

I followed the advice of David Wondrich by using freshly squeezed orange juice as opposed to using store bought OJ. While I've had the Tequila Sunrise in the past, I can't say that I've had one as light and tasty as the one I made for myself. I would certainly think that using the Espolon Reposado and fresh OJ over Jose Cuervo and store bought OJ made a big difference in the cocktail. It was simply delicious. 

The cocktail was light. The flavor of the tequila stood out without being too sweet, even with the presence of the grenadine. Always go fresh when you can with your juices folks. Here are my thoughts right after tasting the Tequila Sunrise from the SiscoVanilla YouTube Channel:

So for my next post I stay in the 1970's with the Harvey Wallbanger. I'll be posting my thoughts on that cocktail soon. Keep an eye out for it. And with that I leave 

Until Then Happy Drinking,
SiscoVanilla

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SiscoVanilla Has An Algonquin Cocktail Part I

For today's Old Man Drinks cocktail challenge, I decided to go to the beginning with the first cocktail recipe listed in the book: The Algonquin Cocktail. Now many of you might believe that this cocktail was named after the famed (or infamous depending on your POV) Algonquin Roundtable aka the Vicious Circle.

Starting in 1919, this daily lunch group was made up of such World War I luminaries as Dorothy Parker, Harold Ross, Robert Benchley, Franklin Pierce Adams, Heywood Broun, Ruth Hale, Alexander Woollcott, Harpo Marx,  George S. Kaufman, Marc Connelly, Edna Ferber, and Robert Sherwood among the many. This daily lunch date lasted for roughly 10 years. In reality, as per Old Man Drinks author Robert Schnakenberg the cocktail was actually named after the host of the Algonquin Round Table: The Algonquin Hotel.

For more on the Algonquin Round Table, I recommend you check out my October 28, 2013 post the Dorothy Parker-Collins and the post The Vicious Circle: Who’s Who of the Algonquin Round Table by John Calhoun from June 2, 1014 for more information

The New York City Landmark Algonquin Hotel opened on November 22, 1902 at its current location (59 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036). As the story goes, the original name for the hotel was The Puritan. Clerk and future owner Frank Case convinced then ownership to change the name of the hotel to The Algonquin after the Native American Algonquin tribes that populated the New York City area before the arrival of the Europeans.

In terms of the cocktail, according to David Wondrich in his Esquire Magazine article Algonquin from October 5, 2007, there have been many attempts to name a cocktail The Algonquin with one particular cocktail being made with Rum, Blackberry Brandy and Benedictine. The version in the Old Man Drinks book made with Rye Whiskey, Dry Vermouth and Pineapple seems to be the standard and more popular version of the cocktail, though the number of ounces for each ingredient differs from what I have found online, the basic ratio of 2-1-1 remains the same. Here is how I made it:

Algonquin Cocktail
2oz Bulleit Rye Whiskey
1oz Martini Extra Dry Vermouth
1oz Pineapple Juice

Stir with ice in shaker (if you want it to be frothy, shake it baby,) pour into chilled glass.

While the Old Man Drinks refer to this drink being tart and Wondrich refers to it being spicy, I found it to be neither. I actually found it to be rather flat. As if something was missing from it. While you could feel the booze, you couldn't taste it in the least. I couldn't taste the spiciness that Rye Whiskey seems to bring to a cocktail. Here are my thoughts on the Algonquin:

I think what I'll do is make one with the classic old man of Rye Whiskey: Old Overholt. 

With that I'll leave you with the following drawing of the Algonquin Round Table by famed caricaturist Al Hershfield. 

Until Then Happy Drinking,
SiscoVanilla

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SiscoVanilla Has a 🥃 Scotch and Soda 🥃

As some of you might know, I'm in the middle of reading Dashiell Hammett's The Thin Man. I'm also in the middle of a cocktail book challenge with the Old Man Drinks: Recipes, Advice and Barstool Wisdom by Robert Schnakenberg. So here is a combination post utilizing one cocktail common to both books: The Scotch and Soda.

The book the Thin Man is based during the Prohibition era since there are instances where the main characters Nick and Nora Charles are spending time in speakeasies while in New York City. If you've watched any of the Thin Man movies, you know that there is drinking a-plenty but with the source material, the only real cocktail mentioned is the scotch and soda. For the post, I wanted to use a Scotch Whisky that you would have found during Prohibition. I chose to use Dewar's White Label.

Referring to my newly acquired Schweppes Guide to Scotch by Philip Morrice, the Dewar whisky business was established 1846 by John Dewar. His sons John Alexander Dewar and Thomas Dewar would become a partners in the firm in 1879 and 1885 respectively. It would be the sons that would be the driving force in making Dewar's a recognized name.

While John Alexander was the strength behind the scenes, Thomas was the face of the company going around the world to successfully advertise and build the brand through brash advertising such as the use of bagpipers at a trade show to drown out all the other vendors. Which might seem tame by today's standards but in the late 1880's, it just wasn't someone did. But it worked. By 1893 Dewar's was granted Queen Victoria's Royal Warrant for the supply of whisky to the household of the royal family. Dewar's White Label would be introduced in 1899

Here is the recipe used from the Old Man Drinks book:

Now the only difference between the recipe in the book and the one I used was the lime twist. I didn't have any limes at the house so I decided to forgo the twist. So what did I think about the cocktail?

Well...I'll start by saying that Dewar's White Label is no Dewar's 12. I say that since I've had Dewars 12 and enjoyed it straight up, on the rocks and in the Blood and Sand Cocktail. I wish I could say the same about the White Label. The smoky, peaty, scotchiness of the spirit came out had on the palate. That's cool if you like that sort of thing. But I found it to be a bit harsh and not enjoyable in the least. One is more than enough. Here were my actual impressions after having tasted the White Label and Soda:

My friend Amanda, the Editor in Chief of the Alcohol Professor recommended using the Toki Whisky by Suntory and Monkey Shoulder Whisky in my next highball. While I don't readily have the Toki at hand, I do have the Monkey Shoulder Whisky available at Finn's Corner (660 Washington Avenue, Corner of Bergen Brooklyn NY 347-663-9316) I'll make a Monkey Shoulder and soda next time I'm in at Finn's, which is next Tuesday.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
SiscoVanilla

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SiscoVanilla Drinks The Grumpier Old Man April 25,2018

As I mentioned in my last post SiscoVanilla Drinks The Grumpy Old Man, the author of the Old Man Drinks book Robert Schnakenberg recommends the following tweak to the Grumpy Old Man Cocktail:

Most recipes suggest you ratchet up the decrepitude even further by using Old Grand-Dad high-proof bourbon. Swap in some sour mix for the ginger ale, and you've got yourself a Grumpier Old Man. Come to think of it, that much sour mix would make a young man grumpy, too.

That's exactly what I did. So here is a bonus drink from the Old Man Drinks Cocktail Challenge:

👴 Grumpier Old Man 👴

2oz Old Grand-Dad 100 Proof Bourbon
1oz Fresh Lime Juice
Sour Mix Top

Pour Bourbon over ice in old fashioned glass. Add lime juice and top with sour mix.

Before I go into what I thought of the drink, Finn's Corner (660 Washington Avenue, corner of Bergen Street, Brooklyn NY 347-663-9316) carries the 100 proof Old Grand-Dad Bourbon as opposed to the 114 proof Old Grand-Dad. Now I'm not sure if the extra overproof would have made any difference in my POV, but for the purposes of transparency just wanted to be clear on which Old Grand-Dad we used.  On to the Grumpier Old Man.

Whomever came up with the idea to "ratchet up the decrepitude even further" is one sick puppy. Where I found the Grumpy Old Man cocktail to be quite palatable, this drinks was as puckered as the prickly old dude from Monster House. 

And that's saying something since I actually don't mind a tart cocktail. But this was just torturous. Don't believe me? Check out my YouTube video SiscoVanilla Drinks A Grumpier Old Man 04/24/2018 I think the look on my face speaks for itself. LOL.

I won't be trying that cocktail again. The Grumpy Old Man, yes. No need to get any Grumpier.

I won't be working at Finn's Corner next week. I'll be hopefully be doing some networking at a book release party. Let's see how that goes. 

Until Then Happy Drinking,

SiscoVanilla

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SiscoVanilla Drinks The Grumpy Old Man April 23, 2018

After a long work week, its time to start the Old Man Drinks Cocktail Challenge. Kind of feeling like a Grumpy Old Man so it would seem apropos that the first cocktail I pull out of the book is The Grumpy Old Man.

The cocktail is very simple and straight forward like most of the cocktails in the book. Here is the recipe:

Grumpy Old Man
2oz Knob Creek 100 proof Bourbon
1oz Fresh Lime Juice
Ginger Ale top

Pour Bourbon over ice. Then pour lime juice and top with Ginger Ale.

I really have to admit that this is one tasty cocktail. I find that the fresh lime juice is the game changer. It gives the cocktail a nice light feel both on the palate and on the nose. It smells amazing. But a few of these with the Knob Creek 100 proof bourbon is liable to put you on your ass, so be careful about sucking these down too fast. 

Here is the YouTube video I made taste testing the cocktail:

If you want to ramp up the cocktail, the author of the Old Man Drinks book Robert Schnakenberg recommends the following tweak:

Most recipes suggest you ratchet up the decrepitude even further by using Old Grand-Dad high-proof bourbon. Swap in some sour mix for the ginger ale, and you've got yourself a Grumpier Old Man. Come to think of it, that much sour mix would make a young man grumpy, too. 

Guess I have a bonus cocktail to work with Tuesday at Finn's Corner (660 Washington Avenue, corner of Bergen Street, Brooklyn NY 347-663-9316)

Until Then Happy Drinking,

SiscoVanilla

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SiscoVanilla Reads and Drinks From Old Man Drinks April 23, 2018

As I posted yesterday among a variety of my social media outlets, I'm reading the cocktail book Old Man Drinks: Recipes, Advice and Barstool Wisdom by Robert Schnakenberg. The book is a real pisser. The anecdotes given by the old dudes in the book are hilarious. Plus each recipe has a historical reference or tidbit. I highly recommend you give it a read.

So I've decided to give myself a challenge here. I'm going to try and make myself each and every drink in the book. Now some of the cocktails might be a bit difficult to make due to hard to find ingredients. But I'll do my best to recreate each and every cocktail. Not sure if I'm going to go in alphabetical order since I've already profiled a number of the recipes.

Look forward to trying some of the Old Man Drinks...now get off my lawn. 😉

Until Then Happy Drinking,

SiscoVanilla

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