Try some interesting drinks made famous by classic films
With awards season in full swing, there are two very important things to think over. One, will Leonardo DiCaprio finally win an Oscar? Two, what drinks are you going to prepare for those lengthy award shows?
You could pick up the bottle of red wine you always reach for, but we’d like to recommend you have a little more fun. What better way to celebrate Hollywood cinema than to drink what the stars do?
Movies such as Casablanca, The Big Lebowski, and Casino Royale have made certain drinks stand out among the rest. Why not try one? Or better yet, try them all!
The first, and arguably most notorious film for a specific beverage, is Casino Royale. James Bond must have a liver of steel. If you think you can handle it, try making a Vespers Martini, the drink made famous by the swoon worthy man himself. Here’s the recipe:
- 60 ml gin
- 20 ml vodka
- 10 ml Lillet Blanc or Cocchi Americano
Shake all ingredients in an ice shaker, then pour into a chilled martini glass. Add a lemon twist.
If you’re looking for something sweeter, creamier, and lighter on the stomach, take a page out of the script of Blues Brothers and have an Orange Whip. This drink is sweet, frothy, and easy on the palette. If you want a sweet treat to sip on as you cast your final vote from the couch on Best Actor, this one’s for you. The recipe is:
- 2 oz cream
- 1 oz vodka
- 1 oz rum
- 4 oz orange juice
Combine cream, vodka, rum, and orange juice and blend with a hand blender into a froth like a milkshake. Pour over ice in a glass. If you want to be exactly like the brothers, grab a Collins glass for the authentic experience.
For the fancier folks, the 1943 classic, Casablanca, made famous the French 75. This sophisticated beverage developed in the 1920’s and has several variations. For example, if gin is one step too far for you, leave it out, add a pinch of sugar, and you’ve got a classic “champagne cup.” Here’s the recipe:
- 1/2 oz lemon juice
- 1 oz gin
- 1/2 oz Cointreau orange liqueur
- Champagne
Combine gin, orange liqueur, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into an iced champagne glass. Top up with Champagne. Stir gently.
“For relaxing times, make it Suntory time.” We agree with Bob from Lost In Translation on this one. Suntory Whiskey is a Japanese whiskey made in single malt or blended malt form. Single malt means the whiskey is made from one distillery, one source. The more popular Japanese whiskey is the blended malt, which takes several different whiskies from different distilleries and blends them together.
Whichever your preference, if you’re looking for the perfect dark liquor for a “starry” night, there’s none better than Suntory, according to us and Bob Harris.
A cult classic, The Big Lebowski has a main character who’s a force to be reckoned with and the drink to match. “The Dude” played by Jeff Bridges made famous the powerful and tasty White Russian. He made a lot of questionable judgments, but this wasn’t one of them. The recipe:
- 1.5 oz vodka
- 3/4 oz Kahlua coffee liqueur
- 3/4 oz cream (The Dude uses half and half)
Pour coffee liqueur and vodka into an Old Fashioned glass filled with ice. Float fresh cream on top and stir slowly.
Last but not least is the ever fashionable and glamorous Sex and the City. Carrie and her troop of best friends could never get away from the ever-popular Cosmopolitan. Whether you like it with a twist of lemon or straight up, it's worth the try. As you’re curled up in sweatpants hedging your bets on the Academy Award for Best Picture, add a little sophistication to your evening with this recipe:
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
- 1 oz cranberry juice
- 1/2 oz Cointreau
- 1.5 oz Vodka Citron
Add all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and double strain into large cocktail glass. Garnish with lime wheel.
Now just try to make it through the awards show.
Photo courtesy Polygram Filmed Entertainment