April is the cruelest month

"April is the cruelest month" states Shakespere. Galileo Galilei would find this out and more - for on this day in 1633 the formal inquest by the Spanish Inquisition would begin against him.

The printing of Galileo's book, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (see the Feb 22 post of this blog), caused Galileo to be found guilty of heresy by the Inquisition and was sent to his home near Florence where he would remain under house arrest for the rest of his life.

The Historical Inebriant:  The Galileo
http://www.idrink.com/v.html?id=48163



Ingredients:

• 1/2 oz  Galliano
• 1/2 oz  Triple Sec
• 1/2 oz Vodka
• 10  oz Orange Juice
• Dash of Grenadine

Put galliano, vodka, triple sec, orange juice, grenadine and lime in your shaker, and shake vigoriously and strain in a tall glass.

To my Canadian/William and Mary alum/Librarian friends.

As you all know (now), April is National Poetry Month (it's also the cruelest month but we'll leave that for another day) so fair warning about my breaking out the beret and the turtleneck. But fear not, drinking and poetry do mix.

On this day in 1934 the Canadian-born poet Mark Strand was born.  Strand is the writer of one of my favorite lighthearted poems (apologies to librarians everywhere) so take a moment to read it here:

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/237702

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Also, on this day in 1775, the last execution for witchcraft occurred in Germany.

The Historical Inebriant:  The Witch Hunt
http://cocktails.about.com/od/whiskeyrecipes/r/Witch-Hunt.htm



Ingredients:

• 1 oz  Scotch
• 1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
• 1/4 oz Strega Herbal Liqueur
• 1 oz Lemonade

Pour ingredients into an old fashioned glass over crushed ice.

Btw, the drink gets its name from the use of Strega - which means witch in Italian.

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Also, on this day in 1689, William III and Mary II are crowned as joint sovereigns of Britain.

The College of William and Mary was founded in Virginia in 1693.  It educated the Presidents 

Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler and is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the U.S. after Harvard University.  It's also mentioned in song.

First you take a drink...

On this day in 1925, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was first published. The characters in it were endlessly partying and endlessly drunk and perhaps still the most quoted Fitzgerald line remains  "First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you."

F. Scott Fitzgerald's struggle with alcohol was widely documented, with none better than his own short story "The Crack Up" in which I believe contains some of the best opening lines of any short story written. You can view it here:  http://www.esquire.com/features/the-crack-up

For Fitzgerald, there was only one drink -

The Historical Inebriant:  The Gin Rickey
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6624971



Ingredients:

• 2 oz  Gin
• 3/4 oz Lime Juice
• Club Soda

Pour gin and lime juice into a chilled highball glass filled with ice cubes. Top with club soda, and stir gently. Garnish with lime wheel. Serve with two straws.

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On a side note, on this day in 1912, the unsinkable Titanic left England on her first and only voyage.

Joyeux Anniversaire La Louisiane

On this day in 1682 – Robert Cavelier de La Salle, whose exploration of the new world began in Montreal, discovered the mouth of the Mississippi River and claimed it and the entire Mississippi river basin for France, naming it La Louisiane in honor of Louis XIV.

La Louisiane remains alive and well today in the cities of Lafayette, Baton Rouge and New Orleans as well as the smaller towns up and down the Mississippi River.  The rich heritage of language, cuisine and music (April is Jazz Appreciation Month) has been enjoyed by generations of Americans (I think the French are still holding a grudge).

The Historical Inebriant:  Brandy Milk Punch
http://www.gumbopages.com/food/beverages/milk-punch2.html 

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 ounces Brandy.
• 2 teaspoons simple syrup.
• 2 dashes vanilla extract.
• 4 ounces whole milk or half-and-half (half whole milk, half cream)
• Nutmeg

Combine liquid ingredents in a shaker with cracked ice and shake like hell for half a minute, until very cold and very frothy. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice, and top with some grated nutmeg. 

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On a side note:

On this day in 1860, Frenchman Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville makes the oldest known recording of an audible human voice on his phonautograph machine.  The countdown to YouTube had begun.

Long Friday

Today is Good Friday, the beginning of Passover and a full moon.  Accordingly, I am hoping for more room at the bar tonight and no need for dinner reservations tomorrow.  As you can see, I am always an optimist!  But speaking of food...

Please take a look at my blog page on the benefit for the Lower Fairfield County foodbank.  My good friends know this charity as the beneficiary of last year's Rapture Day happy hour pool (we each bet on the exact time (EST) the rapture would occur).  Amazingly, the rapture never came - no one won the pool and the foodbank made out!

This year's tasting is on April 26th and it's $50 for the opportunity to sample the wares of 50 of the areas best restaurants, caterers and beverage purveyors!  Also, 100% of the proceeds go to the foodbank.  I do hope to see you all there!

By the way, the pool for the end of days (2012) will be starting in the fall, giving you all plenty of time to pick the exact hour (again EST) when Last Call on Earth will sound (12/21/12) and we'll all go to that never ending happy hour in the sky.  On the very, very slight chance that the world does not end, the foodbank will be getting another visit from me.  In the meantime, let's drink!

The Historical Inebriant:  Seder Sour
http://www.distillery209.com/cocktails/refreshing/seder-sour


Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz  No. 209 Kosher for Passover Gin
• 1/2 oz Warmed Honey
• 1/8 oz Kosher for Passover Horseradish 
• 1 oz Lemon Juice
• Soda Water
• Tiny Pinch of Kosher Salt

Add all the ingredients into a mixing tin. Either shake or stir the contents without ice to make sure the honey dissolves into the solution. Add crushed ice, cover and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini glass, top with a dash of soda water, and garnish with a sprig of parsley.

Whatever your persuasion, I hope you have a wonderful and safe weekend!  See you next week!

Vujà Dé?

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition...in Finland!
Déjà vu? Recurring nightmare? Madness in Sparta? Perhaps.

Finland, like Russia, had a long history of alcohol abuse. So severe that there were four attempts to pass prohibition legislation before it was finally adopted in June of 1919 (ours began in January of the following year). I can totally understand though, what else is there to do in a country where there is snow on the ground for 7 months out of the year and you don't see the sun for 7 weeks at a time.

As with the United States, problems began to surface shortly after the start of Finland's prohibition. Illegal stills popped up everywhere dispensing a crude mixture that was sometimes fatal to drink. Crime rates went up and arrests for drunkenness increased by 500% (as in the US, alcohol was always available if you knew where to go). Also, with the world-wide economic slowdown in full swing, Finland started to feel the loss of tax revenue from the ban of alcohol sales.

By 1932, the public opinion of Finland regarding the ban had changed and on April 5th of that year over 70% of the residents voted to repeal it. Amazingly, their experiment lasted for 13 years, the same length as the American prohibition.

The Historical Inebriant:  Finnish Gin Long Drink
http://fredfryinternational.blogspot.com/2008/09/lonkero-finnish-gin-long-drink-recipe.html


Ingredients:

• 2 Shots Gin
• Grapefruit Soda (Trader Joe's)
• Splash of tonic water

Pour into a whiskey sour glass, and serve.  This drink was originally developed for the 1952 Summer Olympics (held in Helsinki) and in Finland it comes in a mix - but this is a close approximation.

For more information on the FGLD:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-01-10/travel/sc-trav-0110-food-helsinki-20120110_1_sokos-hotel-torni-cocktail-sour-oranges

Did you know:

Russia, Iceland and Norway are countries that also played the prohibition game.

The earliest recorded ban on alcohol was in China during the Xia Dynasty (2070 BC).

City of Angels

On this day in 1850, Los Angeles is incorporated as a city in the California Republic (California would not be admitted into the union until September 9th of that year). The population of the city at that time was well under 4,000 people.

That was then, and this is now.  The 2010 census list LA's current population at a cool 3.7 million people, making it the second largest city in the US behind New York City and as of 2008 it was the third largest economic center of the world.  

The glittering city is known for great sports teams, a home to the music industry, and of course the red carpets of Hollywood.

The Historical Inebriant:  The Los Angeles
http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink4899.html


Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz Blended Whiskey
• 1/4 oz Sweet Vermouth
• 1 tsp Powdered Sugar
• 1 Whole Egg

Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a whiskey sour glass, and serve.

Free Friuli!

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Friuli found itself ruled by Odoacer, but in 488,  the Byzantine Emperor Zeno sent Theodoric – who would eventually hold the titles of King of the Ostrogoths, ruler of Italy, regent of the Visigoths, and viceroy of the Eastern Roman Empire, to the region.

Three years later Theodoric would kill Odoacer with his own hands and re-established Roman rule and prosperity to the land.  By 568 however, Friuli would be taken over by the Lombards who invaded from nearby Pannonia and In 774, Charlemagne would invade and unseat the Lombards bringing new ideas and political systems with him.

On 3 April 1077, the The Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV granted the county of Friuli, with full ducal status, to the Patriarch of Aquileia. Friuli had one of the first parliaments in the world, having not only the voice of the church and nobility, but also of common people.  Unfortunately, it was unseated by the conqueror Napoleon in 1805. 

The Historical Inebriant:  Liberation Libation
http://liquor.com/recipes/liberation-libation/



Ingredients:

• Cinnamon
• Sugar
• 2 oz Vermont Gold Vodka
• .5 oz Maple Syrup
• 1.5 oz Sparkling Apple Cider

Combine equal parts cinnamon and sugar on a shallow plate and use to coat the rim of a cocktail glass. Add the vodka and maple syrup to a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir, and strain into the prepared glass. Top with the cider.

Noteworthy:
Established In 1953,  the newspaper Ente Friuli nel Mondo (Friulians in the World) was established to assist Friulians in foreign countries.

While several languages are spoken in Friuli, a movement has begun to establish Friulian as the official language, their goal, a free and native speaking Friuli.

Free Friuli!

Festival of Flowers

In 1513 Ponce de Leon was living in Puerto Rico where he had recently served as Governor.  He had explored, colonized and governed lands in the name of Spain and King Ferdinand for years and when rumors of the existence of unexplored islands to the northwest reached Spain, de Leon was asked to explore them.

On March 4th 1513, Ponce de Leon and 200 men sailed from Puerto Rico with three ships, the Santiago, the San Cristobal and the Santa Maria de la Consolacion (sounds vaguely familiar doesn't it). On April 2nd they sighted land and thought it was one of the rumored islands.  Easter season in Spain is called Pascua Florida (Festival of Flowers) and Ponce de Leon named the land La Florida.

         The Historical Inebriant:  Florida Punch
     http://www.esquire.com/drinks/florida-punch-drink-recipe


Ingredients:

• 1 1/2oz  Dark Rum
• 3/4 oz Cognac
• 1 1/2 Grapefruit Juice
• 1 1/2 Orange Juice

Shake well with cracked ice, then strain into a Collins glass filled with cracked ice. Garnish with a plastic flamingo or palm tree.

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On this day in 1990 Nirvana recorded a demo at Smart Studios in Madison, WI.   They would use the demo which included the songs “Lithium”, “In Bloom” and “Polly” to try to land their first major label deal. Their album Nevermind was released the following year by DCG Records.