Twickenham Twisters and Armuchee Sunsets: A suggestion for local spirits
Acouple weeks ago a friend of mine whose name is Haley introduced me to an adult beverage that she was drinking and I really enjoyed it.
It was just Malibu rum and pineapple juice. Nothing fancy, just simple and refreshing. I usually drink bourbon but in the summer heat you sometimes want something a little lighter to sip on.
I liked it so much that I told her I’d start promoting it as Rome’s favorite summer cocktail but that it needed a name. You know how all famous cocktails have names — Tom Collins, Manhattan, Alabama Slammer, Moscow Mule, Bloody Mary, Long Island Ice Tea, etc...
Now the mixture of Malibu and pine- apple juice may already have a name (I’m not technically a bartender) but I thought I’d promote it locally and call it an Old East Rome. ‘Cause it would be cool to walk up to a bar and order an Old East Rome.
Then I got to thinking. Rome needs some signature cocktails. We need some drinks that locals and visitors can enjoy that are named for local people and places so we can promote the city and the county and sort of get our name out there.
I’ve come up with a few ideas for drink names that have some local connection. Let’s try to figure out the best mixtures for these names and then start ordering them around town till they’re commonplace.
But here’s the catch: I’m not a bartender so I know NOTHING about what should go together or what would taste good together. And some of these concoctions may already be called something else. So just bear with me on some of these.
Old East Rome — Malibu coconut rum and pineapple juice. If you add a splash of Grenadine to it, it becomes an Armuchee Sunset. Another variation is if you add some cranberry juice instead of the Grenadine.
Twickenham Twister -- I’m thinking this will be either lemonade or Twisted Tea with a splash of some sort of flavored vodka, ‘cause people are a little bit fancy over in The Twick so it has to be something you can sip on for a while and not get too rowdy.
Mill Village -- Brandy, Kahlua and hot coffee. This is a working man’s drink. Perfect to warm up cold hands on a winter night.
Brushy Branch -- Everclear and Sunny Delight. This one will put some hair on your chest.
Broad Street Bum -- Sweet tea, Southern Comfort and a splash of peach liqueur. Chiaha -- Pumpkin beer and apple cider. Put on your scarves and your duck boots and enjoy the perfect fall cocktail.
Sammy Rich -- Bottom shelf whiskey and Diet Dr. Thunder served in a Yeti tumbler.
Turner Mccall -- You’ve got to have plenty of time on your hands to make and enjoy this cocktail. I don’t know what’s in it but it takes forever.
Myrtle Hill -- This cocktail is reminiscent of a cloudy day up at Myrtle Hill Cemetery. You take your favorite whiskey, add lemon juice, sugar syrup and top with a little orange juice or apple juice to give it a cloudy appearance. Then you drink it and toast to those who have gone before us.
101 -- Fireball whiskey mixed with Mountain Dew. Make sure your parents are watching your kids the next day because you WILL be sleeping in.
Spring in your Step — This drink is an homage to the beautiful city of Cave Spring. You start off with fresh, cold spring water, add some watermelon flavored vodka, a splash of lemon-lime soda and you’ve got yourself a cold, refreshing cocktail to sip while sitting on the front porch.
Town Green -- Ginger ale, white rum and mint leaves crushed up. This is something you can sip on while you’re people-watching on Broad Street and your kids are playing with their cousins at the fountain in the Town Green.
Turn Lane — This cocktail calls for any ingredient that people don’t know how to use properly.
Eric Mcjunkin — Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill, moonshine and sliced fruit. You throw it all in a pot and you STIR THAT POT.
House ‘O Dreams — Bourbon, honey, simple syrup and a slice of lemon.
Martha Berry Motel — A Four Loco poured into a child’s unwashed sippy cup.
Lindale Lady — This is a local take on a mint julep, a most southern of cocktails. Bourbon, peach syrup, shaved ice and mint leaves. Sip gently.
Shorter Hill — “I solemnly swear there’s nothing but water in that cup.”
So the next time you go to a bar in Rome, try ordering one of the drinks I’ve suggested above. And feel free to modify any of them to your liking. I can’t promise that any of our local bartenders will have a clue what you’re talking about but just maybe one day Armuchee Sunsets and Old East Romes will be as commonplace as martinis and Moscow Mules.
Internist Anandita Arora, MD, joins Harbin Clinic Family Medicine Rome and will begin seeing patients July 14.
As an Internal Medicine physician, Dr. Arora invests in really getting to know her patients, and her extensive training equips her to deal with a variety of problems that may arise — no matter how simple or how complex.
As a high school sophomore in New Delhi, India, Arora decided to be a doctor. She was known as a girl of many talents, from singing and dancing to literary debates, but biology encompassed so many parts of the world she loved to study.
“My curiosity gravitated me towards biology,” recalls Arora. “I wanted to learn, be involved with people, and be aware of everything that is our being.”
She decided to practice Internal Medicine because she wanted more than procedures. She was fascinated by the way Internal Medicine focuses on three major elements of care:
1. How the body should function — physiology,
2. Why there might be a problem — pathology
3. What to do about it — pharmacology
Relationships also play a major role in Arora’s passion for primary care. “I wanted to be in a field where a person starts at the beginning with you as the first responder, figuring out, ‘What does this patient need?’” she explained. It was this desire to be a part of more than a snapshot of a patient’s life that also led her to a Geriatric fellowship. Because populations now live longer, Arora wanted to be prepared to care for older populations and future generations.
To Arora, primary care is not just about transactional medicine and impersonal treatment. Instead, it requires a multi-sided approach to serve patients best. She also uses a “teach-back method” with patients. Before someone leaves her office, she makes sure that her patient can reiterate back to her all they have learned about their diagnosis and care.
Arora may have chosen to study biology all those years ago, but she still took time to train in two classical Indian dance styles, along with yoga. She also enjoys traveling and spending time with her 2-yearold daughter.
Arora received her medical degree from Bangalore Medical College & Research Institute, India. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine and her fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine at the Detroit Medical Center.