Cool drinks from hot films
On this day in 1897, Thomas Edison – that mixed bag of a man who nevertheless had a few good ideas – patented the Kinetoscope; a camera that could produce moving pictures. Since then, moving pictures have grown into one of the major cultural forces in our world, popularising hairstyles and ideologies with equal amounts of glitzy flimflammery.
They have certainly influenced how and what we drink. After a cardigan-clad Jeff Bridges downed copious white Russians in The Big Lebowski (or ‘‘caucasians’’, as the Dude refers to them in the film) the creamy, coffee-flavoured drink saw a resurgence I don’t think anyone saw coming.
On the flipside, we all remember the disastrous effects for merlot when Paul Giamatti’s character railed against it in the film Sideways.
Some drinks capture the imagination. Sometimes it is not so much the drinks themselves as their pop culture context.
I must have seen The Blues Brothers almost a hundred times as a kid, but it wasn’t until years later that I realised the orange whip John Candy orders three of was a drink. It is basically a boozy orange milkshake. Why it was so funny even when I didn’t know what it was is part of why John Candy was so great. Orange whip
30ml light rum
30ml vodka
60ml cream
120ml orange juice
Blend all the ingredients together in a blender until very frothy and then pour into a tall collins glass filled with ice. Perfect for taking in a show before taking on your felons.
Apparently aqua velva takes its name from the inexpensive aftershave because that was the tipple of choice amongst American sailors who could only get their hands on high-proof toiletries while at sea. I had never heard of it until Jake Gyllenhaal’s character was sat at the bar with one in Zodiac. The fluoro-blue drink sticks out like the fish-out-of-water Robert Graysmith among the hard-living crime reporters.
Aqua velva
40ml vodka
40ml gin
25ml blue curacao
Lemonade
Add the first three ingredients to an ice-filled shaker and and shake like you’re Bryan Brown showing Tom Cruise the ropes. Pour into a hurricane glass over ice and top up with lemonade. Garnish excessively with a cherry and lemon wedge, preferably skewered by a paper umbrella. The gibson was another drink I was introduced to through film. Although not mentioned by name it features prominently in the iconic scene when Bette Davis declares they are in for ‘‘a bumpy night’’. Watching her I wondered a) how anyone could ever be that devastatingly cool and b) why was there an onion in her martini? I never figured out the first question but the second led me to discover my favouritest cocktail of all time. Cheers Bette!
Gibson martini
45 ml gin
30 ml dry vermouth Add all the ingredients to an ice-filled shaker or mixing glass and stir. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a cocktail onion
(or three).