Beyonce's Whiskey Renaissance
Plus Old Timey Drinks
The world woke up this morning to the news that Beyonce has launched her own whiskey. People Magazine took it upon themselves to write a whole article in which they repeatedly spelled whiskey wrong.
On Aug. 20, the "Cowboy Carter" singer, 42, announced her venture into the liquor industry with SirDavis Whisky.
The 32-time Grammy Award winner, who's a Japanese whisky lover, worked alongside Moët Hennessy for “years” to create the American whisky, which pays homage her home state of Texas and her family, per a press release.
“I’ve always been drawn to the power and confidence I feel when drinking quality whisky and wanted to invite more people to experience that feeling,” the “Freedom” singer said in a statement.
BUT, I had no idea this is how they spell it in Scotland, Canada and Japan. And this is how the Sir Davis website is spelling it, so in fact, People.com was correct and the rest of the PR was wrong.
I am weary of celebrity labels, but I believe in Beyonce’s ability to make a good product. I mean…..
There are 9 cocktails on the website for use with Sir Davis. Many have honey in them, which I am surprised as Bey is a vegan. However, I will not get into the “honey is not vegan argument” here- I have a severe honey allergy so it’s a hard no for me anyhow. Shipping and taxes are an extra $25, but it will be available at airports so if I am going to spend $30 on snacks and water, I might as well spend $90 on whiskey! I like to live large at the airport.
Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book
I love old cookbooks and recipes, especially old cocktail recipes. They tend to be off the rails, and when I came across “The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book” by Frank Caiafa at the library, it did not disappoint.
First, the book apologizes for the names of these drinks, and they are found in the last section of the book entitled “Pousse-Cafes of the Old Bar.” A pousse-cafe is a layered drink composed of different color liquours, typically served after the coffee course. (First of all, who are these people who can eat a large meal, drink a cup of coffee, and then have a cocktail with multiple liquors? Do they not sleep? I went out two nights in a row this week, and by out, I mean home by 9, and I am wiped. Would 25-year-old me have been able to do this? I was living in Manhattan at 25, but I did not have the funds to drink at the Waldorf. Perhaps if you are young and wealthy…..)
Pousse-cafes do sound intriguing though, especially in this age of TikTok where content like that gets attention. Anyhow, here are some of the concoctions:
We start with “Angel’s Blush”: 1 oz of Benedictine with 1/3 oz of heavy cream. What a nice name. Next, we move onto “Angel’s Tit.” I hate the term “tits,” and I don’t want to think about angels having tits, but this drink is heavy cream with Luxardo maraschino liqueur. But wait it gets worse, because next we have a “Baby Titty.” Ewww. Women were not naming these drinks. We also have “Come Up Some Time” which sounds a little rapey. It also contains heavy cream so me and my lactose intolerance will not be coming up sometime after drinking that.
There is a section called “Hot with Flames,” which is not just lighting the top of the drink on fire. It is throwing flames from barkeep to barkeep. Fun! Finally, there is a drink called “Ammonia.” Mmmmmmm, ammonia. This is a hangover cure, which I will need after my large dinner, coffee and layered cocktail. Aromatic spirits of ammonia are not the same as the cleaning agent. It is an old over-the-counter preparation that was sold by pharmacists over 100 years ago. It was often mixed with Coca-Cola, back when it had real cocaine in it because it tasted terrible. You can still find it today.
No recipe this week as I am recovering from a mild concussion, and drinking alcohol is frowned upon. However, I have some ideas brewing for using cantaloupe. This is one of the last weeks this publication will be free. I will still be offering one free post a month, and you can always follow me on Instagram to see what’s up in my garden here:
.Cheer,
Anne