Contemporary cocktail enthusiasts take pride in resurrecting forgotten cocktails of the past — unless “the past” refers to the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, or 90s. We sometimes refer to these decades as the Dark Ages of Mixology, eras not yet recovered from the violence Prohibition and a World War inflicted on American cocktail culture. The classic Martini, a flavorful blend of gin and vermouth, had morphed into a glass of cold, diluted vodka. Other drinks were just too sweet, too fruity, too big, too silly.
But still, it wasn’t all bad. People ordered these drinks for a reason. Despite the now annual “burial” of a disfavored drink at Tales of the Cocktail, not all of them deserve to die. Perhaps, as they said of the Six Million Dollar Man, we can rebuild them. We have the technology. So the theme of this month’s Mixology Monday is Retro Redemption! Your task is to revive a drink from mixology’s lost decades. Perhaps you feel one of these drinks has a bad rap; tell us why it deserves another shot. Or maybe the original concoction just needs a little help from contemporary ingredients and techniques to make it in the big leagues. If so, tell us how to update it.
Post your cocktail recipe on Monday, November 21, along with a photo, the Mixology Monday logo, and a link back to this site and the Mixology Monday homepage. Then post a link to your post in the comments here or send me an email at feedback@jacobgrier.com. Don’t have a blog? Feel free to send me your photo and recipe and I’ll collect it in a second post.
I look forward to seeing what you all come up with.
Update 11/21/11: You may notice a glitch trying to comment but your comment should go through. Please refresh the page to check.
Jacob Grier is a freelance writer, bartender, cocktail consultant, and magician in Portland, Oregon. He writes, eats, and drinks a lot. His articles have appeared in the print or online editions of The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, The Los Angeles Times, Reason, The Oregonian, and other publications. His book on beer cocktails, Cocktails on Tap, is forthcoming from Stewart, Tabori, and Chang in 2015. [Photo by David L. Reamer.]
Greetings, thanks for hosting Jacob.
Here is my contribution for this mxmo !
http://usthen.tumblr.com/post/13036105190/daisy-shell-ocho-blanco-tequila-lime-orange?ref=nf
santé et bon vent !
Jacob, here is our submission:
http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2011/11/pink-squirrel.html
Thank you for hosting!
Awesome theme, couldn’t have come at a better time. Here’s my contribution:
http://bit.ly/sffX5o
Hey Jacob. Here’s a Sea Breeze:
http://foggedinlounge.blogspot.com/2011/11/mxmo-lxiii-north-sea-breeze.html
Jacob…great call on the theme, looking forward to all the new spins from everyone – here’s mine, a renovated Mudslide-
http://theventuremixologist.blogspot.com/2011/11/welcome-to-jungle.html
Jacob- loved the theme this month! Here’s my drink- Tail of the Lizard:
http://stirandstrain.com/2011/11/21/mixology-monday-cola-de-lagarto-return-of-the-lizard-tail/
Thanks for hosting this month Jacob! Here’s my drink, “Mr. Wallbanger, I presume?”
http://housemade.ca/2011/11/mr-wallbanger-i-presume/
Jacob,
Great theme! Thanks for hosting. My submission, the “Hairy Headbanger Cocktail” is available here:
Thanks,
Marc
Jacob,
Great theme! Thanks for hosting. My submission, the “Hairy Headbanger Cocktail” is available here:
http://www.adrinkerspeace.com/post.xql?id={E154E180-F5BE-4255-A06B-360E7E8F1073}
URL if tag above does not work: http://www.adrinkerspeace.com/post.xql?id={E154E180-F5BE-4255-A06B-360E7E8F1073}
Thanks,
Marc
Thanks for hosting, here is my sentimental entry:
http://www.wordsmithingpantagruel.com/2011/11/mxmo-lxiii-retro-redemption-sloe.html
Thank you for hosting! I hate history, but dug into my psyche for a reason to remember at least one cocktail worth reviving:
http://feliciaspeakeasy.blogspot.com/2011/11/reviving-apricot-sour.html
Love the theme. Excited to see the roundup. Here is my submission.
http://adrinkontherocks.com/cocktails/mxmo-lxiii-retro-redemption/
I decided to tackle the Long Island Iced Tea and am actually pretty happy with the results.
http://cocktailchem.blogspot.com/2011/11/mixology-monday-lxiii-redemption-of.html
The Appletini is dead! Long live the Appletini!
(with a hat-tip to Dave Arnold–)
Thanks for hosting!
Hi Jacob,
thanks of hosting the mixology monday… I have made my contribution [sorry I am late, but there is a glitch in my publishing program, so it took a bit more time.
Please check on: http://www.opinionated-alchemist.com/the_opinionated_alchemist/the_opinionated_bar-log/Entries/2011/11/21_MxMo_LXIII__Scarlet_O’hara_arrived_in_the_21st_century.html
Thanks again and best regards
dominik mj
Jacob,
Thanks for hosting! Sorry this is coming in late….
http://1022south.blogspot.com/2011/11/mxmo-retro-redemption.html