LEISURE LETTER 25: DRINK LIKE A DANDY
The choice of liquor. The mix. The way they held the glass. Or maybe it was them that made the drink look downright cool? Whatever it was really doesn't matter.
Without further ado, here’s a cocktail recipe roundup of 1960s and 1970s Dandies, whether inspired or drunken by them, this list will only heighten your summer experience.
PAUL NEWMAN | KEEP IT SIMPLE OR GET CLASSY
SHOP THE LOOK
We nailed down two choices for the Cool Hand Luke actor. Newman was known as a beer man. He always did play the everyman. We also have a sophisticated cocktail that stems from his philanthropic side.
BEER FOR SUMMER:
-Your choice of beer (Newman is pictured here double-fisting four, chilled St. Pauli Girls). Newman was also known to knock back the classics like Budweiser, Coors, and Heinekens as well.
-Take an extra step and chill bottles or cans in a cooler of ice to get that frosted bite to the beer. You and your crew won’t regret it.
THE SUNDANCE KID:
Newman had charity events for Newman’s Own Foundation throughout his years and beyond. At one of those events, a recipe for The Sundance Kid (named after his cohort, Robert Redford) was born.
1 slice of orange wheel
5 mint sprigs Ice 3/4 ounces simple syrup
1 ounce lime juice
1 1/2 ounces rum
Muddle the orange wheel and mint sprigs. Then add ice, simple syrup, lime juice and rum.
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STEVE McQUEEN| THE BULLITT
SHOP THE LOOK
It’s hard to beat McQueen in the cool factor. So for this we take the wheel with this recipe, which is inspired by his breakout film — Bullitt.
THE BULLITT:
1 Shot of Bulleit Rye
1/4 Ounces of Sweet Vermouth
1 Dash of Angostura Bitters
1 Dash of Peychaud's Bitters
1/4 Ounce of Cognac
1 Cherry
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JACK NICHOLSON | FIRST OF THE DAY
SHOP THE LOOK
Nicholson made some unknown films ahead of Easy Rider, but it was our real, first introduction to this crazed and fun as hell actor. As a tribute to his lawyer character, George Hanson, who we meet drinking Jim Beam straight in the morning, let’s go a little lighter.
FIRST OF THE DAY:
1 Shot of Jim Beam Bourbon, White
1 ounce of fresh lemon juice
Crushed Ice
Club Soda
A Slice of Lemon
A Sprig of Rosemary
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FAYE DUNAWAY | TOM "CHINATOWN" COLLINS
Dunaway more than keeps up with Nicholson in the classic film Chinatown. As a perfect femme fatale would do, she asserts herself, even in ordering a drink,” a Tom Collins with lime, not lemon.”
TOM "CHINATOWN" COLLINS
1 3/4 ounce, Gin
1/2 ounce of Simple Syrup
3/4 ounce of Lime Juice
2 ounces of Club Soda
1 slice of lime
Combine in a shaker. Pour into a highball glass filled with ice. Spritz the top with Club Soda and garnish with a slide of lime, Dunaway Style.
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DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON | SINGAPORE SLING
A madman, novelist and journalist with an appetite for the extreme and exotic. One of his favorite cocktails appears in his novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and it just makes perfect sense.
THE SINGAPORE SLING:
1 1/2 ounce Bombay Sapphire Gin
1/2 ounce Cherry Heering
1/4 ounce Cointreau liqueur
1/4 ounce Benedictine
4 ounces pineapple juice
1/2 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce grenadine
1 dash bitters
Shake the concoction with ice and strain it into a glass. Garnish with a cherry and slice of pineapple or grapefruit.
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