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Recently we visited one of my aunts out in San Francisco, who greeted us enthusiastically with “So glad you’re here. Let’s have some cocktails!”
Relatives Can Be Fun
Back in the day, my aunt was known to drive around the Bay Area in her red convertible Thunderbird, sporting giant sunglasses and a hairdo to match. Her parties were always filled with fashionable people and fashionable cocktails. She was the one who introduced me to the Manhattan and the Stinger.
Being a lightweight in cocktail land (my limit is quickly reached!), I was not sure what to ask for. Her bar was as well stocked as most I have seen. We settled on “Apple-tinis” and sat down to listen to some great stories from a time when fashion did not mean exposing your thing and pudenda.
Wine v. Cocktails… and the winner is….
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She confided in me that my cousin and his wife aren’t interested in cocktails. “They’re wine people,” she said, “but we’re cocktail people. I don’t get wine.”
Being an American and a “wine person” is a new-ish thing, except for those who were raised with European parents or in Europe. American wine has only recently come into its own, and wine lists across the decades bear witness to this relatively recent demand for good wine for the masses.
Cocktails on the other hand have been kicking around the continent since the Declaration of Independence. It is in our nature to mix things up. The cocktail is a reflection of who we are: whatever we want to be.
Happy Holidays
We drank out “apple-tinis” and then moved on greater and lesser versions of the Martini. It was fun, although there were a few moments when I felt in need of a big fat cigar.
Cocktails are a great holiday drink. They are colorful, flavorful and fun.
Enjoy some now. Here a few good places to pop in for a cocktail:
Pegu Club – 77 West Houston
MO Bar (Mandarian Oriental), 80 Columbus Circle
Level V (under Vento) @ 675 Hudson Street
Hiro Cocktail Lounge (Maritime Hotel) 88 9th Ave
Prohibition 503 Columbus Ave
Kos 264 Bowery
Tags:
cocktails, holiday cocktails, martinis
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Posted on 12/4/2006
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