(This post originally appeared on BlogHer.com)
Kevin Sbraga , the winner of Top Chef, D.C., prepared the drink, Singapore Sling, re-imagined for 2010 (frozen) as the dessert of his winning menu.
I hadn’t heard the name Singapore Sling in ages. That got me thinking of popular drinks from back in my girlish days. (I don’t drink, so I can’t speak with personal knowledge of these drinks. My husband, who does drink and whose father was a bartender, helped me brainstorm a list.)
The wine that tops my memory list from back in my college days was Mateus Rosé (from Portugal). I remember it because it came in a squat, somewhat oval-shaped green glass bottle and we used the empty bottles to hold candles to create ambience in our dorm rooms and off-campus apartments.
I also remember my classmates partaking of MD 20-20 (the MD stands for Mogen-David but, among its aficionados it was called Mad Dog – a name that is a caution if ever I heard one), Boone’s Farm and Ripple – all cheap wines. There are fan pages devoted to these wines, including Ripple which is no longer produced.
Another drink we quickly remembered was the Sloe Gin Fizz followed by Gin & Tonic, Whiskey Sour, Brandy Alexander and Long Island Ice Tea.
There were no Cosmopolitans or the myriad variations of Martinis now available (Lemontini, Appletini, Dotini* etc.) or numerous flavors of Absolut Vodka. (BTW – the Absolut Vodka advertising campaign built around the shape of it’s bottle began in 1980 and is one of the longest-running marketing campaigns ever.) There were no wine coolers, either, or Sam Adams beer.
The Singapore Sling was popularized, as I remember, at Polynesian-themed restaurants like Trader Vic’s and Kon-Tiki Ports. It was created in the early part of the 20th century.
What drinks do you remember Baby-Boomers and where did you have them?
Related
To see what the Polynesian-themed restaurants in Boston looked like, check out: Tiki style — and drink recipes by Christopher Muther, Boston Globe reporter.
If you’re a fan of the show Mad Men, there’s a link on the AMC site about drinks popular during the 1960s . The Brandy Alexander popped out at me. I was offered a BA at some soiree or other and expected sweetness and light but wasn’t prepared for the Brandy part.
I found this fun site that has photos of a pamphlet called Mixology – 1970 . It features drinks popular in the 1970s.
Long Island Ice Tea
If you’ve ever tasted this drink, you know it packs a punch. The two websites below give two versions of the drink’s history. Some say it was concocted in Long Island New York in the late 1970s. Another version says it was invented in the 1920 in Long Island, Tennessee.
http://www.loving-long-island.com/long-island-ice-tea-history-and-recipe.html
http://www.loving-long-island.com/long-island-ice-tea-more-history.html
Nightclubs from the 70s and 80s in Boston area:
http://www.joejazz.com/vincentsnightclub/disco_dj_2.htm
*Dotini – a drink named for “the Dot “(Dorchester, MA). Link from Lower Dot blog includes recipe.
I appreciate these comments. From http://www.rosesandgifts.com