Not poetry, but still...

And then, of course, there's James Thurber, one of my favorite writers:

"One martini is all right. Two are too many, and three are not enough."

Feel free to post more drinking quotes in the comments section.

More Martini Poetry

Here's another, this time the famous one by Dorothy Parker:

I like to have a martini,
Two at the very most.
After three I'm under the table,
After four I'm under my host.

She must have been invited to a lot of parties.

Anybody have any other cocktail poetry?

Cocktail Poetry:

Here's a nice bit from Ogden Nash:

There is something about a Martini,
A tingle remarkably pleasant;
A yellow, a mellow Martini;
I wish that I had one at present.
There is something about a Martini,
Ere the dining and dancing begin,
And to tell you the truth,
It is not the vermouth--
I think that perhaps it's the gin.

Personally, I like the vermouth too, but the man does have a point...

"Dept. of Things That Happen Far More Often Than You Can Possibly Imagine:"

Guest: “I’d like a Bud please.”

Cocktail Warrior: “I’m sorry, we don’t carry Budweiser.” [pointing to the beers displayed on the back wall] “But we do have Heineken, Amstel Light, Peroni, New Amsterdam, and Miller Lite.”

Guest: “You don’t have Bud?

CW: “No, we have Heineken, Amstel Light, Peroni, New Amsterdam, and Miller Lite.”

Guest: “Damn, I really wanted a Bud.”

CW: “We have Heineken, Amstel Light, Peroni, New Amsterdam, and Miller Lite.”

Guest: “You sure you don’t have any Bud back there?”

CW: “We have Heineken, Amstel Light, Peroni, New Amsterdam, and Miller Lite.”

Guest: “Oh.” [pause] “Can you run those by me again?”

CW: “We have Heineken, Amstel Light, Peroni, New Amsterdam, and Miller Lite.”

Guest: “Okay, just gimme a Beck’s.”

CW: [collapses]

Elderflower White Cosmo

From the New York Times last Sunday:

2ounces Snow Queen vodka
1 ounce St.-Germain elderflower liqueur
½ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
1ounce white cranberry juice
1orchid or edible flower, for garnish.
1. Shake the liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass.
2. Add the garnish and serve.
Yield: 1 serving.
Note: For the garnish, freeze the flower in an ice tray. Fill the tray halfway with water, freeze, and add the flower. Fill completely with water and freeze again. (Spherical ice trays, necessary to replicate Daniel’s large ice ball, are available at www.momastore.org and other online retailers. You can also just float an unfrozen flower in the drink.)

I've never had elderflower liqueur, so if anyone can fill me in on what this might be like, I'd appreciate it.

Apparently it's being promoted as "the sexiest cocktail ever." I've never thought of any cosmo as sexy, so that must be one hell of a liqueur and garnish.

Olive or Twist

I really like this article. It has musings about cocktails, their history, and even art.

http://www.artsjournal.com/outthere/2007/09/olive_or_twist.html

Though there's a bit of hyperbole, I particularly agree with this:

I wish I could see the transformed face of the lucky soul who lifted the first martini. Of course, one of the reasons the martini thrives (gin, not vodka!) is that, as I've written before, the first glacial sip is always a revelation, the second a verification.

And I think he has a good perspective on the whole cocktail phenomenon when it's at its best :

Just like any other art form, a bad cocktail leaves one shaken, while a great cocktail leaves one stirred.

Nice writing, too. Take a look.

Bar & Restaurant Glossary

Shooter (1) – n. A small drink, usually high in alcohol content, which is thrown down the throat and swallowed quickly. [Also, "shot".]

Shooter (2) – n. A man, usually wearing a shiny suit and half-smoked glasses, who points at people and fires his index finger like a gun instead of saying “Hello” or “Yes”. Usually accompanies said gesture with a wink. Clicking noise out the side of the mouth is optional. Often travels with the female of the species, pressnailonus aquanetus.