CULTURE | Drinks to Take the Edge Off On the Road
May 2011 | Travis Reiser
We at Humanitarian Bazaar want to send our enthusiastic congrats and God’s speed out to our friends graduating from professional schools and colleges, many of whom are departing soon to serve as crisis responders overseas! What better way to send them off while encouraging the rest of us to commemorate their sacrifices than with a toast?
To that end, we’ve put together for you here a witty menu of alcoholic beverages worthy of toasting the aid worker, the war journalist, the security guru, and the rights advocate as they prepare for their journeys.
We especially want to send a shout out to our friends at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, Graduate School of Journalism, and Mailman School of Public Health! First, we start off with simple drinks one can make, theoretically, while out in the bush given the place is alcohol friendly and you’ve brought along a staple like rum or vodka.
Second, we list the more wild and complex beverages one can try in major cities of the world to commemorate crisis responders. And for those who avoid alcohol, stay tuned as we plan to follow up this story soon with exotic non-alcoholic drinks, as well.
Refreshers When You’re Out in the Bush
Aid Worker – Arakh (2 ounces, whatever the local hard liquor is if in the brandy family) over your favorite local fruit (lime, lemon, mulberries, lychee, mango, will all work). Bonus taste if the fruit matches the Arakh’s origins.
Cuba Libre – Rum (2 ounces), Cola, lime if you have it, ice if you have it.
Fidel’s Martini – Vodka or Gin (3&1/2 ounces) with a banana stir and garnish. Service over ice if you have it. Add Banana liqueur if you have it (1/2 ounce).
Gimlet – Gin or Vodka (3&1/2 ounces), with pre-stirred lime juice and sugar as strong as sweet and sour as you like. Over ice if you have it. Garnish with lime.
Gin and Tonic – Gin (2 ounces), balance with tonic or unflavored soda. Over ice if you have it. Garnish with lime if you have it.
Mojito – Light Rum, or if you don’t have it, any Rum (2 ounces), Soda water if you have it, and mojito mix. Mix a minimum of Lime Wedges (2) and Sugar (1 teaspoon), but also if you can find it Mint Sprigs (3-5) and Angostura Bitters (2-4 dashes). Make the mix, then pour it and the rum and soda into a glass over ice, if you have it.
Soldier Abroad – Southern Comfort (2 ounces) over orange juice or any “bug” juice you have (1 ounce), with a dash of tobasco.
The Usual (aka Rum and Coke) – Rum (2 ounce) with Cola to taste and a wedge of lime. Ice if you have it. To make it unique, add the local fruit: mango or lychee or whatever they’re proud of.
The War Journalist (aka Speedball) – Rum (1 ounce, overproof if you have it) on Espresso (1 ounce). You may be tempted to use the readily available low quality Nescafe instant coffee, but we recommend grabbing a couple bags of pre-ground real coffee at the airport before departure.
Full Bar Tastes to Commemorate Those On the Frontline
Absconded French Girlfriend – Tall glass of ice, Absinthe (1 ounce), Black Rasberry Liqueur (1 ounce), Sparkling Water.
Armored car – Fill mixer with ice, Bourbon (2 ounces), Lemon Juice (1 ounce), touch of simple syrup or sugar. Stir. Strain ice to pour into serving glass.
B-52 – Coffee liqueur (bottom, 1/2 ounce), Irish Cream (1/2 ounce), Orange liqueur (top, 1/2 ounce).
Casablanca – Fill mixer with Sugar (1 teaspoon), Lime Juice (1&1/2 ounces). Stir. Fill glass with ice, Rum (2 ounces), Triple Sec (1&1/2 teaspoons), Cherry Liqueur (1&1/2 teaspoons). Shake. Strain out the ice.
Four Horsemen – Fill mixer with ice, Jim Beam (1/2 ounce), Jack Daniels (1/2 ounce), Johnny Walker (1/2 ounce), and Jose Cuervo (1/2 ounce). Strain out the ice. Sit down.
Forbidden Jungle – Glass of ice, Coconut Rum (1&1/2 ounces), Peach Schnapps (1/2 ounce), touch of lime juice, pineapple juice to taste. Shake.
Gangrene – Glass of ice, Light Rum (1 ounce), Spiced Rum (1/2 ounce), Melon Liqueur (1/2 ounce), Blue Curacao (1/2 ounce), balance with sour mix to taste. shake.
M-16 – Tia Maria (bottom, 1/2 ounce), Irish Cream (1/2 ounce), Cointreau (top, 1/2 ounce).
Mass Casualty Accident (aka Graveyard) – Glass of ice, Vodka (1/2 ounce), Gin (1/2 ounce), Rum (1/2 ounce), Tequila (1/2 ounce), Triple Sec (1/2 ounce), Scotch (1/2 ounce), Bourbon (1/2 ounce). Top with stout and beer. Write last will and testament.
Nervous Breakdown (aka Lobotomy) – Glass of ice, Amaretto (1 ounce), Black Rasberry Liqueur (1 ounce), Pineapple Juice (1 ounce), top with champagne. Drink in one shot.
Volcano – Glass with ice, Brandy (1/2 ounce), Orange Juice (1 ounce), Pineapple Juice (1 ounce), Sour Mix (1 ounce), Grenadine (dash), Lime Juice sweetened (dash). Shake. Top with 151 proof rum. Ignite. Pour in Champagne (1/2 ounce).
Take Care and Do Well!
For those of you graduating and beginning new careers on the frontlines helping people survive war and disaster, good luck and take good care of yourself as well as those in your programs! Drink responsibly and always have several alternatives for relieving stress.
Throwing frisbees in minefields is probably not a good alternative, but it’s good to be creative with what you have. Everyone else, buy a crisis responder a drink and remember what many go through trying to do right in the world.
Special thanks to Stephen Kittredge Cunningham, whose work, The Bartender’s Black Book, Nineth Edition, 2008, was the core resource upon which many of these recipes are based.
This story may be enhanced, so if you’d like to add drinks to this list, alcoholic or not, write us at Humanitarianbazaar@gmail.com.