A Few Musical Cocktails

Mondays on the BottleBlog will feature a cocktail recipe that is sure to be just the thing to get you through the rest of the work week. Though we don't expect you'll bring in all the fixins into your place of employment, we hope you'll try our recipes responsibly at home!

So, we've talked about alcohol in literature, we've discussed notable drinks in cinema, how about we continue our little pop culture journey by exploring the presence of alcohol in music? The selections are vast, and if we were to include every song that mentioned spirits, this would be a very long blog post, indeed. Instead, I'll just focus on a few fun classics and the recipes of the drinks within the songs.

Escape (The Pina Colada Song)
by Rupert Holmes

"Yes, I like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain.
I'm not much into health food, I am into champagne.
I've got to meet you by tomorrow noon, and cut through all this red tape.
At a bar called O'Malley's, where we'll plan our escape."

This has to be one of the most popular cocktails worldwide, with a name meaning "strained pineapple."

-2 measures/3 tbsp white rum
-2 measure/3 tbsp pineapple juice
-1 1/2 measures/6 tsp coconut cream
-5 mL/1 tsp caster (superfine) sugar (if freshly blended fruit is used)

Shake all the ingredients well with ice, and strain into a cocktail goblet. Garnish with a slice of pineapple and a cherry. (If you can't get a hold of coconut cream, the equivalent quantity of any coconut liqueur such as Malibu may be used to good effect.)

Tequila Sunrise
by The Eagles

"Take another shot of courage
Wonder why the right words never come
You just get numb
It's another tequila sunrise,this old world
Still looks the same"

This classic Mexican recipe of the 1930s takes its name from the way the grenadine - that bright red pomegranate cordial - first sinks in the glass of orange juice and then rises to the surface. Add it too slowly and it will simply blend into the drink, turning it a fetching (but totally incorrect) scarlet color.

-2 measures/3 tbsp gold tequila
-4 measures/6 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
-1/2 measure/2 tsp grenadine

Half-fill a highball glass with crushed ice. Pour in the tequila, then the orange juice. Quickly add the grenadine, pouring it down the back of a spoon held inside the glass so that it sinks to the bottom of the drink. You could garnish the drink with a slice of orange and a cherry.

Black Velvet
Alannah Myles

"Black velvet and that little boy's smile
Black velvet with that slow southern style
A new religion that'll bring ya to your knees
Black velvet if you please."

This simple but mightily effective drink was invented at Brooks' Club in London in 1861, following the death of Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert. It was considered an appropriate sign of mourning to dress the champagne up in black livery. As a popular mixture ever since, it has an appeal all its own.

Half-fill a tall, narrow beer glass with Guinness. Wait for the head to settle, and then without tilting the glass, gently top it up with good brut champagne.