There are many of you who like me launched businesses in the early 2000’s who have weathered the storms of change over the last two decades. From the anxiety of moving from the 90’s to “Y2K”, to getting through 9/11, the crash in 2008, adjusting to social media and new technology, and now COVID. It’s definitely been a brewing pot for new stories, and lessons learned as we embrace different ways of doing business. Like Don in that final season of Mad Men when he lost everything before coming full circle into his potential, we must rethink our skills and behavior, albeit painful and not without consequence, to be taken seriously. Without the respect and recognition for his past accomplishments, when Don returned to Sterling Cooper, he had to prove himself all over again, regardless of his superior experience.

Today, if we are moving forward it is because we are seeing the new business climate as a challenge to embrace, and we are working to reinvent ourselves to accomplish that.  We have to learn to shift our thinking and ask “what are we doing to remain relevant, to adjust ourselves, in these new times?”.  We cannot rest on our accomplishments of 10 years ago, nope, we have to be willing to put ourselves out there, learn new things, create an environment for new accomplishments, and embrace new relationships.

“Change is neither good nor bad. It simply is.”

• 1 1/2 ounces vodka
• 3/4 ounce Kahlua Coffe Liquer
• 3/4 ounce cream

Pour each ingredient in an Old fashioned glass starting with vodka, then Kahlua, then cream and stir. 
 
The Vespar Martini: Casino Royale – Although it’s the classic martini, shaken not stirred, that EVERYONE knows and associates with James Bond, It was the Vespar that gained fame in his latest group of movies, this one particularly in Casino Royale. Interestingly, there are a slew of drinks Bond has ordered over the years and movies, but the classic Martini, and the Vespar have gained the most fame.  I have never learned to like this one…. ; (

• 3 measures of Gordon’s Gin
• 1 measure of vodka
• 1/2 measure Kina Lillet
• Lemon peel for garnish

Add in your gin, then vodka, and then Lillet in a shaker and shake well until ice cold. Then add a large thin slice of lemon peel for garnish.
 
The Orange Whip: Blues Brothers – This one is a bit different, you may not be hearing it ordered at the bar much, or at all, but if you are a John Candy and Blues Brothers fan, you know it.  It’s gotten some pop culture love over the last decade with several references in tv shows and films, but it became a star when it was ordered at the bar in the Blues Brothers movie.  I may need to try this one, sounds like a good brunch drink.

• 4 oz Orange juice
• 1 oz Rum
• 1 oz Vodka
• 1 package Cream or creamer
• Over Ice cubes

Pour ingredients over ice and stir.
 
French 75: Casablanca – Ok, you know I am in love with Paris and France, so this drink had me at the name!  The French 75 is a classic that has stood the test of time. It particularly gained it’s fame in the movie Casablanca when Yvonne’s boyfriend orders one, and the rest is history. I am going to mix this one tonight using the Cognac – I’ll keep you posted!

• 1/2 oz Fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 oz Simple syrup (one part water, one part sugar)
• 1 oz Gin or Cognac
• 3 oz Champagne

Add your ingredients together minus the Champagne to a shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled champagne flute. Top with Champagne and garnish with a lemon twist.
 
Cosmopolitan: Sex and the City – Ms. Bradshaw and her girls headed out to the bar in no less than 1 scene per episode it seemed, and what were they ordering? Cosmos. Cosmopolitans were pretty big in the 80′s, then lost it’s spark until the ladies on Sex and the City brought it back HARD. This is a dangerously delicious drink!

• 1 1/2 ounces vodka or flavored vodka
• 1 ounce Cointreu Orange Liqueur
• 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
• 1/4 ounce cranberry juice
• Orange peel for garnish

Combine ingredients in a shaker filled with ice, shake well, and strain into a chilled martini glass. 
 
Manahattan: Some Like it Hot – Sure, men have cross-dressed in newer movies than Some Like it Hot, but those films don’t have mobsters, jazz music, and Marilyn Monroe. The film’s standout drink, the Manhattan, is an equally stiff combination of sweet vermouth, whiskey, and bitters. Top it off with a maraschino cherry for the ultimate unisex cocktail.

• 3/4 oz sweet vermouth
• 2 1/2 oz bourbon whiskey
• 1 dash Angostura® bitters
• 1 maraschino cherry

Pour ingredients in a mixing glass and stir. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry. 
 
Red Eye: Cocktail – Cocktail was a pivotal movie in my life and in Tom Cruises career. It cemented him as a pretty decent actors in many eyes, and for me, it made me realize how interested I was in the bar industry. In this film, the scene where Cruise’s character Brian Flanagin first walks into a bar looking for a job, he meets his eventual employer and mentor Doug, who’s mixing up none other than the Red Eye. Not exactly my cup of tea, but for years a favorite of many for morning hangovers.
Red Eye

• 1 oz vodka
• 6 oz tomato juice
• 1 can of beer
• 1 raw egg

Into a tall frosty mug, pour the vodka and tomato juice. Pour in the beer, then crack the egg into it. Do not stir.
 
Old Fashioned: MadMen – The old fashioned has been the old-fashioned way to make a cocktail for about 130 years, during which time it has been in and out of fashion – we can thank Don Draper of MadMen for its current resurgence who is rarely without one in his dapper hand as he swings his way through the 60s. Ahhhh!

• 4 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 1 tsp Sugar (Or sugar cube)
• 1 Orange wheel for garnish
• 1 Maraschino cherry
• Splash Club soda
• 2 oz Bourbon of choice

Using an Old Fashioned glass, muddle the bitters, sugar, and orange wheel, cherry, and a splash of soda. Remove the orange rind and add bourbon. Fill glass with ice, and garnish with a new orange wheel and cherry. 

Cheers!!