Blood & Sand

From his Classics Cocktails line, Joe presented me with the Blood & Sand, an ominously named, and forbodingly-tinted glass of straight-up mystery! (But delish despite the mystique!)

The Recipe:

Into a cocktail of ice, add:

- a 2-count of scotch, (Joe chose Johnny Walker Black)

- a 2-count of cherry brandy

- a 2 count of Dubonnet

- a 2-count of orange juice

- shake well

- strain over fresh ice, garnish with a slice of orange and a maraschino cherry

Joe's Notes: The original Blood and Sand cocktail was named after the 1922 Rudolph Valentino movie of the same name. My Blood and Sand cocktail is a "remake" of the original drink.

In my updated version, I decided to substitute Dubonnet for the sweet vermouth. Dubonnet came about because of the French Foreign Legion soldiers stationed in North Africa in 1831. They suffered horribly with malaria, an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes. The easiest way to prevent the disease was to ensure that they consumed anti-malarials, like quinine. In the 1840s, the French government held a contest, looking for a new beverage that contained quinine, and this is what inspired Joseph Dubonnet. Dubonnet dulled the bitter bite of quinine by combining it with a fortified wine, herbs, and spices. He used a wine that had been mixed with a grape brandy, as well as green coffee beans, cinnamon, chamomile, and orange peel to create his distinctive beverage.

With this, as always, use fresh ingredients, that includes freshly squeezed O.J. You may choose to use blood oranges; I did not include them in my recipe as they are not so readily available.

Going back to remakes, the movie "Blood and Sand" was remade in 1941 starring Tyrone Power. Although the movie was a cinematic improvement, the actual movie itself was not as good.

The story in Blood and Sand has, as its main character, Juan, a Spanish bullfighter. It was once again remade in 1989. Top billing for this version was given to Sharon Stone. This may give you some insight to the quality of this remake.

Now, I am pointing out the decline in the quality of these remakes not to insinuate that my version is inferior to the original, but to show that with the proper care remakes can be an improvement on the original. Just look at Brian De Palma's 1983 remake of Scarface . This I believe is much improved on the original 1932 Howard Hanks Film.

The only way to find out for sure is to drink both cocktails, (the original Blood & Sand, and MY "Director's Cut,") and watch both Scareface movies. Let me know what you think.

Chris's Notes: Once again, I need to side with Joe on this one. Remakes have gotten a bad rap in movies, and not always necessarily so!

The same holds true in television. There have been many shows that have been retooled for newer audiences that, quite frankly, sucked it hard. A few examples include The Fugitive, The Bionic Woman, Land of the Lost, The Brady Bunch Hour, Knight Rider, Dragnet, Twilight Zone...

Oh, I could go on.

But every now and again, a remake comes along that appeals to more people, with all the right elements to make everything work just right together.

Perhaps, that is the secret to Joe's Blood & Sand. Joining me on my side of the bar that night were Senior Research Assistant, Kerry, and returning Guest Researcher, Sharon Mc.

Upon trying the drink, Kerry was not as appreciative of the combination of the flavors, saying it simply wasn't something she would order, (but, in her defense, she probably wouldn't have enjoyed an original Blood & Sand cocktail, either!)

Sharon, with her "less seasoned" palette, I fully expected her to outright dislike it, (Sharon's specialty on the research team is lighter, less-alcoholic cocktails.) To my surprise, it was Sharon who championed this drink. She apparently was digging all those subtle layers, and the fine balance of sweet and tart. She asked for a few samples, (all in the name of research!) and even claimed that she may order one of those herself!

So, you never can tell!

As far as television remakes, I am still awaiting a scary, suspenseful remake of that old sci-fi show where the alien monster crashes on Earth, and seeks shelter in a suburban house holding the family hostage! "Alien Life Form!" That'll be awesome!

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This week's Barely-Related Video IS related, but just barely.

Jermaine Jackson and Pia Zadora, (who starred in Dubonnet commercials in the 1970!) sing When the Rain Begins to Fall from the movie Voyage of The Rock Aliens!

The Rusty Nail

Joe lowers his bucket into the well of classic cocktails once again for the this week's Greatest Drink: The Rusty Nail.

The Recipe:

Into a glass of ice, add:

- A 4 count of Johnny Walker Black

- A 2 count of Drambuie

- Stir

- Garnish with a slice of lemon, (optional)

Joe the Bartender's Notes: The Rusty Nail is an old-time classic cocktail. It is believed to have been first mixed to make whisky more palatable to the "fairer sex." Although a lot of the "fairer sex" I come in contact with these days could easily swallow a quart of whisky with no problem.

I was initially going to write about the differences between Scotch Whisky, American Whiskey, Irish Whiskey, Rye and Malt, but this proved to be somewhat tedious. Rather, I will point out some whisky facts.

☞ Whisky derives its name from the Gaelic phrase, "uisge beatha ," meaning water of life.

☞ Scotch is the whisky, a Scot is a person from Scotland.

☞ England stopped producing whisky in the late 19th century. (Why bother when your neighbors do such a good job?)

☞ Both whiskey and whisky are correct spellings. Scotland and England spell it whisky and most of the rest of the world spell it with an added 'e,' for some bizarre reason.

☞ In Latin America, when a photographer wants his subject to smile he says "whiskey", much as we might say "cheese."

☞ If you ever happen to be invited on a pheasant or grouse hunt by the palace in the U.K., take note that they advise you fill your Hip Flask with a suitable beverage.The palace recommends a Rusty Nail. Obviously the Royal Family believes in mixing hard liquor and guns. (This could explain a lot of our history).

As a tribute to the general elections in the U.K. this past week, I would like to share one of my favorite story's about a British politician.

George Brown, a labour politician in the sixties was also a noted alcoholic. During an elaborate reception for visiting Peruvian dignitaries it is said that Brown lumbered over to a tall, elegant vision in red, and requested the honour of the next dance. The response was "I will not dance with you for three reasons: The first is that you are drunk. The second is that the band is not playing a waltz, but the Peruvian national anthem. The final reason is that I am not a woman, but the Cardinal Archbishop of Lima."

This story has been denied many times, but it is a good one.

Chris's Notes: Those of you who have scanned the side bars and periphery of this page, (and not just read the recipes and compiled shopping lists!) may have noticed that this blog is enrolled in a couple of recipe sites comprised, almost exclusively, of food recipes. I have entered The Greatest Drink In The World... This Week on these sites because the focus of this blog, the foundation of it, is NOT alcohol, that’s just the medium. It is not “how many ways can I get stupid?” or “How to make bad decisions easier to deal with.”

The foundation of this blog is to create something new, just like with cooking, by mixing elements together to make a new and delicious taste sensation. THAT is why this blog was formed.

That being said, and the comparison to food recipes now firmly in place, the Rusty Nail is probably the closest drink that I have had so far to what I would call the liquid equivalent of “comfort food.”

Something about this cocktail is just so “Ahhhh,” (and/or "Mmmmm.") It tastes very close to the way a La-Z-Boy recliner, fuzzy slippers and a Sunday morning with no obligations feels.

Yeah, those Scots got it right with this one, even if they did misspell "whiskey."

(Token Only-barely-related video here: "Scotch.")