“Anyway, I’ll Drink to That” is a Boozn Sam’s production, exploring the fun, quirky, and fascinating tales of drinks (The Aperol Spritz recipe in this episode) that define culture, history and the world. Every drink has a story to tell, and I’m going to tell it…as true as I can. Hosted by Sam, from Boozn Sam’s. Saddle up with a good cocktail and give me a few minutes of your time for a mystery surrounding a drink that changed the world.
TLDR; – The Aperol Spritz Recipe –
Double shot (3 oz) of Aperol
Double shot (3 oz) of Prosecco
A shot (1.5 oz) of club soda
Ice
And an orange wedge as a garnish.
Episode 11 Details:
The Aperol Spritz Recipe dates back to 1809 and the loss of Venetian Independence after 1,100 years in Italy through the conquest of Napolean Bonapart. 1,100 years of freedom. 1,100 years is older than the Roman Empire, 4 times older than the United States of America and 13.5 times the lifespan of the average human.
Transcript of Podcast:
*This is the entire podcast episode in written form. Do not read if you want the audio version to be spoiled.
The year was 1809 and the Italians were sick of it. What was it exactly? It’s an age old story, the battle of sovereign individual against the state. Being controlled. Being treated like chess pieces here to serve their masters. The last decade alone had been a trying one.
Not only was this a time before modern medicine, where everything could, and usually did kill you. On top of that there was a tiny, nuisance of a man with a big complex. He took his tiny stature and swung himself throughout Europe, conquering and pillaging in the name of himself. But, this tiny man had a big military brain.
Napoleon rose to power the first time through a well orchestrated coup in France. That was in November of 1799. And by 1805 he’d renamed himself the Emperor of France, while also, at around that same time, crowning himself king of another kingdom, one he conquered..
Napoleon might have said his military campaigns were for France, but someone who compensated for his shortcomings as much as Napoleon did, didn’t have room for anyone else. We’ve all met people like this. And they suck…both the air out of every room they enter, and actually in real life as humans. Napoleon was no different, and, in fact, was such a narcissist that a phrase -The Napoleon Complex – actually bears his name.
From the late 1790s on, he’d been working to wrestle Italian land away from Italy. And in 1805, he grasp a specific region in his grubby little fingers and ended an astonishing 1,100 years of Venetian independence by capturing the city of Venice.
1,100 years.
Take a moment and let that number sink in.
For perspective, that’s almost 4 times older than the United States of America.
The famous Roman Empire lasted for less than 1,000 years.
That’s 13.5 times longer than the average human lifespan of 75 years.
So, given today’s life expectancy, which is higher than it was back then by quite a few years, that would represent over 13 generations.
13 generations of Italians lived and died in this independent city.
Until Napoleon arrived and ripped it all away and turned the land over to the Kingdom of Italy. land…which was overseen by the, if you ask him, infallible, King of Italy – Napoleon himself.
During his campaigns through Italy he depleted the country, taking, in today’s prices, $12 million in jewels and precious metals, $45 million in funds, and over 300 pieces of priceless art. His military genius also led him to capture 150,000 Italian prisoners and over 500 cannons.
So, when the Italian Pheasants finally got so sick of him they wanted to take action, he had a mighty war chest and a good chunk of the advanced world under his command. The war of 1809, the War of the Fifth Coalition, pitted Italian farmers on one side, who had aligned with the Austrians and Italian nobility on the other, who were aligned with France and Napoleon.
In 1814 they secured partial success and became a separate kingdom of the Austrian Empire, which would prove on a turning point for many reasons, but, here, for only one reason that matters to us. The influence of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from this point on would create a new technique for making cocktails, that would end up being used to create many drinks in the distant future, including one, which is the subject of our story today.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire was comprised of the Austrian Monarchy and the Hungarian Monarchy. It operated as a dual monarchy. Two kingdoms. One Monarchy to rule them both.
And, just like France, it had a contested hold and desire to take this part of Italy as its own for quite some time. Napoleon just beat them to the punch.
But, a fast way to turn your enemy into your friend is through the introduction of another enemy, one more powerful. One that’s wronged you more.
So, when France took control of this Italian region…to Italian farmers, the Austro-Hungarian Empire weren’t looking so bad.
At this point, Napoleon had more enemies than friends, and wrestling back control of this land was possible. So it happened. And peace resumed. An unsettling peace, with the black mark of freedom that wasn’t true freedom lingering in the back of the minds of Italians.
It would be a generation later until this Italian region would return to Italy and move away from it’s proxy reign by the Austro-Hungarian empire. By this point the damage would have been done, over and over again, drink by drink, until the beverage that came into existence during the early and mid 1800’s, through 1860, became a cultural phenomenon.
The damage would have also been done with the Austrians and Hungarians and the Seven Week War would signal the end of this dual monarchy. The Seven Week War has many other names too. But, it was basically was a civil war between Austria, Germany, Italy, Hungary, The Dutch, and even Russia.
It was a great carving apart of a massive empire, and anytime great empires fall, great pain ensues. This time was no different.
Germany called it the war of brothers…and, as friendships and familial bonds were stressed and broken, I’m sure it felt like that.
Austrians during this time, and even before this time, when they were protecting Austro-Hungarian interests in Italy, needed something to pass the time and steady the nerves. So, they turned to drink, but not any drink.
Because, you see, the wine in Italy was much stronger and harsher than what the sophisticated Austrians were used too…(or maybe it was the other way around).
Either way, they took to cutting the wine they drank in order to make it more palatable and, I’m assuming, win that most ridiculous and foolish of all games called “Whoever gets the drunkest wins.”
It didn’t take much altering to make the drinks appealing to the taste buds of the Austrians. Just a dash, really.
And dash after dash, led to a drink today, that’s extremely popular.
But, before that dash and the other Italian liquor that would also be part of this cocktail, The Kingdom of Italy agreed to enter the Seven Week War on the side of Austria. Part of the deal was the ability to reclaim the region of ( (Ven – ah – too) Veneto, which had the 1,100 year old fallen free capital of Venice.
And after the war ended, the Italians, so disgusted with Austria’s suggestion that Italy purchase the Ven – ah – toh region from them that they went to war for it.
I can imagine at this time the Austrians still stationed throughout the castles and fortifications of Italy, added a dash of water, once more to their strong Italian wine, cursed in German under their breath and picked up their weapons once more.
Eventually, after the end of the war the land went to France, as a neutral party, before it was reclaimed, at no cost besides thousands of humans lives, to Italy.
The Austrians hung around for a bit longer at the fortresses, no doubt trying to enjoy as much of the wine, dashed with a bit of water, as long as possible.
Upon their departure, they would leave behind, among many imprints, this dash of water,
Which eventually turned into a dash of carbonated water,
Which they called by the original German name for splash
A spritz
And it would be this idea of diluting a strong flavored drink with a bit of water that would live on through 1940 and the creation of Aperol,
Which would then be used to create another unique drink with that bitter Italian liquor,
The Aperol Spritz Recipe
Equal parts Aperol and prosecco
A dash, a spritz, of soda
Ice
And an orange wedge as a garnish.
A refreshing drink that harbors none of the politics and fighting and death of a 1,100 year old independent republic
And all of the refreshing feel of freedom and uplifting effervescence
“Anyway, I’ll Drink to That” is a Boozn Sam’s production, exploring the fun, quirky, and fascinating tales of drinks (Fireball in this episode) that define culture, history and the world. Every drink has a story to tell, and I’m going to tell it…as true as I can. Hosted by Sam, from Boozn Sam’s. Saddle up with a good cocktail and give me a few minutes of your time for a mystery surrounding a drink that changed the world.
Episode 10 Details:
It all started in Nashville, TN when a very clever marketer employed some grass roots marketing to take a no name brand and brought it into the spotlight across the country. That rise to fame also brought with it lawsuits, workarounds, and worldwide appeal to this famous medicinal.
Transcript of Podcast:
*This is the entire podcast episode in written form. Do not read if you want the audio version to be spoiled.
Josiah flexed his hand open and close several times and sighed. His fingers were stiff, much stiffer than he expected them to be. He didn’t think this would be so hard. But, these were the doctor’s orders, and it’s always best to do what the doctor tells you.
Especially a doctor as prominent as this one, who had gotten his start out West and achieved renown around the world as a famous physician. So, Josiah had no choice but to believe him. With a resigned sigh, he went back to the exercises at hand, exercises that the doctor assured him would reinvigorate his life.
You see, Josiah was feeling…off. He’d taken on a project much larger than expected at work and, with a hard riding boss determined to see results at any cost, a shrewd, successful man that had a right to demand such results there wasn’t Josiah could do besides suffer through and drink the figurative and literal medicine that the doctor ordered.
So, he did, day after day. And, although it took longer than expected, he began seeing results. With a renewed vigor, and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, Josiah buckled down for a final push before the big day, the day of his project’s unveiling.
The night before he slept horrible. This was a big deal. A career sort of project that, if executed the way he hoped, could jettison him to great success and job security. When the day finally arrived Josiah was all nerves.
But, he had no reason to be. The project went off without a hitch and his boss was highly impressed with his work and dedication to the project. The Greenhouse, where the project was unveiled, appreciated the effort too, for they would go down in history tied to this project, a project that had a world shattering impact.
From there Josiah went on to other things, bigger things, the whole time spouting the value of the medicine that helped save his project from oblivion.
Fast forward a few years and Nashville, the epicenter of his hard work and the work of many others, due to having the perfect demographic for such a project, jettisoned the company behind the project forward too.
They made more ambitious plans and targeted Austin as their next city of choice for expansion. They were determined to strike while the iron was on fire. Their approach was similar to Nashville and they laid out and executed on several well done projects that instantly captured the hearts, and stomachs, of the Austin crowd, as well.
From there the rest of the country fell like dominoes and the business that once made $1.9 million in revenue in 2011, exploded in epic proportions a mere three years later to around $131 million a year. Today, the company has continued its rocket launch climb and makes around $700 million a year.
All achieved with very targeted and well planned projects, that clung to the hearts, minds, and tastebuds of their target market. But, when money floods in hand over fist, so too do the opponents, seeing an easy win to expand their own business or make a quick buck.
This company had to fight back many of their main competitors, striking at them with the long arm of the law, until a single person, the face of a lawsuit, decided to turn that arm back against them.
Anna, distraught and furious with being misled, for she was sure she was misled, hired Spencer to stand in her corner and box it out with the company that had now become a powerhouse.
For Spencer, it was a noble pursuit, a way to keep the powers that be in check and remember that if you stretched the truth even a little, and even in the name of marketing, you were going to pay.
For Anna, she hoped they’d pay to the tune of $5 million dollars, which represents a return of over 5 million percent on her initial investment in the project. She and Spencer felt that was a small amount compared to the damages and mental injuries inflicted upon her for wrong doings.
Of course the company had amassed a war chest at this point, and getting attacked from all sides by those looking to capitalize on their success was inevitable. So, the company fought back and is still fighting back to this day.
The matter itself is one of marketing and pushing the boundaries between a consumer’s responsibility as a purchaser and a companies responsibility as a good business steward. With no clear lines, that’s why matters such as these go to the courts, the Illinois Court System to be more specific, in order to allow well trained individuals, empowered with the long arm of the law to, well, flex that arm from time to time, for very important serious matters such as this one.
After all, we’re talking years later after the original project had been long done, but not forgotten. In fact, it isn’t even the project itself which is the core issue in the lawsuit. It’s the medicine that Josiah used, which is the issue, and a new twist on that product which allowed for greater accessibility across the country.
But, this accessibility resulted in a modification of the medicine’s formula, just a small modification that meant a great deal to regulators, as it allowed the bypassing of certain laws that then allowed an expanded reach of this medicine.
These modifications were spelled out on the packaging, but the labeling was similar to the original product. After all it was another medicine in the companies product line and it makes sense to brand them the same so a consumer could recognize the world renowned medicine, made by the world famous doctor and instantly feel a sense of confidence and trust in the product they were receiving.
But, what if that trust was misled? Or, at least caused a certain amount of consumers to be misled. Was it the brand’s fault, even though they clearly worded one medicine different than the other? Or was it the consumer’s fault for not taking more care to question the orders delivered to them and instead follow blindly because someone more educated, more trained, the expert in the room, told them to use this product?
That’s ultimately a big question that’s up for debate still today with Anna and the medicine she purchased when she accidentally thought it was something else.
A different medicine.
A medicine shared by 4,750 other people on St. Patrick’s Day back in 2012
And setting a world record
A hefty undertaking that caused Josiah to devote an entire week to dolling this medicine out carefully in remeasured containers,
So that, in one fell swoop, all 4750 people could tilt their heads back in unison and down the tasty medicine,
Which had a bit of a kick,
Some would call it a burn,
Just what the doctor ordered
The doctor that never existed, but was the marketing genius of a liquor company
Dr. Mcgullicuddy
And Fireball Whiskey,
Which got itself Into a hot fire and sued by Spencer, at Anna’s behest,
For another version of the same drink that used malt beverages and wine,
Instead of whiskey so that the drink could be sold at an additional 170,000 stores throughout the US that had a beer and wine license, but didn’t carry a liquor license.
Which caused Anna to, allegedly, mistakenly grab and purchase a 50 ml shooter of Fireball for .99 cents and then, to her horror, discovering that Fireball Cinnamon, although made by the same company and branded in a similar manner, wasn’t the same as Fireball Whiskey,
Which actually doesn’t even contain enough whiskey in it (40%) to be considered a whiskey, due to the addition of sweeteners that have brought the ABV down to 33%.
And since we can’t call it a whiskey, we’ll imbue it with the nickname that many have called it
A medicinal.
But, medicinal, whiskey, liqueur, or malt beverage aside,
The blurred lines, which Anna alleges caused her to make her purchasing mistake, is a clever bit of marketing, just like the fictitious doctor himself whose name is ascribed on a whole line of beverages,
Or the sly grass roots marketing they used a little over a decade ago to create a drinking culture throughout all of Nashville, and then Austin, before trickling to the rest of the United States through such things as world record breaking attempts.
Which they still hold today, in case you were curious.
A whiskey sour is an easy to make drink with a base of whiskey, and kicked up another notch on the fancy ladder with mulled simple sugar instead of standard simple sugar.
Making mulled simple sugar is easy and a perfect addition in a whiskey sour.
Mulling spices include, to name a few, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, orange, and allspice. Our special Boozn Sam’s blend mulling spice packets are added to water and sugar and heated to create a tasty batch of mulled simple sugar.
“Anyway, I’ll Drink to That” is a Boozn Sam’s production, exploring the fun, quirky, and fascinating tales of drinks (The Manhattan Drink in this episode) that define culture, history and the world. Every drink has a story to tell, and I’m going to tell it…as true as I can. Hosted by Sam, from Boozn Sam’s. Saddle up with a good cocktail and give me a few minutes of your time for a mystery surrounding a drink that changed the world.
TLDR; – The Manhattan Drink
One part sweet Vermouth.
One part dry Vermouth.
One part Whiskey.
No bitters.
No cherries.
A stripped down, economical, and very fitting version of the Manhattan Drink created by residents of a small island off the coast of Germany. The full store is below in episode 9 of the podcast.
Episode 9 Details:
Young Men by the Lonely Sea in a One Postal Code Country
The young men gathered, like they always gathered, and one of them was late. He knew the consequences for being late. He knew what would be asked of him and he didn’t have a choice but to take his punishment.
Transcript of Podcast:
*This is the entire podcast episode in written form. Do not read if you want the audio version to be spoiled.
The temperature hovered around freezing and Hans looked out at the water, which tumbled against the shore and left behind frozen ice peaks.
He stole a glance once more. The waves were loud today. They thundered when they crashed into the icy shore. The wind strong. And, although, he couldn’t see the sun, its departure turned the world crimson and crawled into the darkening blue sky.
Hans tucked his hands deeper into his pockets and hunched his shoulders against the incoming wind. He’d be there soon and then it wouldn’t matter. Unless he was late. That would not be tolerated. This was a fickle bunch.
He thought back to this past summer and when all of this started. He was only 24. He blamed his innocence. But, truth be told, it was curiosity, not innocence that sent him 3722 miles from home to a new home.
It was here that he found a home, far away from home, amongst many who spoke his same language and were, coincidentally from where he was from. Which, would not have been unusual except for the fact that he was from a small place. A country with one postal code.
So, to find his people behind the counters of delis and retail markets throughout the bustling city was a bit odd, to say the least. What surprised him even more was finding the drink so popular back home, right here.
It was surreal for him in many ways. Though he shouldn’t have been surprised.
When industry dried up back home many left and sought new opportunities to support their families. Their isolated community had little economic hope within its boundaries and venturing out was a necessity. A survival tactic.
His hometown had never been big but during those summer month’s it dwindled even more as all those capable and of working age left to earn money. They didn’t need a lot. But, they needed enough to survive. No place is devoid of trade. A reality of life is that money equals survival.
Money also paid for the delightful drink, served with equal parts of three distinct beverages, that these foreigners loved to drink. In fact, they loved it so much that in any given year the one postal code country saddles up to a very specific bar and drinks 70 gallons of this drink, which they have officially adopted as their national drink. Even though that might not sound like a lot it’s important to remember that Hans was one of less that 5,000 people in the city. That includes kids, adults and the aged population. Those 70 gallons a year…. Are also from one bar.
Times have changed a lot since the drink was first discovered. Hans knows this, as he makes his way through the twilight streets of town. The biting cold bites harder as the sun sets further. He glances over his shoulder. Seeing no one, he continues on.
It isn’t too much further now. And he better hurry up. The meeting will start soon. It wasn’t like anyone got invited either. This was a small group. A trusted group. Having to meet a specific criteria.
The others would not tolerate a late arrival either. He’d pay for that…
He pushed those thoughts out of his mind and quickened his pace. The thought was terrifying for someone who comes from the history he does.
Son to an openly bisexual mother, which was something considering it was 1935, great grandson to Ullrich, a general during WWI, and great-great grandson to Hinrich, a famous sea captain and nautical examiner, who also made his home right here.
Times were different way back then. Those were the whaling days and he’d grown up on the stories. The hard life at sea hunting whales for the resources they could provide. It was a nasty, dangerous business.
When you finally killed one of those animals that was easily as big as your ship, you then had to go about butchering the thing….at sea.
And the smells. He wrinkled up his nose. He could only imagine. But, he had heard the stench from the melting pots, that boiled fat over open flames, on the decks of ships in the middle of the ocean would permeate into your skin and stay with you.
It was no wonder that upon arriving to their final destination, a place greedy for the resources that these seafarers had, they took to a strong drink, after a strong shower, to settle the nerves after a long journey and start on a new journey of numbing pleasantness.
Then, with pockets loaded down with coin, and having sucked up the energy of a place once fully alive, young, and brimming with possibility and hope for the world, they would ship out once more for home.
And settle in for the cold winter months, which were too dangerous to be navigating the winter seas. In addition to their coin they brought back with them a drink and traipsed halfway around the world spreading bits of this delight with them whoever they went.
It was the classic dissemination of ideas and culture. The moving of something good from one place to another. This was before the internet. Before you could snap a photo and share it with all Nethers of the Earth in an instant. This was slow progress. A rising over decades.
That ended in this one postal code country embracing a fad, which became a tradition, which became a heritage.
With nothing to do during the cold months but rely on each other to survive, they did just that. The young men, full of energy, tamped down by the weather, needed an outlet. A way to move. To socialize. To stretch their muscles and smile a little. Maybe have some fun along the way too.
This created another fad. Which became another tradition. Which became another heritage. Complete with that same cocktail of three equal parts. Not exactly as it was made in New York, but stripped down to the essence, like the country these people lived.
It was with this heritage that Hans finally arrived at a closed door, with warm light, and loud voices coming from the other side. He stood on the stoop for a moment. Looked left. Looked right. No one else was around.
And why would they be? It was winter and after dark. This was an exclusive gathering. And he was late. He feared the consequences. But, there was nothing to do but face the music.
So, with a sigh and, after a loud rapt on the door, he turned the knob and walked through. The light was bright and he squinted. All eyes turned to him. The place erupted with noise. A stampede of bodies moving toward him.
Claps on the back.
Jostles.
And threats.
Threats for being late.
Hans hung his head glumly, knowing what was to come next.
He took the well used cocktail glass handed to him and stared into the light brown drink. He knew its contents by heart.
It had made its way from New York, 3722 miles away, to this island off the coast of Germany.
In unison the room raised their glasses, which all contained the same drink. The national drink of this tiny little, one postal code country called (Fure) Foehr.
The Manhattan Drink
One part sweet Vermouth.
One part dry Vermouth.
One part Whiskey.
No bitters.
No cherries.
A stripped down, economical, and very fitting version of the Manhattan Drink.
The drink that traveled across an ocean in the minds and bellies of whalers,
who had turned into business owners in New York in the late 1800s.
Where it found a passionate home
Amongst a few residents
And the regular happenings of (Wahl – Lu – John – Ken) hualewjonken
A gathering of men under the age of 30 during the winter months
That celebrates the times in centuries past when whalers, home for the winter, would also gather just like this,
