You're Not Alone

Just a quick one here to fill you in on a fun, music-filled way in which to help Al "Carnival Time" Johnson! On Mardi Gras the New Orleans based brass funk outfit Bonerama released an EP in collaboration with OK Go entitled You're Not Alone. The EP is available on iTunes and will benefit Al "Carnival Time" Johnson (who joins in on one track) and Sweet Home New Orleans.

For a taste of the EP check out Bonerama and Damian Kulash of OK Go on Letterman this Monday, February 11th!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!

Today the streets of New Orleans are flooded with revelers for the culmination of Carnival, Mardi Gras. The city 's population has doubled as tourists have flooded in to scurry for beads and doubloons thrown from floats as krewes snake through the city. We, the ladies of LUPEC, would like to raise our glasses to the Krewe of Muses, the only all female krewe.

Formed in 2000, the Krewe of Muses has over 1100 members. The Krewe was created to celebrate the nine muses, the Greek goddesses who presided over the arts and sciences. The daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, they are believed to inspire artists, especially poets, philosophers, and musicians.

Each year the Krewe of Muses selects one of the nine muses for the season. The Krewe then selects an honorary muse, a woman who embodies the spirit of that muse by having made a significant contribution to New Orleans in the area that muse represents. This year the Krewe celebrated Polymnia, the muse of sacred song, and honored Marva Wright, Louisiana's Blues Queen.

On January 31, the Krewe of Muses presented a 26 float procession entitled Muses Night Fever. Sporting their famous hand-deocrated glitter shoes, the ladies discoed their way through the garden district pleasing the crowd with unique throws, including Rubik's Cube beads and disco balls.

Let us raise our glasses to the Krewe of Muses!

New Orleans
1.5 oz Bourbon
1 dash Orange Bitters
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
.25 oz Anisette
.25 oz Pastis
Sugar to taste
Stir ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist

Cheers!

doesn't anyone want to know how MY drink is?

From Amazon.com's description of Eric Felten's How's Your Drink?

Based on the popular feature in the Saturday Wall Street Journal, How's Your Drink illuminates the culture of the cocktail. Cocktails are back after decades of decline, but the literature and lore of the classics has been missing. John F. Kennedy played nuclear brinksmanship with a gin and tonic in his hand. Teddy Roosevelt took the witness stand to testify that six mint juleps over the course of his presidency did not make him a drunk. Ernest Hemingway and Raymond Chandler both did their part to promote the gimlet. Fighting men mixed drinks with whatever liquor could be scavenged between barrages, raising glasses to celebrate victory and to ease the pain of defeat. Eric Felten tells all of these stories and many more, and also offers exhaustively researched cocktail recipes. How’s Your Drink is an essential addition to the literature of spirits and a fantastic holiday gift for husbands and fathers.

Husbands and fathers? What about sisters, mothers and wives? I'd have LOVED to have received a copy of this wonderful book in my Christmas stocking, (with any luck, my sweetie will read this post and consider getting it for me for Valentine's Day) but after reading this little blurb of copy, I'm not sure I'm allowed!

Eric Felten's How's Your Drink pubbed this fall and I had the good fortune to page through Contessa's copy shortly after it came out. It's a great little book, but I'm shocked to see how blatantly excluded I and my fellow drinking broads have been from the publishing company's marketing campaign.

I used to work in-house at a publishing house and I realize that Amazon uploads book description copy written impossibly early in the publishing process. I also know that Amazon is notoriously slow about making changes to said copy: so even if the publisher did want to broaden the scope of this marketing blurb, it might take them six to eight months to do it. But, come on, people! Last time I checked women aged 18-35 represented one of the most powerful purchasing demographics in the marketplace. Why so blatantly exclude us from your marketing campaign?

Fortunately, I know the book rocks, and plan to buy it anyway, thanks to the all-women's cocktail society to which I happily belong.

Cin-cin!

It's Carnival Time!

It's that time of year when one of our favorite cities becomes a hot bed of fun! All over New Orleans tourists are swarming, costumes are being donned and krewes are lining up as Mardi Gras arrives! In honor of this annual celebration we want to introduce you to one of our favorite NOLA broads and a cause dear to her heart that will be instrumental in keeping the sounds of New Orleans alive.

Last summer during my annual New Orleans pilgrimage I had the pleasure of meeting Elisa Speranza. A native Bostonian, Elisa fell in love with NOLA during her annual trips to Jazz Fest. She describes the city as "not like anyplace else on earth." Approximately five and a half years ago she made the move and relocated.

For the last seven years Elisa has worked for CH2M Hill, a full-service engineering, consulting, construction and operations company. Working in both the governmental and industrial sectors, CH2M Hill handles everything from transportation and infrastructure projects to the construction of power generation facilities to disaster relief. Elisa, as a Vice President in the Water Business Group, is head of the management consulting team and does work for municipal water/wastewater facilities domestically and abroad.

Elisa is dedicated to community service both locally and globally. She serves as Vice President of Water for People, a non-profit organization that facilitates water, sanitation, and hygiene projects in developing countries and is active with Save the Wetlands and the Arabi Wrecking Krewe.

The Arabi Wrecking Krewe, Inc is a not for profit organization dedicated to preserving the music and culture of New Orleans. The Krewe is assisting musicians with all post-Katrina needs in order that they can return to New Orleans. Currently they are raising funds to build Al "Carnival Time" Johnson a new home.

Al "Carnival Time" Johnson penned one of New Orleans most popular anthems. "Carnival Time" became synonymous with Mardi Gras and the spirit of NOLA. Unfortunately, for the first thirty years of it's existence, Al received no royalties for his famous hit. After Katrina destroyed his home in the Lower Ninth Ward, Al left for Houston. The Arabi Wrecking Krewe, realizing the importance of music in the history and soul of New Orleans, is raising funds to build a new home for Al in the Musician's Village.

So during this Carnival we raise our glasses and hopefully some funds. Here's to you Elisa and Al!

Vieux Carre
1 oz Rye
1 oz Brandy
1 oz Italian Vermouth
1 tsp Benedictine
2 dashes Peychaud Bitters
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Stir all ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Cheers!

The Beachbum loves the broads!

Head over to Beachbum Berry's Grog Blog to see a nice post about the ladies of LUPEC Boston and our love of chartreuse.

Thanks Bum!

A New Year!

Hello friends of LUPEC Boston! Happy 2008!

As you've probably noticed, the ladies of LUPEC Boston decided to take a little breather over the holidays to spend some extra time with our loved ones. We've had a lovely period of rejuvenation plus a little extra time for some hibernation. Now we are refreshed and excited to be looking forward to a spring filled with fabulous events where we drink for good causes!

So check back often to learn about sassy broads, tasty cocktails and fun times!

Cheers!

The Stork Club

With the repeal of Prohibition the sound of clinking glasses once again filled Manhattan and the place to be was a former speakeasy. For over three decades the Stork Club, located at 3 East 53rd St, was both the playground of celebrities and millionaires and the center of Manhattan's cafe society.

The Stork Club was opened in 1929 by Sherman Billingsley. A native of Oklahoma, Billingsley moved from bootlegger to bar owner. Known to "rule with a velvet fist," Billingsley was at his glamorous club nightly catering to his clientele which had the children of old world money mingling with movie stars, gossip columnists, politicians and former bootleggers among others. With his golden rope Billingsley created exclusivity and with his house photographer leaking photos to the tabloids he had the whole country begging to be a part of it.

And now a toast to the grand beauty known as the Stork Club, the impending arrival of Repeal Day and Mixology Monday!

The Stork Club Cocktail
1 1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Cointreau
1 oz Fresh Orange Juice
1/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Cheers!