~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
August 25, 2011

★~ Today’s Quote: If you want an interesting party sometime, combine cocktails and a fresh box of crayons for everyone ~ Robert Fulghum

★~ Kiss and Make Up Day:

Kiss and Make Up Day is a great way to end a spat. We all have fights with our nearest and dearest now and again; today it’s time to see if a big ol’ smooch doesn’t stop the argument from reaching epic proportions. A kiss shows you care, that you won’t stay mad, and most importantly, it shuts you both up for a second.

★~ Whiskey Sour Day:

Perhaps the most famous of the sour cocktails, the whiskey sour, is a classic cocktail dating back to 1862, when it first appeared in print in Jerry Thomas’ Bartenders Guide. Although such retro drinks were once considered passé, as bartenders across the country revisit the classic sips, the whiskey sour is quickly coming back into style—the Cocktail Chronicles argues, “While the drink is like a stale Sinatra song, constantly buzzing in the air of a million old dives, the whiskey sour still has a lot to its credit: It’s quite easy to make, and it’s a reliable fallback for those times when you’re in the mood for a drink but can’t think of anything else to mix, or when the only things in the house are whiskey, lemons, and sugar.”

Emily and I are sticking with whiskey sours. Enough with all the kid foods, berries, and pies—it’s grown-up time. But if you would like another option, today is also Banana Split Day.

★~ Banana Split Day:

The easiest thing to do is head out to the local ice cream shop and have them dish up the perfect banana split.

If you insist on making your own banana split, more than likely your first stop will be the grocery store to buy bananas, chocolate, and vanilla and strawberry ice cream. Next you will need toppings: hot fudge, candied pineapple, strawberry sauce. Make sure you don’t forget the whipped cream to swirl and the crushed nuts to sprinkle on top of the banana split. The final touch…a few maraschino cherries.

My suggestion: Skip the split and sip a whiskey sour. Cheers.

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1940 – Arno Rudolphi and Ann Hayward were married — while suspended in parachutes at the World’s Fair in New York City. The minister, best man, maid of honor and four musicians were also in parachutes!

♥~ 1964 – The Beatles received a gold record for their hit single A Hard Day’s Night. It was their third gold record; they would collect 18 more through 1970.

♥~ 1970 – Elton John made his first live American appearance in Los Angeles, opening for singer David Ackles.

♥~ 1979 – “Ooh, my little pretty one, my pretty one; When you gonna give me some time, Sharona.” My Sharona, by The Knack, hit #1 on the Hot 100. It was a solid #1 for six straight weeks.

♥~ 1984 – The Cabbage Patch Kids and Trivial Pursuit were replaced by the latest fad toys: robotic action figures that fought galactic battles. They were called Transformers.

♥~ 2001 – Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby, a single mother and former waitress, married Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon in Oslo. The couple lives in Oslo with Mette-Marit’s son Marius.

★~Born Today:

♥~ 1819 – Allan Pinkerton first private detective;  Allan created the first private detective agency in 1850; making him the first private eye. Abraham Lincoln hired him as the first Secret Service officer. He, in fact, foiled the first attempt on Abraham Lincoln’s life.

Mr. Pinkerton hired others to help him in his detective agency. They were called Pinkertons, known for spying for the Union during the Civil War. Later, they were employed as scabs (where they were called Pinks — possibly the origin of the slang word, fink) during labor strikes and were active in suppressing labor disputes.

Allan Pinkerton actually created the term that has been glorified on countless TV shows, although there has never been a show that featured Pinkerton, Private Eye.

♥~ 1918 – Leonard Bernstein conductor: New York Philharmonic Orchestra; composer: West Side Story, On the Town, My Sister Eileen, On the Waterfront , Jeremiah, The Age of Anxiety, Kaddish, Chichester Psalms, Mass, Songfest; died Oct 14, 1990

♥~ 1930 – Sir Sean Connery Academy Award-winning actor: The Untouchables [1987]; The Rock, First Knight, The Hunt for Red October, Highlander, Rising Sun, Outland, The Longest Day, Dragonheart,Entrapment; “Bond. James Bond.”: Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds are Forever

♥~ 1933 – Tom Skerritt Emmy Award-winning actor: Picket Fences [1992-93]; Steel Magnolias, A River Runs Through It, M*A*S*H, The Turning Point, Top Gun, Alien

♥~ 1955, Born on this day, Elvis Costello, (Declan McManus), singer, songwriter,

♥~ 1961 – Billy Ray Cyrus singer: Achy Breaky Heart

♥~ 1968 – Rachael Ray TV chef/host: 30 Minute Meals, Inside Dish with Rachael Ray, $40 a Day, Rachael Ray’s Tasty Travels

★~ Did You Know: 

♥~  the Old Fashioned, possibly the first drink to be called a cocktail, was invented at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky in the 1880s?

♥~ “Professor” Jerry Thomas, wrote the first book of cocktail recipes in the United States in 1862, at one time earned more than the Vice President of the United States?

♥~  Calling an illegal bar a ‘speakeasy’ came from a lady barkeep who would warn her customers to “speak easy, boy, speak easy” whenever they became loud enough to attract police.

♥~ July 30th is known as Black Tots Day to memorialize the day in 1970 the British Navy did away with providing every sailor with a daily ration of rum. What would Jack Sparrow think?

♥~ Adding a miniature onion to a martini turns it into a Gibson

♥~ Shochu, a beverage distilled from barley, was the favorite beverage of the world’s longest-living man, Shigechiyo Izumi of Japan, who lived for 120 years and 237 days. He was born on June 29, 1865 and died on February 21, 1986

♥~ In the 1790s, “happy hour” began at 3:00 p.m. and cocktails continued until dinner.

♥~ The Manhattan cocktail (whiskey and sweet vermouth) was invented by Winston Churchill’s mother.

♥~ In old England, a whistle was baked into the rim or handle of ceramic cups used by pub patrons. When they wanted a refill, they used the whistle to get service. So when people went drinking, they would “wet their whistle.”

♥~ A drinking establishment is now located in the New York City building that once housed the National Temperance Society

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Hope you have a terrific Thursday. I will be back a little later to muse. I’m bringing Cousin Carla with me so you are in for a treat. If you have a morno moment I hope you will leave a comment! Odd Loves Company.

♥
Kb