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Hi, I'm your hostess for this evening. My name is Jazzy and I live in Northeast England.

Feel free to share something about yourself.

Thank you for the invitation, Jazzy. I’m Trisha & I live in London.

Hello Trisha, do you come here often? It's nice to see you. Thank you for coming to my new digs.

Hi, I'm Rosemarie and live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
This looks like a nice safe place to celebrate books!

Welcome Rosemarie! Feel free to help yourself to some hors d'oeuvres.

They look yummy!

Cphe wrote: "Hi Cphe here, as you can tell by my avatar I'm an Aussie."

Happy to have you here Cphe! My first online experience was in an Australian Chat Room on Excite. My those were the popular days of the internet new home computers and I cut my teeth there. I have always loved Australia, even though I have never been.

Rosemarie wrote: "They look yummy!"

Have as many as you want! would you like a cocktail too?

Why not? I'm not driving!

A sidecar, miss? I've substituted gin for the cognac.


Sidecar is one of the finest creations of Harry's New York Bar in Paris. Often considered one of the best bars in the world, they are also known to create bloody mary. Sidebar is a mighty old 1920s cocktail that's still very popular. The Sidecar is arguably one of the best cocktails to come out of the Prohibition era. The rich taste of the cognac is perfectly complemented by notes of citrus and brandy, courtesy of the Cointreau. This simple but sophisticated drink is a must-have in your repertoire.

Ingredients:

Sugar
1.5 oz VS or VSOP Cognac
.75 oz Cointreau
.75 oz Fresh lime juice
How to make it:

Coat the rim of a cocktail glass with sugar and set aside.
(Do this a few minutes ahead of time so the sugar can dry and adhere well to the glass.) Add the remaining ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice.
Mix, and strain into the prepared glass.
Garnish with a piece of orange peel.

Sounds lovely! I like gin-in moderation.

I'm having two!

Hi Jazzy - thanks for the invite! What a posh place!

Hey y'all, I'm in the Deep South US 👋🏻

It's an absolute pleasure to have you (*ahem* i mean y'all) here all the way from the Deep South of the US, Cozy Pug.

Since you're from the Deep South, for you I've got a Sazerac!


If you’ve been on a tour of New Orleans, some lively guide likely told you that the Sazerac was the first American cocktail. (According to drinks historian David Wondrich, they’re not exactly right.) The folklore is that Peychaud’s bitters, a key Sazerac ingredient, was invented by a New Orleans apothecary, then added to some Cognac to make the first Sazerac cocktail in 1838. The recipe was altered in 1870 to feature whiskey instead, thanks to a Cognac shortage, and it’s been New Orleans’ pride and joy ever since. Today, you can drink a Sazerac with whiskey or cognac, says Dorman. (For the record, she prefers her cocktail as a half and half of both). She also points out that the Sazerac should be served in a cold glass, not over ice, which can confuse some bartenders -- and don’t forget a twist of fresh lemon, which gives the drink that crucial citrus kick.

Ingredients
2 1/2 oz. rye whisky*
1 sugar cube
2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
1 dash Angostura bitters
absinthe**
lemon peel

Directions
In an Old-Fashioned glass, muddle a sugar cube with a few drops of water.
Add several small ice cubes, then rye whiskey, Peychaud's bitters, and Angostura bitters. Stir well.
Roll a few drops of absinthe around a second, chilled Old-Fashioned glass until its inside is thoroughly coated. Pour off the excess.
Strain the contents of the first glass into the second. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel.

Hi all, I am Nidhi. I am also a classic lover just like you. Thank you for accepting me in the group.

Hi,Nidhi. Good to have you here!

I’m Janelle from Australia. Thanks for the invite Jazzy! I’m here because I love the pictures you find for your posts :)

Hi, Janelle. Nice to have you here!

Thanks Rosemarie, nice to be here!

Hi Nidhi & Janelle! So glad to meet you! Welcome to the show and feel free to mingle and have some nibbles and I'll put on some Sinatra. ❤️



I'm very happy that you like the pictures. If you would like me to make you a special cocktail, just ask!

Hi all!
Seems to be a nice place to hang out around her!^^ Thank you for the invition Jazzy! :-) And I love all you images as well! ;-p
I'm Irphen from France and I hope that the rule of 50 years or older doesn't apply to the members cause then you will have to throw me out! XD

I'm so happy you're attending our show Irpen and that you love the images. Don't worry we won't throw you out! Have a bit of a mingle and enjoy!

Good to see everybody here!

Hi everyone!

I'm Alex from not so steamy Brisbane in Australia. I have found the perfect place for NYE. Thank you Jazzy for getting the vibe going. Now I know what a sazerac is ! And I think the sidecar looks fab. Looking forward to reading some classics here. One was mentioned on an episode of Dopesick I was watching last night. Vanity Fair - reminded me that I haven't read any Thackeray so that's on the TBR list now. Hope you all have a simply splendid NYE. Alex

Yes, let's have a dance!

HI, I'm Annette & I live in New Mexico. It's not New and it's not Mexico but it's a great place to live. Thanks for including me.

Hi Annette - New Mexico looks a beautiful place to live. And who knew DH Lawrence lived there for a while? Not me! I see a bit of film-making happens there too. I enjoyed watching Longmire :)

Hola Annette, and welcome to the show! Fancy a cocktail? I've got a Corpse Reviver No 2 here. And please help yourself to the food.

The Corpse Reviver family of named cocktails are sometimes drunk as alcoholic hangover tongue-in-cheek "cures", of potency or characteristics to be able to revive even a dead person. Some Corpse Reviver cocktail recipes have been lost to time, but several variations commonly thought of with ties to the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel remain, especially those espoused by Harry Craddock that originally date back to at least 1930 and are still being made. Many "reviver" variations exist and the word is sometimes used as a generic moniker for any morning-after cocktail.

Ingredients
1 ounce gin
1 ounce lemon juice
1 ounce Cointreau (or Grand Marnier)
1 ounce dry vermouth or Lillet Blanc*
½ teaspoon absinthe
For the garnish: Orange peel or orange wedge

Instructions
Add the gin, lemon juice, Cointreau, dry vermouth, and absinthe to a cocktail shaker. Fill it with ice and shake it until cold.
Strain into a cocktail glass. If desired, garnish with an orange peel or orange wedge.

Jazzy I have plenty of gin but at this rate, I'm going to have to go to the bottle shop to get some more supplies e.g. cointreau and Peychaud's bitters (whatever they are). By chance I have sugar cubes in the pantry. We're going to have to fun tonight with all these cocktail recipes that's for sure!

Greetings from South Carolina, USA, and Happy New Year!

Jazzy wrote: "I'm so happy you're attending our show Irpen and that you love the images. Don't worry we won't throw you out! Have a bit of a mingle and enjoy!"

Haha, my pleasure^^ And it's a trelieve you won't throw me out! ;-) Thanks, I sure will! :-)

Oh and happy new year to everyone!!!

Happy New Year Bardbooks, welcome to the show!
Alexandra, I've got lots of nibbles, dip, grapes, smoked cheese from Poland, and chocolate caramel tarts! Hope you enjoy your cocktails!

Hi I am Cosmic and I presently am living in Arizona. Since we are "boondocking" around in our 1961 Silver Streak 24 ft trailer full time, you may see us in Nevada, California, and Oregon. I love classics. I really like allegories. I would like to expand my reading this year to reading an Epic. By the way the music is great. Always enjoy some great jazzy music ...not to loud either. I can hear everyone.

Welcome to the show Cosmic! the boondocking sounds fabulous, be sure to keep us informed of your location.

For you i've got a Cosmic Kitty Cocktail


Get it on with our Cosmic Kitty Cocktail! Our Cosmic Kitty Cocktail is made with Patron, Cranberry Juice, Vodka, and Pomegranates!

6 ingredients

1 Freshly muddled pomegranate
1 Pomegranate, Fresh
1 Splash Cranberry juice
1 1/2 oz Deep eddy ruby red vodka
1/2 oz Patron citronge liqueur

Squirt Soda

Thanks for having me, Jazzy! This looks fun. I’m happy to hear Sinatra booming away. I spent my youth stomping the streets of Hoboken where he was born! I’m a simple man so I’ll take a bourbon, neat. Bookers if ya got it. Looking forward to enjoying some classics with you fine folks.

I'm so glad to welcome you here, Chad! I've always wanted to go to New York.

Here's your Bookers!

Welcome, everyone!

The Cosmic Kitty is perfect!! Thank you!

Enjoy! ❤️

Bardbooks would you like a Mary Pickford?

Rum was one of the hottest commodities during Prohibition and one of the hottest drinks was the Mary Pickford. Inspired by the Hollywood legend and created in Cuba, this cocktail is sweet and tropical. It mixes light rum, pineapple juice, and grenadine to create a beautiful pink drink.

Her namesake cocktail was apparently created in Cuba, although the details are a bit murky. Some say that it was first made by a bartender named Eddie Woelke, some say it was Fred Kaufman. According to most sources, the drink was made in Pickford’s honour during a trip she made to the island in the 1920s. It’s now known that she never visited Cuba during that time frame, but however the cocktail came to be, the Mary Pickford has endured. The smooth, sweet, pink drink became very popular and was published in the 1928 book When It’s Cocktail Time in Cuba by Basil Woon, and then the classic The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock in 1930.

INGREDIENTS
2 oz white rum
2 oz fresh pineapple juice
2 bar spoon real grenadine (about 2 tsp)
1 bar spoon Luxardo maraschino liqueur (about 1 tsp)

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill it ¾ with ice.
Shake until chilled, then strain into a martini or coupe glass.
Garnish with a cocktail cherry and pineapple fronds, if desired.

Hi! I'm Teri in the Midwest. Thank you very much for the invitation!

Hi Teri I'm guessing you mean the Midwest of the US? Nice to have you on the show Happy New Year to you!

Have a Ward 8!

The cocktail was reportedly created in 1898 in Boston to celebrate the election of one Martin M. Lomasney to the state legislature. Lomasney was a politician who wielded considerable power in Boston for 40 years, serving as a state senator and representative as well as a political “boss” in the city's eighth ward.

Hi everyone, I’m Georgina and I’m from Northamptonshire in the UK. Nice to see you all here and hope you’re having a lovely New Years Eve 🎉

Happy New Year Georgina, welcome to the show! Hope you had fun greeting 2022! I live in Newcastle City Centre and there are lots of fireworks I can see right outside my window.

I'll get you an absinthe cocktail, you can even set fire to the sugar cube.


Step 1
Start by making the sugar cubes. Crush down a pinch of dried lavender with a mortar and pestle into a fine powder.

Step 2
Add the sugar cubes, or sugar, and crush into the lavender.

Step 3
Mix in a few drops of rose water and a couple of spoonfuls of water until the sugar begins to combine.

Step 4
Press the sugar in to a tray for ice cubes and leave to dry overnight.

Step 5
When completely dry, press the sugar cubes out, ready to use in your cocktail.

Step 6
Pour the absinthe into a glass and place an absinthe spoon over the glass with a sugar cube on top.

Step 7
Pour a bottle of chilled champagne over the sugar cube into the glass.

Step 8
Tip the remaining sugar into the glass and stir into the cocktail before serving.

Hi Georgina
I had a great New Years Eve and had the most spectacular dreams after my sidecar and corpse reviver cocktails courtesy of jazzylemon's recipes :) Alex in Brisbane down under.

Jazzy, the Mary Pickford sounds delicious! I love pineapple and cherries. I'm actually drinking a fizzy pink drink right now, watching the New York City Times Square celebration "New Year's Eve Live" on CNN. Here's to a happier new year and many good reads!

Yummy, Alex! What kind of dreams did you have?


Happy New Year to you Bardbooks! Are they still social distancing or was it a big crowd? Glad you liked the cocktail.


It's so quiet outside, I guess everyone is sleeping the New Year's Eve off!