Wondrich Knows Best: Conan O’Brien Makes the Worst Drink in History
Spotlight On! January 15th, 2008For those of you not yet aware (yes, all 5 of you), David Wondrich has a new book out, Imbibe!: From Absinthe Cocktail to…(the longest subtitle this side of your 4000-level Sociology course), that traces the history of the cocktail and bartending through the life and times of Jerry Thomas and his creation of the original bartending guide. Wondrich is the author of several excellent books on mixology, with the most notable, thus far, being the difficult to get Esquire Drinks:…33 .
David did a wonderful job, came across as winning and very sincere, and when able over Conan’s antics, knowledgeable. I saw the two goblets come out and said to Joana, ‘Is he going to make a Blazer?!’, and so he did (unfortunately the flames don’t come across in studio lighting at all, a drink made for darkened bars for sure). Other highlights are his making a Clover Club and discussing girly drinks with Conan (though I much prefer the Club’s cousin, the Pink Lady), Conan dissing the Clover Club33 and mixing it with the Blue Blazer, and, of course, the requisite discussion of absinthe and its legality. I was very happy to see David cross the Writer’s Guild picket line and have an opportunity to shine in a national forum33 as this is not the type of guest or subject frequently invited on such stages.
[Update: 2008]It’s been taken down off YouTube (it lasted only a few hours) so you’ll have to go to the MySpaceTV area of ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien’ to view it. Click the image below, click the video’s forward button three times (and sit through a blasted cruise line commercial after each click), and it should then load David’s segment. Worth the view and good to see him get the notoriety he deserves:
[Update 2009] And now, with the advent of Conan taking over the Tonight Show, it looks as if it’s been taken down from MySpace as well. I’ll keep looking and put a new link up here if I can track it down. Bloody networks.3
- somebody please reprint this dammit333
- it was voted one of the worst cocktails in history by Esquire in the 50s mind you333
- For the record, I support the WGA but a fortunate side-effect is a subject like Wondrich’s getting a window of opportunity for exposure333
3
You can also view it on NBC’s site. It was a good bit, though I think Conan has gone around the bend from the strike pressure.
I wish I’d known you want a copy of Esquire Drinks! I had two copies a few months ago and I sold my extra!
More than ‘going around the bend’ I’ve noticed a difference in style on the show and his performance pieces. They’re much more self-indulgent, which may be no more than a natural outcome of his relying primarily on himself for material.
Damn this cruel world for missing the boat on your copy of Esquire Drinks. Someday I will just break down and make the purchase on Amazon of a used one. And then, Paul Harrington’s book…….so…much…dough.
Tell me about it! I am always looking for Harrington’s book at used book stores, but that’s the one I think I’ll really have to splurge on.
Hmmm, I think I’m going to have to add this book to my collection ..
[...] use cocktailnerd’s directions if you want to jump right to the bit click the video’s forward button three times (and sit [...]
They both look like cocks. Conan is a nice guy in real life though.