17 / 226
THE EXOTIC DRINKING BOOK
this invention is totally sound, and is already quite famous throughout
the Near East. We ran into it one dank day of sleet and rain in early
January, just after the first Arab-Jewish riots which started with a
murder of a poor old man stoned to death in a Haifa melon patch,
between halves of a soccer match! and had just reached a climax be–
side the Dome of the Rock mosque-which has religious significance
to both Arab and Jew, and unfortunately overhangs the famous Jew–
ish Wailing Wall. We won't go into the politics of the thing, but
it
was a nasty mess, with British Tommies in the streets finally, and
machine guns and barbed wire entanglements-all the modern civi–
lized show.... We were disillusioned at all this wholesale murder
in Christianity's own heart city, sad at the sight of a' fifteen year old
Arab girl-the daughter of a fine Arab friend-crushed under a heavy
slab of masonry tossed from a rooftop as she returned from worship
after the end of
Ramadan-the
Mohammedan Easter-and we were
wearied at the thought of the drawn knives, the murder from ambush
which would follow all this blood debt throughout Palestine. We had
both sinuses pounding, were coming down with definitely
something,
as well-when in the weird, almost Egyptian-looking sanctum of the
King David Weber took charge; first
with
a hot rum toddy, then–
on evidence of renewed life-with the following origination.
Of cognac, cointreau, dry gin and lemon juice-strained-take
equal parts. Shake briskly with lots of cracked ice and serve in a Man–
hattan glass. Cut down the cointreau to make "dry," to taste.
THE JAMAICAN BLACK STRAP, from the FORMULA of an
AMERICAN FRIEND WHo INHERITED a MouNTAIN PLANTATION on
JAMAICA'S WINDWARD SIDE, not too FAR from PoRT ANTONIO
This is
a strange drink, and will arouse a lot of interest among
strangers, only better be sure they admire Jamaica rum-many ladies
don't, for instance
I ...
Take
2
jiggers of old Jamaica rum, add
2
tbsp
ice water,
2
tsp blackstrap molasses, and
I
dash Angostura, or
2
dashes
of orange bitters. Shake with lots of cracked ice, and garnish with a
thin stick of fresh pineapple.
. 17 .