Trump surrogate Scottie Nell Hughes has captured the heart of the nation with her charge on CNN that a Jay-Z video “starts off with a crowd throwing mazel tov cocktails.”
What is a "mazel tov cocktail" pic.twitter.com/xmTiBnoaia
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) November 7, 2016
A what? Not since Scott Walker wished a constituent “Molotov” when asked whether his office would display a menorah has there been such a bizarre conflation of the two ideas.
Jokes, of course, followed, along with stabs at what a “mazel tov” cocktail might be.
Mazel Tov cocktail recipe:
One part vodka
Two parts tonic water
Dash of Manishevitz
Copious tears from parents upset at your life choices.— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) November 7, 2016
Manischewitz w/ a hint of gefilte fish https://t.co/R65ER5UdgW
— erica orden (@eorden) November 7, 2016
https://twitter.com/AnupKaphle/status/795619879835537408
Keep those Manischewitz jokes coming, everyone. They’re great. Anyway, in 2009 the English band the Wildhearts appeared to foresee this moment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acVFQ3rYxUM
That same year the Black Eyed Peas forever tied “Mazel Tov” to drinks in their classic “I Gotta Feeling.”
Still, we thought it might be helpful to have a recipe for a pretty good Mazel Tov Cocktail. Washingtonian has contacted several of DC’s best mixologists for an answer, but it’s pretty early for those folks. Here’s our Anna Spiegel‘s hastily constructed recipe–it could be bottled, or “batched,” she figures, if you leave out the sparkling wine. We’ll add others as we get them. Maybe you’ve got an idea what the MTC should be? Email me.
Mazel Tov Cocktail
(Serves one, best enjoyed sipped rather than flung)
.5 oz Arak (the national spirit of Israel, which has a pleasant anise flavor)
.5 oz Russian Standard vodka
1 oz. orange schlub, er, shrub
A dash of bitters
A sparkling wine floater
Here’s one from staff writer Ben Freed:
https://twitter.com/brfreed/status/795671372391477253
Thanks to DGS Delicatessen, here’s a great Mazel Tov Cocktail recipe that has already run in, uh, Washingtonian:
Mazel Tov Cocktail
Serves 1
¼ ounce lavender syrup (recipe below)
1 ounce Averell Damson plum gin liqueur, or quality sloe gin
Splash of fresh lemon juice
4 ounces Champagne or sparkling wine
Lavender Syrup
2 ounces dried lavender buds
2 cups water
1½ cup sugar
Make the lavender syrup: Pour two cups of water in a saucepan and soak lavender buds for 5 minutes. Add sugar, and then bring to a simmer for 7 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cool and strain. Syrup will last for 3 to 4 weeks in the refrigerator.
When you’re ready to serve, pour lavender syrup, gin, and lemon in a mixing glass over ice, stir briefly, and strain into Champagne flute. Top with chilled Champagne and serve.
Here’s one from Kellie Mejdrich:
Rub cocktail glass w/ a fresh sage leaf
1 pt gin
1 pt tonic
dash manischewitz
shake w/ ice
garnish w/ crumbled oven-dried sugared sage leaf https://t.co/YijHFiAlf2— Kellie Mejdrich (@kelmej) November 7, 2016
Here’s a delicious-looking one from Star & Shamrock co-owner Jason Feldman:
Mazel Tov Cocktail
In a Pint Glass with ice
1 oz Captain Morgan Cannon Blast spiced rum
1/2 oz Lime juice
Fill with Lewis Osterweis Hard Ginger Beer
Gently stir
Top with Blackberry Manischewitz Float
Here’s an MTC sent in by Stuart Rakley
6 oz Manischewitz Extra Heavy Malaga
3 oz Sprite
1 shot of simple syrup
Garnish with orange slice
Serve over ice
Rakley adds: “Insulin can be served on the side.”
From Carlie Steiner, co-owner and head bartender at Himitsu:
Manischewitz Spritz
1.5 oz aperol
1.5 oz Manischewitz
1 oz soda water
2 oz prosecco
This drink, from Amitai Adler, looks quite nice. “Because something decent should come out of this ludicrous insanity,” Adler writes.
Mazel Tov Cocktail
1 oz best quality slivovitz
1 oz best quality cherry eau de vie
1 oz honey eau de vie
8-10 oz dry sparkling wine
1/2 scraped vanilla bean pod
1 stick cinnamon
3-4 slices of tart apple, peeled and frozen, and 1 slice fresh.
Place the frozen apple into a pint glass. Chill the slivovitz and eau de vie in a shaker with some ice. Drain into the pint glass over the apple. Fill with sparkling wine. Take half of a split vanilla bean pod which has already been scraped down for the vanilla, and swirl it a couple of times through the drink. Take the cinnamon stick, scrape it once with a paring knife, then stir the drink with it several times. Garnish with fresh apple slice and serve.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
