Drinks

Green Isaac’s Special

June 11, 2021 by Jennifer

Have you noticed how every day seems to be a holiday these days? Some, like Christmas and Veteran’s Day, are definitely noteworthy while others, like No Diet Day and Dictionary Day (yes, these are real holidays) are some of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard of.  But in the midst of all these weird (holi)days are the special food and beverage days. There’s National Chocolate Day in October and World Martini Day in June just to name a couple. While I don’t necessarily adhere to them, I do believe they’re worth noting, especially since you all know how much I love cooking and drinking. This list of “important” dates also helps me decide what to post each week as I want to let you all know what you should be eating and drinking.

So, tomorrow is World Gin Day, and there’s no way I’d leave you hanging without a proper classic gin cocktail. No, it’s not a martini or gimlet. While there’s nothing I love more than a good dirty martini, discovering unknown classics gets me even more excited. Classics you may not know as well and, like me, will end up loving! Don’t get me wrong, I’ll never pass up a good martini or gimlet, but thanks to all my research over the years, I’ve discovered several other gin drinks that are very high on my go-to list. Drinks like the Seventh Heaven or Pink Lady. Believe it or not, the Pink Lady was actually the first gin cocktail I imbibed on a regular basis back in the 90’s, and it wasn’t just because it was pink.

Today’s cocktail was another favorite from that prolific writer of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, Ernest Hemingway.  His most well known drink of choice is of course the Daiquiri which is made with rum. But that wasn’t the only cocktail he enjoyed. No, if there was one thing Hemingway was known for more than his stories, it was his drinking. The man definitely liked his cocktails, often including them and their descriptions in many a novel. A few years ago Philip Greene did a deep dive into Hemingway and his drinks in the book, To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion, where he discovered this lovely little tipple I’m bringing you today.

The Green Issac’s Special appears in Hemingway’s Islands in the Stream while the lead character is out deep-sea fishing. A great, tart summer cocktail thanks to the gin, lime juice and unsweetened coconut water, this drink has a serious tropical feel. I can understand why Hudson, the lead in Stream, would slowly sip this while drifting on a boat in the middle of the ocean. Gin, coconut and lime, could there be a more sea-worthy concoction? I can definitely see myself imbibing this on a beach somewhere, can’t you? World Gin Day seems like the perfect time to give it a try. The fact it’s supposed to be in the mid-70’s here in Southern California is just one more reason, although let’s be honest, do you really need another? Green Isaac’s Special, here I come!