The hit musical SEAPLANE returns to the Pensacola stage this August after over twenty years, and brings with it a reminder not only of the production’s memorable five-year run in the early 90s, but also of a significant piece of national history that celebrates our hallmark as the “Cradle of Naval Aviation.” When Jack Towers led the 1919 expedition of the Glenn Curtiss-designed NC-4 aircraft in the world’s first trans-Atlantic flight, a new immediacy was awakened in the imaginations of the global community. This new realm of cross-cultural possibility is what our bar team channeled when crafting a cocktail menu based on SEAPLANE and its virtuosic main characters. We’ve also taken cues from some of the most famous recipes of the 1920s, resulting in a playfully international twist on a few classics from that golden age of cocktails that would shortly follow Towers’ winged adventure.
Jackson’s Celebrates Seaplane
Ingredients:
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Instructions:
“The Pioneer”
Courvoisier VS, Cointreau, Noval Black Ruby Reserve Port, & Fresh-Squeezed Citrus (shaken & served up – with a sugared rim)
Glenn Curtiss was “a man of strength but few words,” perfect for the robust but understated elegance of the spirits in this cocktail, a variation on the classic Sidecar cocktail that incorporates the bold rush of Noval Black as a nod to the NC-4’s touchdown in Lisbon, Portugal, after its momentous voyage. The Pioneer’s dark layers remind one of a dark and ruddy sunset.
“The Aviator”
Bols Genever, Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, Creme de Violette, Fresh-Squeezed Citrus, & Elderflower Foam
(shaken & served up – topped with elderflower foam)
The young Jack Towers enters the play “enthusiastic … determined and ambitious,” which might as well describe The Aviator’s base spirit, Bols Genever, which boasts the mixability of a white spirit and the malty complexity of a brown spirit. The Netherlands’ national quaff for centuries, genever is a bold substitution for the classic Aviation’s gin base, and works with the elderflower foam to update a Prohibition-era standard in a rich, velvety way.
“The Ingenue”
Papa’s Pilar Blonde Rum, Snap Gingersnap Liqueur, Galliano, Pama Pomegranate Liqueur, Passion Fruit Syrup, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, & Fresh-Squeezed Citrus
(shaken & served up)
Katie Stephens plays opposite Jack Towers as a youthful representation of the exuberance of the coming era, the Roaring 20s. As such, The Ingenue is a colorful portrayal of the new international exchange that would alight upon and fashion the generation’s lifestyle. The Caribbean, Germany, Italy, Mediterranean coast, and South America all lend flavors to this twist on the famous Yellow Bird of yore. Its resemblance to the sky at sunrise encapsulates the fresh, clean realm of possibility this cocktail celebrates.