Friday Belts: Flying Turkeys

The Aviation Cocktail - A Turkey that can fly

2 Oz Gin

1/2 Oz Lemon juice

2 teaspoons Maraschino liqueur

1/4 Oz Creme de Violette

Add Ice and Shake - The drink not you

The Turkey Belt - It can't fly

The Aviation Cocktail is a whole lotta effort for a gin and grapefruit juice. At least that's what it tastes like to me. In short, it never takes off depsite a whole lotta buzz.

There's mucho hype, marketing, puffery, sick, cool and tasty on the web -- I never want you to think I'd hesitate to call something out for what it is. And when it's BS like this cocktail - - You're gonna hear about it here.

I now have two bottles of useless liqueurs. Creme de Violette and Luxardo Maraschino are taking up a lot space on a very small bar. The Italian Luxardo comes in straw and has a super cool label with the 1821 Trademark and all kinds of awards. Folks see this on your bar and they're gonna think, "Hey, this guy knows what he's doing." Of course, they would be wrong but the impression will only cost you $30 - That's not bad for an impression.

The Creme de Violette is an ugly bottle with Art Decco pretensions. Rothman & Winter make this Violet liqueur in Austria. Maybe Hitler had this stuff on his bar up there on Eagle's Nest. It would certainly explain why he didn't drink.

It really does taste like a flower and that ain't good. Not for me. I remember eating some flowers on a dare when I was 12 years old and getting very sick. Creme de Violette took me right back to up chucking in the back seat of the family station wagon while my two sisters laughed at me all the way from Columbia, SC to Charlotte, NC.

Cherry and violette will be on my bar 'til I die most likely. I don't see this stuff getting much use and neither will this Turkey belt from Staffords. It does remind me of the WKRP in Cincinnati episode, Turkeys Away, where the radio station manager, Mr Carlson, drops live turkeys from a helicopter over the Pinewood shopping center. Add, "I Thought Turkeys Could Fly" onto this ribbon belt and you could really have something.

I suspect this belt will be worn once a year. On July 4th for the only reason people will ask why I'm wearing a turkey belt on the 4th. And I'll tell them, "Because turkeys can't fly. Wanna cocktail that can?"