Carlos n' Charlies - open and evolved

Daddy 

Son

It's still Carlos n' Charlie's in Mexico and the Carribean. Here in the United States, the chain evolved to become Señor Frog's. The oddity is there is a Carlos n' Charlies in Las Vegas, but there's also a Señor Frog in Las Vegas. Do they peacefully co-exist, like Aldi's and Trader Joe's?

From wikipedia:

Carlos'n Charlie's is a chain of casual dining Mexican restaurants, primarily located in Mexican and Caribbean tourist destinations.

Carlos is Carlos Anderson, founder of Grupo Anderson's, who died in a 1990 plane crash, and Charlie is Charles Skipsey, his business partner. The company, founded in 1963, claims the more than 50 restaurants makes it Mexico's largest restaurateur. In addition to Carlos'n Charlie's, Grupo Anderson's has the Señor Frog's chain, along with other similarly-branded restaurants/bars like Carlos O'Brians and El Squid Roe.

Carlos'n Charlie's restaurants averaged $3.6 million in 2005 with an average check of $22.50. They expected sales to grow from $105 million to $112 million in 2006. The company is headquartered in Cancún.

The conglomerate is considered the largest restaurant chain based in Mexico. By the looks of the menu and decor, it follows the tourist market theme restaurant formula: higher than market pricing, bright colors, flotsam and jetsam decor, cartoon mascots, souvenirs, kid's menus, and oversized drinks for mom and dad. I'm guessing waitstaff flair to be expected. I'd still go, if only to order one of these:

Charlie's Freeze

• 3/4 oz. coffee liqueur
• 3/4 oz. California brandy
• 5 oz. vanilla ice cream
• whipped cream
• ground nutmeg

Put everything but the whipped cream and nutmeg in a blender. Throw in glass. top with whipped cream and nutmeg. 

I've flipped ahead, thankfully we won't have any more ice cream drinks for a while. 

6/29/22: editing to add both restaurants still exist in Vegas, Señor Frog’s at Treasure Island and Carlos and Charlie’s further south at the Flamingo.

CARGO BAR - evolved

I love a good tuna tartare

missionbayresort.com

An internet search for "Cargo Bar, Mission Bay, CA" gets me a lot of helpful links to the top service providers for hauling cargo around the city.

Looking up the address, the Hilton Hotel is now a Noble House Hotel property. And frankly, the place is gorgeous. Spas, cabanas, zoo packages, the place really makes Michigan, on a cold April day, look like shit.

The Cargo Bar, alas, is no longer, replaced with the Acqua California Bistro, serving 3, 4, or 5 course meals with beautiful bayside views. Oh my, you wouldn't even care about the bill at that point.

There is also a bar on the property, The Olive Bar, that frankly looks like every other lobby hotel bar. I prefer the Acqua...

Reluctantly, I'm back looking at the Cargo Bar's entry, and it seems kind of wacky compared to the sophistication of the Acqua.

Maui Christmas

• 1 1/2 oz. triple sec
• 1 oz. white creme de cacao
• 3 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 tbs. coconut snow
• 1 cherry

Place all but the cherry in a blender with ice. Blend well. Pour and garnish with the cherry.

Butch McGuire's USA - OPEN!

butchmcguires.com

YEAH! Not only is this place still open, it's still in the same location, same logoed mascot, and gives a shout-out to the drink that's in this book! Some family history from the about page: 

Butch McGuire borrowed a little money from his mother and opened his “world famous” saloon in 1961. The legendary bar corridor of Rush and Division was born. Butch had the perfect hang-out for local gold coast and old town singles, most of whom happened to be his friends. In fact, through cocktails and conversation, it is believed that over 10,000 marriages have resulted from encounters throughout the decades. Butch, “the unofficial mayor of Division street”, took an active part in the community and took a great interest in his employee’s lives. Butch was always proud to claim that hundreds of men and women had paid for some, if not all, of their educations while working at the saloon. Butch was also quite an advocate for women, being one of the first Chicago bar owners to hire female bartenders and managers. Back in the earlier days, only women were allowed a seat at the crowded bar, men would either give up their seats or be thrown out.

Ever the innovator, Butch is credited with the creation of the Harvey Wallbanger and Skip and Go Naked cocktails, as well as being the first to serve a Bloody Mary (still the best in town!) with a celery stick garnish. He also turned Christmas at Butch McGuire’s into a Chicago tradition. What started out as a few balloons and homemade ornaments has now turned into a stunning array of lights, garland, quirky mobiles, and two double-decker trains that run throughout the main bar and antique room. Butch’s proudly uses the trains to raise money for The Boys and Girls of the Mercy Home of Chicago.

That's legendary. I'm so glad this place was included in the book. 

Harvey Wallbanger

• 1 oz. vodka
• 1/2 oz. galliano
• 6 oz. orange juice

Add all ingredients to blender with crushed ice. Blend. Serve in 10 oz. glass. 

Bully III - evolved...?

sonnenalp.com/dining

So, ok: an internet search for the Bully III takes me instead to the Bully Ranch Bar & Restaurant which is located inside Sonnenalp Hotel. It's located at 20 Vail Rd. 

The book gives Bully III's address as being 20 Meadow Drive, kitty-corner from the current location. 

I don't see the logic of competing restaurants named Bully so close together, so I would argue that Bully's moved across the street into the hotel and dropped the III's. But why the III's in the first place...?

A clue, perhaps, lies in the hotel's timeline, from 1979:

Intrigued with the success of the Vail Ski Resort, Karlheinz and GretlFaessler purchase the Wedel Inn Motel next to the Covered Bridge. They remodel its 38 rooms and rename it the Hotel Sonnenalp. In 1986, the name changed to the Sonnenalp Austria Haus. The Austria Haus Club and Hotel occupies the site today.

I think the Bully moved when the hotel was sold and renovated. So my vote is evolved.

Mudslides look to be the signature drink now, but back in the swanky 70s, this little libation was the drink du jour:

Jack's Casting Couch

• 1 oz. creme de almond
• 1 oz. creme de cacao
• 4 oz. vanilla ice cream

Throw it in a blender with some ice. Blend until smooth, and drink until you're drunk. Beware of diabetes.

Bull & Bush - open!

bullandbush.com/

It makes me happier than it should to find another pub that is open and thriving. From their website: 

In 1971, casting aside their stockbroker careers to become the bellwether personalities of the Denver restaurant industry in the 70s and 80s, the brothers (Dean and Dale Peterson) built the Bull & Bush to kick start a list of successful restaurants.

A fact finding trip to the English countryside provided the Petersons with the concept of a pub modeled after the original Bull & Bush, a British pub located in Hampstead Heath near London that dates back to 1645.

The Bull & Bush opened its doors and soon found itself in the middle of Glendale’s heyday... Musical acts, friendly bartenders and the area’s first dart rooms entertained the crowds. Not long after the beer started flowing, two satellite dishes were placed on the roof, bringing in sporting events from around the world and creating the nation’s first “Sports Bar.”

In the mid-90s, the brothers had the game-changing idea to build a brewery adjacent to the restaurant. Since brewing its first batch on New Year’s Day of 1997, the Bull & Bush brewing operation has become world renowned for its great tasting and innovative creations...

But most of all it’s you, the loyal customers, that have made The Bull & Bush one of Colorado’s most revered landmarks. As Dale once put it, “This is what it’s all about if you’re in the tavern business. Fresh beer, the music, the camaraderie and friendship. Most restaurants, you might go in there once a year. Here you come in once a month, once a week… even once a day.”

I'm starting to feel this exercise is more than a nostalgic look back on a recipe book. There's marketing lessons to learn as well as business management. 

But back to the booze. I give you the lone entry,

Strawberry Slush

• 4 oz. cracked ice
• 2-3 oz. fresh strawberries
• 1 1/2 oz. creme de noyaux
• 1 oz. passion fruit syrup
• 2 oz. half and half
• 1 whole strawberry
• whipped cream

Put all but the whole strawberry and whipped cream in a blender. Blend until slushy. Pour into 14 oz. glass, garnish with swirl of whipped cream and strawberry. 

Beuna Vista - open!

It's open still! http://www.thebuenavista.com

And they even have their own story to tell:

THE IRISH COFFEE STORY

The historic venture started on the night of November the 10th in 1952. Jack Koeppler, then-owner of the Buena Vista, challenged international travel writer Stanton Delaplane to help re-create a highly touted "Irish Coffee" served at Shannon Airport in Ireland. Intrigued, Stan Accepted Jack’s invitation, and the pair began to experiment immediately.

Throughout the night the two of them stirred and sipped judiciously and eventually acknowledged two recurring problems. The taste was "not quite right," and the cream would not float. Stan’s hopes sank like the cream, but Jack was undaunted. The restaurateur pursued the elusive elixir with religious fervor, even making a pilgrimage overseas to Shannon Airport.

Upon Jack’s return, the experimentation continued. Finally, the perfect-tasting Irish whiskey was selected. Then the problem of the bottom-bent cream was taken to San Francisco’s mayor, a prominent dairy owner. It was discovered that when the cream was aged for 48 hours and frothed to a precise consistency, it would float as delicately as a swan on the surface of Jack’s and Stan’s special nectar.

Success was theirs! With the recipe now mastered, a sparkling clear, six-ounce, heat-treated goblet was chosen as a suitable chalice.

Soon the fame of the Buena Vista’s Irish Coffee spread throughout the land. Today, it’s still the same delicious mixture, and it’s still the same clamorous, cosmopolitan Buena Vista. Both…delightful experiences.

CBS Sunday Morning celebrated it, USA Today promoted it, and Food Network has returned to the Buena Vista numerous times to include it in several shows, including The Best Thing I Ever Ate.  

Irish Coffee

• 3 cocktail sugar cubes
• Hot black coffee
• 1 1/4 oz. Irish whiskey (or whisky? I know there's a difference)
• whipped cream

Place sugar cubes in warmed coffee glass. Fill 34 full with coffee. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add whiskey and stir. Top with whipped cream. 

Brickskeller Saloon - evolved

A legend

This is a first: a saloon with it's own Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brickskeller.

Excerpts:

The Brickskeller (officially The Brickskeller Dining House and Down Home Saloon) was a tavern in Washington, D.C., located near Dupont Circle across from Rock Creek Park and on the edge of Georgetown, in the Marifex Hotel (now the Brickskeller Inn) building. The Brickskeller was one of the city's most popular night spots in the 1960s and 70s after son Maurice and June Coja took over the restaurant-hotel operation while his dad pursued other interests.

Business boomed in those days as Maurice and June had obviously discovered and created a formula that fit the bill for success and future growth. As pointed out in a current Facebook site: "I used To Hang At The Bricks", the history of this original down home saloon remains a storied legend attested by decades of young people who frequented DC and Georgetown bars when they were students, government workers and beer connoisseurs from 1957 until 2010 when it closed.

The beer menu was always a prominent calling card for patrons but it wasn't until the late 1960s when one of the Coja's sharp management crew, Joe Corey, a talented musician and the in-house booking agent for upstairs music acts, started making runs in a rented refrigerated truck to Golden, Colorado, to buy truckloads of a little known beer (on the east coast) called Coors.

During the Alexander's years at the helm they received a Guinness World Record for the largest selection of beers commercially available, Dave was the first bar owner and fifth American to be knighted into the Confederation of Belgian Brewers in their over 600-year history. He received the Best Beer Bar in the Country award from the Adams Beverage Media group and the first landmark lifetime achievement award they ever presented from Washingtonian magazine. In addition, the Washington Post and other city papers declared The Brickskeller the best "beer bar" and best beer selections in the District of Columbia.

The Brickskeller is gone, but their beer list remains: http://www.lovethebeer.com/beer-list.html

The Inn was supposed to have been sold to a hotelier for renovation in 2010, but google maps shows a blue awning with the words "Coming Soon" from 2018, and no indication anything came. What has remained is the cellar bar, now known as the Beir Baron: http://www.thebierbaron.com/. I wouldn't count this as closed but maybe evolved. 

From what I've read, this place truly was one of the 100 greatest bars in the US. Frustrating that a beer bar is featured in a cocktail book, but I guess it's foolish to be picky 40 years after the fact. Since this one has ice cream and my grandmother leaned heavily on the dessert cocktails, I give you the

Outstanding Alexander

• 3 oz. vanilla ice cream
• 3 oz. chocolate ice cream
• 2 oz. whipping cream
• 1 1/2 oz. cognac
• 1/2 oz. Mexican coffee liqueur
• 1/2 oz. orange brandy
• nutmeg

Place ice cream and cream with 1/2 cup of ice in a blender and blend until creamy. Add liquors, blend until smooth. Pour into two glasses and garnish with nutmeg. Serves 2! 

The Brewery, Las Vegas - closed

Iconic Vegas

Ok, I've got a real beef with the Las Vegas entry for this book. The place was called The Brewery, and it's location was about 3 blocks from the Strip. Three blocks! And it's nowhere near Fremont street! I don't know what the layout of Vegas was in the 70s, but this appears to miss the mark even then. Google maps reveals it is now a parking lot near a Fairfield Inn and a tapas restaurant. I'm finding with amazing frequency that these things happen.

HOWEVER!

How do you do an entry from Vegas on a place with as generic a name as The Brewery? An internet search of bars and nightclubs in Vegas in the 70s reveals a vast array of interesting places one could have featured instead. It has been known as the Entertainment Capital of the World since the 1930s after all.

I found one reference to the Brewery on a message board: "... I remember the disco at the Brewery." That's all I have found.

Jeez, even Paul Anka had The Shark Club in the 70s...

Being extremely judgmental, I decided to see if there was an author or editor for the book. "Recipes compiled and selected by Playboy Club International." Methinks they either didn't want to give free publicity to a competitive property, or this was one of their own. Hm.

There's three recipes in the book, none of which contain beer. Since I've been on a blue curacao kick in my selections, I will go instead for the Brewer's Rocker.

Brewer's Rocker

• 2 oz. tequila
• 5 oz. iced tea
• lemon wedge
• lime wedge

Add tequila and iced tea to a chilled glass, add ice. Garnish with fruit. Add sugar to sweeten if desired.

The Original Bobby McGees Conglomeration - evolved

Oh, I wanted this one to still be open. Sooooo bad. From the LA Times in 1991:

From the outside, the restaurant reminded me of a Newport millionaire’s beach cottage, embellished with lush flowers and set at the edge of a six-lane road instead of the seashore.

Yet it’s the interior that boggles the mind. As if the decorator had gone berserk in a kind of fun way, every inch of space has been covered with prints and artifacts. The restaurant is huge. It has been cleverly divided into smaller rooms and alcoves that fan out from a central salad bar ensconced in a painted bathtub big enough to hold Paul Bunyan. The decor just doesn’t quit, and every room has a different theme, from antique sports to flora to nautical motifs.

Although this particular Bobby McGee’s is unique to Ventura County, the restaurant is actually one of a successful chain of 21.

And from Arizona Foothills Magazine, 2018:

Hundreds of people from across the nation, including local TV icon Pat McMahon and longtime food writer, Nikki Buchanan, gathered to celebrate the much-missed local restaurant chain, Bobby McGee’s Conglomeration. Created by legendary Valley restaurateur, Bob Sikora, the reunion party was hosted inside his latest culinary creation, Bobby-Q Great Steaks & Real BBQ (8501 N 27th Ave., 602.995.5982). And while Bobby McGee’s may be long gone, the 300 plus attendees at this sold-out event, some of whom came from as far away as Virginia, spoke about the long lasting impact of Sikora and his former employees and regulars at his innovative restaurants, nightclubs and more.

Bob Sikora is a life-long restaurant man, starting as a fry cook at a McDonald's when he was 15. His first restaurant was Bobby's Pancake Stand when he was only 20. History on bobbyqbbq.com indicates Bobby McGee's became the BBQ restaurants in 2005. This man knows food service. 

A peek at the BBQ joint's cocktail list, and I'm mourning the lack of a Malibu Wave on the menu. This was, without a doubt, my favorite of the drinks my dad made over the holidays. It was the most beautiful, soft, sea blue color. Plus, tequila. 

Malibu Wave

• 1 oz. tequila
• 1/2 os. triple sec
• 1/8 oz. blue curacao
• 3 oz. sweet and sour mix
• 1 lime slice

Pour all but the lime slice in blender with ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into 14 oz. glass and garnish with lime. 

BlueBoar Inn - closed

Yelp San Francisco has listed this one as RIP. An article in the Chicago Tribune from 1987 states:

When San Francisco`s celebrated Blue Boar Restaurant burned down a couple of years ago, its owners transferred their cuisine to the Sonoma coast and created a European-style hideaway complete with indoor Jacuzzi, outdoor heated pool and a Horse and Gun Club.

Alas, there's precious little to go on between 1979 and 1984. One blogger, talking vividly of making an ass out of himself at various establishments in SF noted his wife saying "don't forget about the Blue Boar!" An ashtray on eBay. 

I wish I had more to say about it, in a major metropolitan city such as SF, I'm sure places like this die out every day. 

Blue Boar Nun

• 1 tbsp. dry cocoa mix
• 1 oz. black coffee, chilled
• 2 oz. half and half
• 1 oz. coffee liqueur
• 1 Italian cookie

Place dry cocoa in saucepan. Add coffee and stir, add half and half. Heat but do not boil. Add liqueur, stir. Pour into 5 oz. glass and serve with cookie. 

The Blind Lemon - open!

Another one that is open!

www.theblindlemon.com

The Blind Lemon is considered a whimsical bar, named after bluesman Blind Lemon Jefferson, with live music and lots of cocktails. Video tour shows a wall of distinguished guests, famous live acts who have graced the Blind Lemon stage. It's small, intimate, and the menu is nothing but booze.

Tastes change, and the I'm sure fabulous Howard's Surprise has given way to the Moscow Mule. I'll include the Surber's Revenge, because, well, champagne...

Surber's Revenge

• 1 1/2 oz. light rum
• 1/2 lime, squeezed for juice
• 1 tsp. honey
• champagne, chilled

Pour all ingredients, except champagne, over crushed ice in cocktail shaker. Shake well. Strain into 8 oz. glass. Fill with champagne. 

Blackbeard's Galley & Grog - closed

I'm sensing a consistency in searching out themed-restaurants from the 70s. Most exist only in souvenir sales on amazon, ebay, and memories on pinterest. Blackbeard's Galley & Grog is no exception.

Surprisingly scant information to be found, some bloggers say the restaurant didn't survive the 70s. It was part of the tiki bar craze of the same era. Ashtrays, logoed glasses, matchbooks, and menus seem to be all that is left.

Except this: the recipe for Pirate Grog exists on many different foodie sites, which looks like maybe your could get for $2.75, above. Too bad Shark's Tooth wasn't included in this recipe book.

Pirate Grog

• 1 1/2 oz. light rum
• 1/2 oz.  apricot brandy
• 1/2 oz. Falernum
• 2 oz. sweet and sour mix
• 1 oz. orange juice
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1/2 oz. dark rum
• 1 green cocktail cherry (edit: do these even exist anymore?)
• 1 maraschino cherry
• 1 pineapple chunk

Pour all ingredients except dark rum, pineapple and cherries into a cocktail shaker. Shake well. Pour into tall glass. float dark rum on drink. Garnish with fruit.

BANANAS! - closed

BANANAS! is no longer, replaced by a joint called Casa Alvarez. An internet search reveals affection for the place still exists in menus, buttons, and ads featuring dudes in hot tubs on Pinterest.

An oral history pdf from someone by the name of Wayne Dozier remembering BANANAS!:

"Opened Bananas in 1978. It was a contemporary, rock 'n' roll restaurant with up-tempo music ... Casually creative. It was the first restaurant in Boulder to serve deep-fried cheese. It was the first to serve taco salad in a giant fried tortilla chip. Its appeal cut a wide path. They thought it would appeal to the 25-30 age group but it attracted patrons from 18 to 85. It was located in Palmer Gardens at 30th and Walnut.

Bananas was more an "impulse" restaurant where customers were geographically close. However, for a number of years, Bananas was an architectural curiosity and pulled from many areas.

How Bananas got its name. The P.R. story claims it was because the architect went bananas figuring out its design. But actually, the architect thought up the name and it brought a smile to everyone they told it to. Architect was Victor Hough of Denver, who designed several of Wayne's establishments."

I cannot find a single photo of the restaurant to find out how bananas it really was.

This article states the interview was in 1990. Reading further, it also states Dozier began closing restaurants over the course of two years. So BANANAS! shuttered between 1988 and 1992.

From GetBoulder, and Forty Years of Nibbling:

If you were to take a time machine back to the 1970s... the favorite cuisine in our rapidly growing college/high-tech town was American... The ultimate example was Bananas (now Casa Alvarez), an eatery whose oddly named menu items—like “My Old Kenturkey Home,” a hot sandwich—were matched only by the thoroughly goofy design.

A crazy place like this deserves to be memorialized with a crazy drink.

Lola Granola

• 1 1/2 oz. amaretto liqueur
• 3 oz. orange juice
• 1 oz. half and half
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 tsp. wheat germ

Place all bu the wheat germ in blender with 4oz. of ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into wineglass and garnish with wheat germ. 

Balboa Cafe - OPEN!

We are six bars into the book, and we have our first one that is still open!

www.balboacafesf.com

The Balboa Cafe is a San Francisco Legacy restaurant certified by SF Heritage. It's a local favorite serving up the the famous Balboa Burger that "sits on many lists as one of the best burgers in San Francisco." They also have a wine program and live music every Tuesday.

The menu, quite simply, is to die for and the photography on the website is mouth-watering. You don't often seen deviled eggs as an appetizer, so these must be pretty special. Oh, and the steaks...

I have not seen nearly enough of the United States, so we make an effort to move vacations around to experience more of our country. San Francisco is one of the few locations I would love to return to, if not to enjoy the heritage at the Balboa. 

The B&H book features two recipes, and the California Root Beer Float stands out.

California Root Beer Float

• 1 oz. Galliano
• 1 oz. Mexican coffee liqueur
• 3 oz. half and half
• 1 oz. club soda

Put everything except club soda in a blender with some ice. Blend until smooth. Strain into a 7 oz. wineglass and top with club soda. 

Arnie's - closed

Found this bit from a t-shirt shop, of all places. You never know where good information will come from:

Arnie's Restaurant, 1050 N. State St., Chicago, IL. Arnold "Arnie" Morton (1922–2005) was a restaurateur that opened his first restaurant, the Walton Walk, between Rush Street and Michigan Avenue in 1952. This paved the way for a partnership with Victor Lownes and Hugh Hefner, the founder and editor-in-chief of Playboy Magazine. 

Morton was the right-hand man of Hugh Hefner when he launched the Playboy Empire on February 29, 1960. He was largely involved in the opening of the first Playboy Club with Hefner and Lownes in 1960. He served as Executive Vice President of Playboy Enterprises, where he developed the worldwide chain of Playboy Clubs. 

Over the course of 20 years, Morton created his flagship namesake restaurant, Arnie's, in Chicago's Gold Coast; Zorine's; and Morton's of Chicago Steakhouses. In 1978, Morton's of Chicago opened in the basement of a Near North Side high-rise in Chicago adjacent to the existing Arnie's restaurant. The menu consisted simply of giant potatoes and large steaks. It was slow at the beginning, but gained a boost when Frank Sinatra arrived at the restaurant and became a regular. 

This original Morton's of Chicago became the stepping stone for 65 other Morton's locations in the United States, Hongkong, Singapore, and Canada. During the 70s and 80s, his other ventures included Arnie's Restaurant, Arnie's Cafe, Maple Street Pier, Arnie's First Street Pier, Arnie's North, Morton's Marketplace, the Institute and an exclusive Club, Zorine's (discothèque). 

Morton met Klaus Fritsch while working alongside Hugh Hefner. Then, Fritsch was food and beverage director of the Playboy Clubs. Morton left Playboy in the early 1970s as did Fritsch to begin a 20-year run of working together. Morton once teamed with chef Jean Banchet to open an elegant French seafood restaurant, Zorine's Club La Mer. Morton sold his Morton's Steakhouses in 1987.

The whole block appears to be Morton's now. I may have even gone there for a wedding back in 2002. A peek at the menu  https://www.mortons.com/statestreet/bar/ doesn't feature a Cafe Freeze, Peach Treat, or an Ice Palace, so that's where I come in. A simple, refreshing drink I remember being served...

Cafe Freeze

• 1 1/2 oz. rum
• 8 oz. lime sherbet
• 3 oz. pineapple juice

Place all ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth. Pour in 13 oz. wine glass.

Archibald's - closed

Scant information can be found about Archibald's, formerly of Birmingham, Michigan. An internet search for the restaurant instead pulls up the usual matchbooks that are 40+ years old, bygone stories of fine dining in the Motor City, and a place called the Triple Nickel, ran by the same family that used to run Archibald's.

It looks like the real story is in the drink itself. The Hummer was created in 1968 by Jerome Adams, a bartender at the Detroit Bayview Yacht Club. It quickly became a popular beverage around the world. Many stories appear on food and drink websites: Forbes magazine, Detroit Free Press, Metro Times, and more. From Detroit's Hour magazine:

In early 1968, he concocted the Hummer, a libation that would become a hit around the globe. One man who had a couple of them at the Bayview bar in early ’68 asked Adams what the drink was called. He said it didn’t have a name. “Well, it kind of makes you want to hum,” the man said. The Hummer was born. It has the consistency of a milkshake, but it’s not kid’s stuff. In England, it’s known as a Detroit Hummer. But Adams likes the name it has in Germany. “Over there, the call it Sir Jerome — after me.”

This was another family favorite, and the drink I ordered on my first official date with Dave.

Hummer

• 3-5 ice cubes
• 1½ ounces of light rum (Adams likes Bacardi or Castillo)
• 1½ ounces Kahlúa coffee-flavored liqueur
• 2 scoops of good-quality vanilla ice cream
• whipped cream
• chocolate shavings

Place all ingredients in a blender, except whipped cream. Mix, pour, add dollop of whipped cream and chocolate, drink, and start humming.

The Apple Tree... Disco? - closed

A search for 1225 19th ST SW in Washington DC reveals an office complex with no stories to tell. Dupont Coffee Shop out back, place called I Ricchi that makes deliveries.

But back in the 70s, that was where you could find the Apple Tree. It was where the movers and shakers could move and shake with enthusiasm, if not style, to the hottest disco classics. From The Washington Post, February 1979:

"The downtown Apple Tree has a lot of everything: a lot of youngsters, a lot of oldsters, a lot of blacks, a lot of whites, a lot of Arabs, a lot of Americans. The one thing it does not have a lot of is space. Most of it is used for bar and lounges, and on weekends the Apple Tree is a meat market, with men and women eyeing, actually surveying each other. 

The disco floors are off to the side, one large, the other small and far from the music so that the sounds are faint for dancing. The large one is a mirrored cave in which the music echoes. Most of the dancers are terrible, as if they wandered into the bar and found they had nothing to do with the partner they picked up but dance. The few extraordinarily good dancers we saw on Saturday night were tourists who wandered in, and the Apple Tree's dance instructor, who gave a demonstration that would make it worthwhile for even John Travolta to pay the $5 admission. The disco jockey plays five fast songs, then three slow ones, so if the floor is too crowded, you'll have a chance after the transition."

Banana Tree

• 1 oz. creme de bananas
• 1/2 oz. white creme de cacao
• 1/2 oz. Galliano
• 1/2 banana peeled and sliced
• 6 oz. vanilla ice cream
• 4 drops vanilla extract
• 2 oz pineapple juice
• banana slice

Place all ingredients except banana slice and pineapple juice in blender. Blend until thick and creamy. Pour into 14 oz. serving glass. Serve with banana garnish dipped in pineapple juice.

This is one of the recipes I distinctly remember my dad making. I'll bet the white creme de cacao or the creme de bananas is still in the liquor cabinet.

Annie's Santa Fe: Sex - Mex! closed

The two drinks offered by the B&H book - Pina Colada and Strawberry Margarita - certainly contribute to the party reputation I discovered in what used to be Annie's Santa Fe. Quotes from the KC Guys blog:

Annie’s Santa Fe was a Kansas City Mexican food restaurant chain that was very popular in the 80’s and 90’s. Annie’s was a lot of things to a lot of people and you might not have known that Annie’s also had a wild side, a very wild side.

At sundown this lovable Mexican restaurant turned into a disco scene that introduced Kansas City to margaritas, tequila shots and bad pickup lines. Annie’s Santa Fe was a wild swinging suburban yuppie disco “Sex-Mex” bar. The bar scene at Annie’s was rad and regularly featured Royal players, power drinkers, brawls, big-haired women, stonewashed jeans and mullets on proud parade. Chiefs players took over the bar on Sunday nights. If you know anyone that is currently in their late 40’s they probably have an Annie’s war story for you.

Regretfully, Annie's Santa Fe is no longer. Details hazy, but it appears the restaurant closed up shop in the mid-90s, and the only traces that exist now are stories, matchbooks for sale on eBay, and a beef empanada recipe.

Annie's Frozen Strawberry Margarita

• 1 1/2 oz. gold tequila
• 1/2 oz. triple sec
• 1 oz. lemon or 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice (edit: why not both!?)
• 4 oz. frozen strawberries in sugar and juice
• 1 fresh strawberry

Place all but the fresh strawberry in a blender with a handful of crushed ice. Blend until almost frozen. Pour in 13 oz. glass.

The Alta Mira Bar - evolved

The Alta Mira Bar kicks off the Benson & Hedges (from now on B&H) Drink Recipes from 100 of the Greatest Bars.

This charming place was located within the Alta Mira Hotel in Sausalito, California, across the bay from San Francisco. An internet search reveals the hotel is no longer, yet has new life as a private pay recovery center.

Feels blasphemous to post a drink recipe from a hotel that is now a treatment center, but all things in moderation:

Coffee Alta Mira

• 1 1/2 oz. orange cognac brandy
• hot black coffee
• whipped cream

Pour brandy into 6 oz. wineglass. Fill with coffee and stir. Swirl in dollop of whipped cream. Avoid breaking glass by pouring hot coffee gently into glass over a metal spoon.