SEE the show, sip the cocktail? Oh, hell – just make the cocktail!
Those who’ve been to any Roundabout Theatre productions – or shows at Lincoln Center, Playwrights Horizons, the Biltmore and elsewhere – may well have sampled some of the theater’s headier souvenirs: the $10 show cocktail.
Inspired in equal parts by what’s in the script and what’s hot in the bars, the drinks are devised by Brett Stasiewicz, actor and creative coordinator of Sweet Concessions. Or, as he jokingly calls himself, “cocktail dramaturg.” He started around six years ago: The Cosmopolitan was king back then, and so, for the show “Contact,” he fashioned a Cosmo-like drink for The Girl in the Yellow Dress:
gin and apricot brandy, orange and lemon juice.
He’s since gone on to make drinks for “The Threepenny Opera” (the Pirate Jenny:
coconut rum, fruit); “Pajama Game” (Sssteam Heat:
brandy and sparkling wine) and, for “Twelve Angry Men,” 12 Angry Cocktails (one for each juror).
Below are a few of his latest libations, and the thinking behind all the drinking.
THE MUST-MAKE COCKTAILS
“HEARTBREAK HOUSE”
THE DRINK: Captain’s 7th Degree
THE INGREDIENTS: Gold and coconut rums, chai tea
THE EXPLANATION: “Captain Shotover has a habit of drinking rum, and he’s a fan of English tea.”
“THE CLEAN HOUSE”
THE DRINK: Clean Compulsion
THE INGREDIENTS: Absolut ruby-red vodka, cranberry juice, pink grapefruit juice, lemon juice, seltzer
THE EXPLANATION: “Citrus is often equated with cleaning products, and we wanted the sweet and tart together.”
“LOSING LOUIE”
THE DRINK: Lemon-Lime Louie
THE INGREDIENTS: Citrus vodka, apple liqueur, lime juice, grapefruit juice, lemon-lime soda
THE EXPLANATION: “We wanted to play off the main character’s affair with two people simultaneously – hence, the rivaling flavors of lime and lemon.”
“MARY POPPINS”
THE DRINK: Practically Perfect
THE INGREDIENTS: Vodka, pomegranate liqueur, peach schnapps, cranberry and lemon-lime soda
THE EXPLANATION: “The character’s enchanting, as is the alliteration she uses to describe herself, and so is the drink.”
HEARTBREAK
Raspberry Vodka, Triple Sec and Peach Schnapps combined with a mixture of Berry Juices, and then crowned with an explosive bit of Sparkling Wine.