Cocktail of the Month: The Crazy Cat Lady
By • September 11, 2024 0 661
Whether it’s misspelling the word “potato” in an elementary school spelling bee or claiming to be able to see Russia from her backyard, Republican vice-presidential candidates seem to say the darndest things.
This election cycle is no exception. A 2021 Fox News interview of Republican veep nominee JD Vance criticizing prominent Democrats, including Kamala Harris, as “childless cat ladies” has gone viral.
Instead of lifting up his party, Vance’s insult has turned into a major handicap — and a rallying cry for women across the U.S. In one meow, Vance has managed to alienate a large swath of voters and get himself labeled a misogynist.
Then the claws came out. Women of all ages — single, childless, catless or not — have embraced the cat lady stereotype. First came an outpouring of online posts by celebrities, fervent memes and zealous editorials. Next came the merchandise, including hats, T-shirts, bumper stickers, flags and mugs. Some manufacturers are donating a portion of the proceeds to abortion-rights organizations. You can support the historic campaign by buying memorabilia from the official Harris-Walz online store.
The next logical incarnation of this trope is a cocktail. Naming cocktails after cultural crazes is nothing new, especially in a wonky city like Washington. Whether it’s an election, a scandal or the recent Olympic Games, there seems to be a cocktail for almost everything. And since these cat ladies, according to Vance, are busy “running the country,” I bet they must be pretty thirsty.
Beuchert’s Saloon on Capitol Hill seized the opportunity with its Childless Cat Lady cocktail. A neighborhood restaurant and bar serving up ‘farm American’ cuisine, Beuchert’s describes the tipple on its Instagram account as “equal parts floral, fun and frisky.” (Just like a powerful voting cat lady!)
Their drink is forged from gin, Crème de violette, St-Germain, Salers aperitif and lemon, then topped with foam and citrus shavings.
Most famous as an ingredient in the classic Aviation cocktail, Crème de violette is a maceration of violets steeped in brandy with added sugars. The other flowery essence in this drink comes from St-Germain liqueur. This elderflower potable, launched in 2007, set the mixology world on fire with its honeysuckle smack and Art Deco bottle.
But what if you prefer to wet your whistle at home with your fur babies close by? Well, there’s a YouTube video for that. A woman named Catherine, who vlogs under the pseudonym “Crazy Cat Lady” has created the purrfect elixir for you.
Her cocktail is a tropical riff on the Cosmopolitan, which became the signature drink for strong independent women at the turn of the century, thanks to Carrie Bradshaw and her posse on “Sex and the City.”
Catherine’s tipple is simple to make, with easily accessible ingredients. Our feline mixtress appears on the video with a tiara, pink hair and white cat glasses with whiskers attached. Her twangy accent sounds like a character from Vance’s memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.”
Starting with an ice-filled shaker, she carefully measures two jiggers of spiced rum. Measure carefully so that things don’t get “too crazy,” she purrs with a sarcastic laugh. She follows that up with two jiggers of coconut rum, a splash of lemon-lime soda and two splashes of cranberry juice. All of this is shaken and poured into a martini glass. It’s garnished with a cherry on top.
The coconut rum, she proclaims, “makes you want to hear some music from the islands.” Possibly a nod to Harris’s Jamaican roots.
Perhaps this cat lady Cosmo should make a televised comeback. In the last episode of the SATC sequel, “And Just Like That…,” Carrie once again finds herself boyfriendless, childless and adopting a kitten she named “Shoe.”
The Crazy Cat Lady Cocktail
3 oz. spiced rum
3 oz. coconut rum
1 splash lemon-lime soda
2 splashes cranberry juice
Vigorously shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a martini class. Garnish with a cherry on top.
