Image credit: Shag, 1989.
If you’re a fan of Dirty Dancing and Where the Boys Are, let me introduce you to their love child- Shag (Disc). This 80s-made/60s-set gem is the kind of movie I would have watched in my VCR until the tape finally wore out. It’s the summer fling flick I’ve been waiting my whole life for, and luckily, it found me after I was of legal drinking age.
Set in 1963, Shag follows four female friends who take a road trip to Myrtle Beach. One is escaping a fiancé she’s just not that into, one is escaping her reputation as the “fat girl”, one is trying to be a Hollywood starlet, and then there’s Luanne- the buzzkill with the rad car. Think Sex and the City, but at the beach in retro dresses. Of course they meet boys, of course they drink, and of course they find themselves during this wild weekend. But what I love even more than the production design, costumes, and cheesy script is witnessing the bonds of female friendship. These girls are there for each other, through sexist beauty pageants, TP’d houses, and beyond.
Because Luanne lays down the law early that her daddy’s bourbon is strictly off-limits, we’ve gotta make do with tequila. For a fun, summertime movie like this, you need something sweet, sparkling, and deceptively boozy. I recommend drinking this Strawberry Shag.
Strawberry Shag
4 strawberries + 1 for garnish
½ oz agave nectar or simple syrup
1 oz lime juice
2 oz tequila
2 basil leaves
6 oz club soda
Blend strawberries, agave nectar, lime juice, tequila, and basil in a blender, without ice. Strain, and set aside. Then, add crushed ice to a glass, and pour in the blended mixture. Top with club soda, and garnish with a strawberry.
I didn’t know until this movie that “shag” was a kind of dance, and not a particularly sexual one. Plus, Bubble Flip is a hairstyle, not a drink. JFK is a sweet potato, which means he’s dreamy; but also, I never realized how much he actually looks like a sweet potato. Thank you Shag, for expanding my sixties slang horizons. Cheers!
Cinema Sips 