Author: LizLocke

Comedies

Moonstruck

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Image credit: Moonstruck, 1987

As a writer, I try to give the people what they want. And if social media is any indication, the people want Moonstruck (Disc/Download). A movie I’ve always enjoyed, it wasn’t until a recent rewatch that I understood the power of this romantic comedy. You want positive feedback? Announce that you’re watching Moonstruck and wait for all the people to chime in to say how much they looooove Moonstruck. And they will chime in because this movie is just that delightful.

Starring Cher as a widowed Brooklyn bookkeeper who lives with her Italian-American family and is suddenly juggling the affections of two brothers, Moonstruck succeeds because of two things:

  1. The fantastic script by John Patrick Shanley
  2. Nicolas Cage

All of the actors in this are brilliant, but Cage has the most difficult role. He has to be angry, slightly unhinged, sporting a wooden hand, yet somehow sexy enough for a smart, mature woman like Cher’s character Loretta to give him the time of day. Sexy enough for the audience to give him the time of day. Spoiler: he’s all that and then some. This guy is a wounded wolf who wears his vulnerability on his sleeve, particularly when Loretta graces him with her presence at the opera. The moment she removes her coat and he thanks her for taking the time to look nice for their date, I absolutely swoon. If your partner doesn’t acknowledge you and look at you the way Ronny looks at Loretta, you’re with the wrong person.

Because Loretta comes from a big Italian family, food and wine are the backbone of so many Moonstruck scenes. For a celebratory occasion, only a little bubbly will do. I love a good spritz, particularly one that uses the Italian liqueur Amaro. You could try the Sicilian variety Averna in honor of Ronny and Johnny’s “dying” mother, or you could go authentic Brooklyn by picking up a bottle of Forthave Spirits Marseille Amaro. Either way, you’re in for a treat. While watching Moonstruck, I recommend drinking a “That’s Amaro!”

That’s Amaro!

2 oz Amaro

3 oz Prosecco

1 oz Soda Water

Lime Wheel garnish

Build drink over ice, stirring gently to combine. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Watching Moonstruck always makes me feel like I just spent the night having dinner with family. There’s a familiarity to these characters and the way they interact that transcends cultural backgrounds. I may not have grown up in a multi-generational household, and as a child most of my access to fettuccini and manicotti was through Stouffer’s, but the happiness and frustration of being with people who know you better than you know yourself is universal. As is, apparently, our love for this movie. Cheers!

Dramas

The Phantom Thread

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Image credit: The Phantom Thread, 2017

“A house that doesn’t change is a dead house.” What a quote to send us into the new year! Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Phantom Thread (Disc/Download) has a lot to say on the subject of death, but it has just as much to say about life. About finding the muse that makes you move forward. In Reynolds Woodcock’s case, it was a person and an unending yearning for perfection. In my case, it might just be this movie.

The Phantom Thread is one of those films that feels fresh and new each time you watch it. Like an evening gown from the House of Woodcock, there are so many layers that it’s impossible to see them all at once. Initially, the viewer is dazzled by the costumes and sweeping score by Jonny Greenwood, which sounds like something out of a Hitchcock film. Maybe you’re also a little turned on by Daniel Day-Lewis ordering breakfast (I know I was!). But then on the next viewing, you start to notice the subtleties in the performances. How one look or turn of phrase can convey so many emotions. Maybe you start to see it as a romance between two impossible people who could only ever love each other. But then on the next viewing, you start to see it as a ghost story. There’s a reverence for the dead, and a comfort from thinking that some of them are still sticking around. Eventually the dresses start to play second fiddle to the women in them, which perhaps was always the point of haute couture: to bring out the best in the person wearing it.

The change that hits the House of Woodcock comes in the form of Alma, a lovely but somewhat invisible waitress. Reynolds transforms her into his muse, and under his gaze we see her confidence grow. As his bitchy sister Cyril says with an assessing sniff, Alma smells of rosewater, sandalwood, lemons, and sherry. A couple of those ingredients found their way into my cocktail this week, and it all came together into a hue that matches Alma’s first Woodcock creation! While you’re watching The Phantom Thread, I recommend drinking this Rosewater ’75.

Rosewater ’75

1 1/2 oz Pink Gin

1/2 oz Lemon Juice

1/2 oz Blood Orange Cordial Syrup

3-4 drops Rosewater

Prosecco to top

Combine gin, lemon juice, blood orange syrup, and rosewater in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into a coupe glass. Top with Prosecco.

This is a great movie to watch on New Year’s, not just for the lively 1950s NYE party, but because it inspires us to evolve. I honestly don’t know how to categorize it (gothic romance, period melodrama, dark comedy?), but I do know that I’m excited to watch it again. Same time, next year. Cheers!

Top 5 Lists

Top Five Films of 2023

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It finally happened: I watched every film I wanted to see IN THE YEAR IT CAME OUT! For the first time, I’m making my annual “best of” list with a clear conscious. I can tell you with absolute confidence that Maestro needed a better script, and that Dream Scenario is the best movie Nicolas Cage has done in decades, and that Saltburn was a little too weird for me, and that May December gave me an overall feeling of discomfort… because I actually got to see them all! Thanks to the hybrid release model, I could watch the ones that most appealed to me in a theater, and stay home for the rest. I had the freedom to wear my cutest pink outfit to see Barbie at the Alamo Drafthouse with a pink cocktail, then put on pink sweats to watch it again at home with another pink cocktail. Win-Win.

2023 brought me a lot of cinema joy, but if I’m honest, I saw more classics on the big screen than new releases. There’s still a huge dearth of mid-budget, character-driven stories out there, which is my sweet spot in the entertainment landscape. I like movies with actors you’d recognize, with a good costume/production design budget and a tight script. I like movies that can be edited down to a 90-120 minute runtime, because if I have to kill my darlings as an author, filmmakers should have to kill a few of theirs too (looking at you Scorsese!). If you are also a fan of these things, you might like following picks as much as I did. Cheers!

1. Priscilla

Image credit: Priscilla, 2023

Sofia Coppola’s nuanced portrait of Priscilla Presley is a return-to-form for one of my favorite directors who excels at showing the silent inner rage of a young woman. Often, they are women whom society wants to dress up like a doll and stick on a shelf, or in this case, a thickly-carpeted Graceland. Priscilla is a stylish, well-constructed story full of quiet moments that bring us to the root of who Elvis and Priscilla were, both individually and as a couple. Yes, the hair was big, but not nearly as big as my love for this movie.

2. Barbie

Image credit: Barbie, 2023

From the beautiful costumes, to the Slim Aarons influences on the set design, to the poignant message about women never feeling like they’re “enough”, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie was everything I needed it to be. It’s nostalgic, but it’s also progressive, using the beloved toys of my youth to tell a story that needed to be told. And my god, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as hard in a movie theater as when Ryan Gosling started singing Matchbox Twenty’s “Push”. Comedy gold.

3. The Holdovers

Image credit: The Holdovers, 2023

I watch a lot of classic films, and one of my favorite cinema eras is the 1970s. So when I tell you that Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers feels like it was actually made in 1970, believe. We’ve lost the kinds of character-driven scripts and realistic performances that were the hallmark of that era, but Payne has given it back to us in this story of a teacher, a student, and a cook marooned together at a boarding school on Christmas. Da’Vine Joy Randolph steals the show (as she does in literally everything she’s in), but Paul Giamatti and Dominic Sessa more than keep up with her. These are people I want to spend the holidays with every year.

4. You Hurt My Feelings

Image credit: You Hurt My Feelings, 2023

I’m starting to think it’s impossible for Nicole Holofcener to make a movie that doesn’t speak directly to me. Just as she did with Friends With Money and Enough Said, she gave me You Hurt My Feelings at the time in my life when I most needed to see it. My debut novel hadn’t yet been released, it was failing to get early reads and reviews, and I felt just like Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s character- sitting at the bar with my head in my hands and a cold martini in front of me, doubting everything. Is this book any good? Am I any good? What if the people in my life who are telling me this is good are just lying because that’s what you’re supposed to do when you love a neurotic, untalented artist? They’re questions that will never have answers, but gosh it was nice to see someone else struggle with them for a little bit.

5. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

Image credit: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. 2023

A movie that captures the female experience at different stages so perfectly, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. is one I know I’ll be coming back to again and again. Director Kelly Fremon Craig is so good at conveying adolescent angst, but with this adaptation of the beloved Judy Blume book, she also gives us a story about complicated family dynamics and how the relationships from our past inform how we move through the present. This movie would have meant a lot to me if it had come out when I was eleven or twelve, but it still means a great deal at forty. And I suspect, it still will at sixty.

Holiday Films

The Preacher’s Wife

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Image credit: The Preacher’s Wife, 1996

It takes a special kind of movie star to step into the shoes of Cary Grant, particularly when those shoes are made for a charming angel in The Bishop’s Wife. Happily, Denzel Washington decided to try them on for size, and to me, it’s a perfect fit. Penny Marshall’s The Preacher’s Wife (Disc/Download) is the rare update on a classic that feels every bit as delightful as the original, and for that I’m grateful. If you thought nobody could make a modern movie about faith seem both poignant and funny, Denzel is here to make you a believer.

I wasn’t an enormous Whitney Houston fan before watching the biopic Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody, but this 2022 under-appreciated gem has converted me. The sheer number of hits this woman had in her brief lifetime is staggering, and although she didn’t act in many movies, The Preacher’s Wife was tailored to Whitney’s specific talents. Playing a gospel singer in her husband’s church choir, she’s certainly magnetic in the role of Julia, but then she does the torch song “I Believe in You and Me”, and both Dudley the Angel and every single audience member watching this movie falls instantly in love with her. As with the original, the best scenes are the ones with Julia and Dudley, though Courtney B. Vance does a perfectly fine update on the David Niven role of a tortured clergyman. However, the reason I watch this movie isn’t because I want to see if a preacher will find his faith again; I want to see if an angel will give up everything for love. Or if instead, this impossible love will stay impossible.

Because this is an old-fashioned story about faith and love at Christmas, it seems appropriate to watch it with an Old Fashioned! This one uses gingerbread syrup, and it’s so good that I wish Dudley would use his special touch to keep my glass full all season long.  While watching The Preacher’s Wife, I recommend drinking a Gingerbread Old Fashioned.

Gingerbread Old Fashioned

2 oz Bourbon

½ oz Gingerbread Simple Syrup

2-3 dashes orange bitters

Orange twist (garnish)

Cinnamon Stick (garnish)

Prepare glass by filling with one large ice cube or ball. Pour in bourbon, gingerbread syrup, and bitters. Stir to combine and chill. Garnish with an orange twist, and a cinnamon stick (I used Trader Joe’s rock sugar-dipped Cinnamon Swizzle Sticks).

I’d also like to give a shout-out to the film debut of Lionel Richie, who pops up as the owner of “Jazzies”, site of Julia and Dudley’s unofficial date. Julia’s husband gets jealous when they return from the outing (which he practically forced them into), and I want to scream at him, “What did you expect?? It’s Jazzies! And it’s DENZEL! Of course she had a great time!” This Christmas, believe in miracles, believe in Denzel, and above all, believe in the power of an old-fashioned love story. Cheers!  

Classic Films · Holiday Films

Bachelor Mother

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Image credit: Bachelor Mother, 1939

Anyone who has read my book knows that I harbor deep fantasies of spending New Year’s Eve with David Niven. Always the life of the party, you know you’re in for a good time with this cheeky sophisticate. Lucky for us, if we time it just right, we’re able to ring in the New Year with Niv by watching him in the delightful classic holiday film Bachelor Mother (Disc/Download)!

This is one of those wonderful pictures like The Shop Around the Corner, or Christmas in Connecticut, that’s still able to resonate with modern audiences due to its sparkling script and screwball antics. Ginger Rogers is a terrific comedienne, playing a New York shopgirl who’s just been handed a pink slip for her temporary holiday gig in the toy section of a big department store. Devastated, she’s on her way home when she sees a baby left on the steps of an orphanage. She takes it inside out of the cold, and the employees mistake her for the baby’s mother. Despite her protests, they manage to find out where she works and convince her boss (David Niven) to keep her employed even after the holidays so she can support herself and the baby. Hijinx ensue as she tries again and again to give the baby back, but eventually she’s forced to accept this situation and make the best of it. Meanwhile, Niv (beginning the movie as a rich playboy) starts to develop a fondness for this woman, and their obvious chemistry at a swanky NYE party makes him realize he’s falling for her.

If you’re hoping for some iconic Ginger Rogers moves, then you’re in luck because she puts on quite the show in a dance contest at the Pink Slipper. An ironic name, given that she’s just been handed a pink slip and needs the prize money to make up for that lost paycheck! Since I happen to love pink cocktails and gimlets, let’s combine the two. While watching Bachelor Mother, I recommend drinking a Pink Slipper.

Pink Slipper

2 oz Gin (I used Tanqueray Rangpur Lime)

1 oz Cranberry Juice

1 oz Lime Juice

1 oz Simple Syrup

Fresh cranberries (garnish)

Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a glass. Garnish with fresh cranberries.

Clocking in at less than ninety-minutes, this is the perfect movie to watch when you need a little break over the holidays, but don’t have a ton of time. With its tinker toys and screwball comedy, this delightful rom-com will leave you feeling downright giddy. Cheers!

Holiday Films

A Merry Scottish Christmas

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Image credit: A Merry Scottish Christmas, Hallmark, 2023

I’m going to try not to turn this into a Party of Five appreciation post… and I’m going to fail miserably. You see, A Merry Scottish Christmas was made for those of us who still harbor a deep love for this ’90s television show and those plucky Salinger siblings. I don’t even care that this is blatant stunt casting because part of me always wanted reassurance that Bailey and Claudia would grow into happy, functioning adults. Now, here is the proof: they’re totally fine, and they’ve just inherited a Scottish castle!

Before you make the mistake of thinking two Salingers (Scott Wolf and Lacey Chabert) are now playing love interests, rest assured they are STILL siblings, albeit estranged ones. Brad is married to a thoroughly boring woman he is reluctant to impregnate, while his sister Lindsay is an overworked general practitioner. Although they’ve grown apart, Brad and Lindsay agree to reunite at their mother’s castle in Scotland, one she’d kept secret from them throughout their childhood. Now, they must decide if they’re willing to step in and help her run it, or if the family should sell. Lindsay has a romance with a charming Scottish property manager, while Brad and his boring wife reconnect over a Highland Fling, resulting in what is sure to be an extremely boring baby. It should have been named Owen, but sadly, nobody asked me.

Because this is a Hallmark movie, I was not expecting much alcohol. However, whisky tastings and boozy nights at the village bar suggest that the channel has gone to the dark side. Finally! Also, in a great PoF nod, the bar is called Salinger’s, and it’s staffed by a man named Charlie! Although there are a couple of festive cocktails imbibed here, I went with the one that utilizes the country’s main export, Scotch. While watching A Merry Scottish Christmas, I recommend drinking a Highland Snowball.

Highland Snowball

¾ cup Eggnog

1 ½ oz Scotch Whisky

½ oz Butterscotch Schnapps

Nutmeg + honey (garnish)

Star Anise

Prepare glass by dipping an edge in honey, then lightly in ground nutmeg. Set aside. Combine eggnog, schnapps, and scotch in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into prepared glass. Top with star anise.

With a manor that resembles something out of Downton Abbey, morning bagpipes, and cozy tartan blankets beside crackling fires, this movie is just the relaxing holiday watch I needed. The stakes are low (to castle or not to castle?), and the acting is remarkably decent. The most important thing I learned? That I will still watch Bailey and Claudia in just about anything… as long as they never play lovers. Cheers!

Classic Films · Holiday Films · Musicals

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

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Image credit: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, 1964

During a recent conversation with a friend, the subject of 1960s Christmas movies came up. Trying to list my favorites, I quickly hit a wall. Seems the 1940s and the 1990s pretty much cornered the market on holiday flicks. Maybe that’s why I wrote such a lengthy Christmas section into my novel Follow the Sun—I wanted to create a stylish world of silver tinsel trees, Shiny Brite ornaments, and elaborate teased updos. A world of Henry Mancini albums on the hi-fi, fondue on the buffet table, and structured Saint Laurent evening gowns. Like my novel, Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Disc/Download) only has a brief stopover at Christmas, but it’s memorable enough for me to consider this a holiday film. And not just any holiday film, but the most glamorous one in existence.

Presented in operatic form, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg has a straightforward (albeit tragic) plot. Geneviève (Catherine Deneuve) and Guy (Nino Castelnuovo) are young, gorgeous, and madly in love. They consummate the relationship shortly before Guy leaves for war, and although Geneviève promises she’ll wait for him, her meddling mother forces her to doubt he’s ever coming back. Pregnant and alone, she marries someone else, leaving the father of her child heartbroken upon his return. Eventually, he moves on too, and years later they share a sad reunion under the backdrop of a snowy gas station. With stunning production design and more color than I’ve ever seen in a movie, Umbrellas manages to make a world papered in pink and orange damask impossibly sad and beautiful. As Catherine Deneueve trudges back to her car on that cold Christmas Eve, your heart just breaks for her. This is the definition of a Blue Christmas.

I covered this movie years ago for Moviejawn with a Crème de Violette cocktail, however this was before Empress 1908 gin came into my life. Distilled with butterfly pea flower, this gin has lately given rise to many colorful cocktail experiments. One of my favorite gin botanicals is cinnamon, so I’ll be using it for a holiday twist on a French ’75. While watching The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, I recommend drinking a Cinnamon ‘75*.

Cinnamon ‘75

1 ½ oz Empress 1908 Gin

¾ oz Lemon Juice

½ oz Cinnamon Syrup

1 tsp. Maple Syrup

Champagne, to top

Cinnamon stick garnish

Combine gin, lemon juice, cinnamon syrup, and maple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a coupe glass. Top with champagne, and garnish with a cinnamon stick.

*Recipe adapted from Empress Gin website

I like to think the characters of Follow the Sun would have seen this movie upon its release in 1964, and maybe Caroline, drawn to the emotional music score, would have returned more than once. Perhaps Daphne narrowly missed out on the Catherine Deneuve role because of her lackluster singing voice, and she still holds a grudge against Jacques Demy. Maybe it caused them to realize (as it caused me to realize) that the holidays might be painful as we think about those we’ve loved and lost, but nevertheless, there’s still beauty and glamour all around. Joyeux Noël!

Top 5 Lists

2023 Holiday Gift Guide

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If you’re on the hunt for the perfect holiday gift for someone who loves movies and cocktails, then you’re in luck because today, I’m sharing five things that have made my life a whole lot better in the last year. I personally own and enjoy all of these items, and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy them for a friend. A very nice friend; not a naughty one. Naughty friends get cheap bottles of wine and ironic napkins they will never use.

Cheers, and Happy Holidays!

Noir Bar by Eddie Muller

This book is great for both classic movie fans and the home bartender! The recipes are easy to make, and Muller’s pairings are always inspired. I find myself returning to it again and again when I’m stumped for what to make/watch that night.

Flower Coupe Glass

Whether you’re watching Barbie or a Doris Day classic, this pretty pink glass is perfect for a sparkling cocktail pairing!

Gin Botanicals

I love making flavored gins in my vintage decanter, and this set makes it easy to up your cocktail game. Favorite botanical: Cinnamon!

Connecticut in the Movies by Illeana Douglas

It might surprise you how many movies were set or filmed in Connecticut, and this book takes the reader on a fantastic road trip through cinema history. Illeana Douglas has long been a favorite actress of mine, but this year she’s become a favorite author as well!

Hollywood Blends coffee from Breakfast at Dominique’s

Breakfast at Dominique’s sells wonderful coffee inspired by classic film stars, and I’m particularly a fan of the Ava Gardner blend (used recently in an Espresso Martini while I watched Mogambo!). If you like espresso cocktails, or if you just want a great cup of coffee, then definitely order a few bags!

Comedies

Defending Your Life

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Image credit: Defending Your Life, 1991

Picture the concept: you’re dead, BUT you can eat whatever you want without gaining an ounce of weight. You like broccoli? How about smothering it in cheese sauce? Big fan of shrimp? Here’s thirty of them! Pie? We’ve got nine of those—one for every day you’re in purgatory! Defending Your Life (Disc/Download) may be a smart, poignant romantic comedy, but it’s also one of the best foodie films to come out of Hollywood. When you’re planning your Thanksgiving menu this week, be sure to make some room for this Albert Brooks classic (and wear your stretchiest pants).

I remain grateful to The Criterion Collection for introducing me to so many of Brooks’ films this year, and while I love them all, I can’t help but be disappointed that he didn’t make more. This charming, insecure, curly haired man is everything I want in a romantic hero. The chemistry between recently deceased ad exec Daniel (Brooks) and the altruistic woman he meets in the afterlife (Meryl Streep) is off-the-charts sexy, and I wish every onscreen couple would take a lesson in flirting from these two. Daniel has to prove that he’s not going to let fear run his life before he can move on to the next astral plane with Streep, and if he doesn’t, he’ll be sent back to Earth- a miserable place where people only use 3% of their brain (these days, post-pandemic, we may be down to 2%).

Although Daniel is forced to relive difficult moments from his past while “on trial”, this Judgement City waiting room really isn’t too bad. There are bowling alleys and comedy clubs and tons of all-you-can-eat buffets. And did I mention there are no such things as calories? Since this week is Thanksgiving, and this is the only week of the year in which heavy cream is sitting in my fridge, it seems like a good time to go all out with a cocktail. While watching Defending Your Life, I recommend drinking this White Rein-Carnation.

White Rein-Carnation

2oz Vodka

¾ oz Peach Schnapps

1 oz Lemon Juice

1 oz Orange Juice

1 oz Heavy Cream

1 Egg White

1 oz Soda Water

Fresh Mint and Orange Twist (Garnish)

Combine all ingredients except soda water and garnish in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a glass, then pour back into the shaker to “dry shake” without ice for another ten seconds, until frothy. Double strain the mixture into a chilled collins glass, and top with soda water. Garnish with fresh mint and orange twist.

One of my favorite moments is when a waiter asks Daniel if he likes pie, and with the unabashed excitement of a small child, he replies, “I love pie!” I love pie too, but fear of hastening my own death keeps me from having it every day. However, Thanksgiving is the one time of year when you’re supposed to let go of the fear and give into pleasure. Where we can have the pie, and the cheese sauce, and the cocktail with the heavy cream, cholesterol be damned. Tomorrow, the fear will creep back in, but today, we feast. Cheers!

Action/Adventure/Heist · Classic Films

Mogambo

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Image credit: Mogambo, 1953

If you love The Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland but were disappointed by Disney’s 2021 film adaptation, then put on a classic that gives you all the thrills and animal encounters of a trip through Adventureland. John Ford’s Mogambo (Disc/Download) may be short on puns, but it’s long on danger and melodrama.

Starring Clark Gable as a big game hunter, and Ava Gardner as the cheeky New York socialite who upends his camp and his heart, Mogambo is a stunning Technicolor production shot on location in Africa. It’s wild to me that Ford would subject stars like Gable and Gardner and Grace Kelly to such an intense environment, but the authenticity of the continent shines through. During the course of a safari, Gable finds himself at the center of a love triangle with Gardner and Kelly, who plays the wife of a British anthropologist. Clark may be quite a bit older than both actresses, but he’s still got that twinkle in his eye that makes women of any age susceptible to his charms. Ava Gardner is a breath of fresh air in this movie, and it’s through her eyes that we see the wonder of this amazing place and all its creatures. She acts as the comic relief, to the point where I almost expect her to make a “ginger snaps” joke at the sight of a crocodile. Unfortunately, it’s just me making the lame dad jokes, from my couch.

Speaking of Gardner, I recently had the pleasure of trying the Ava Gardner Goddess Blend coffee from Breakfast at Dominique’s, and I loved it so much that I decided to use it in a cocktail! Strong and complex, this drink is Ava in a nutshell. While watching Mogambo, I recommend drinking an Espresso Martini.

Espresso Martini

2 oz Vodka

1 oz freshly brewed Espresso, cooled

½ oz Kahlua coffee liqueur

½ oz simple syrup

2-3 dashes Fee Foam (optional)

Coffee beans (garnish)

Combine all ingredients except the beans in a shaker with ice, shaking vigorously for a full minute. Strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with coffee beans.

*Note, I tried making this with cold brew, but I couldn’t achieve that signature foam on top. To get it frothy, I instead made it with a freshly brewed shot of espresso and added a few dashes of Fee Foam.

The quality of the coffee you use in this martini has a big impact on the final flavor. One sip of the Ava Gardner Goddess Blend, and I immediately realized I’d never had great coffee until that moment. Now, I’m drinking it every chance I get! Honestly, the caffeine is probably a good thing out on the safari. You never know when you’ll run into a panther, or a trigger-happy Grace Kelly. Cheers!