Tag: Baileys Irish Cream

Action/Adventure/Heist · Classic Films

The Sting

LizLocke2 Comments
Image credit: The Sting, 1973

It’s rare for me to think of a movie as 100% perfect. Most of the time (especially in our current era of 2hr+ movies), I’m considering which scenes needed to be cut, which actor was miscast, and at what point the story started to drag. So when I say that The Sting (Disc/Download) is a 100% perfect movie, know that this is a statement I don’t make lightly. From beginning to end, from the biggest star to the tiniest detail, there is nothing I would change about this classic caper film.

Starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman as con men attempting to fleece Irish gangster Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw), George Roy Hill’s film truly immerses the viewer in Depression-era Chicago. From the title cards, to the music, to the costumes, to the cars, not a single element was overlooked in this production. Add to that a script that’s as clever and slick as an Ocean’s movie, full of twists and turns that never underestimates the intelligence of the audience but still keeps us guessing, and you’ve got a film I can’t look away from. Plus, did I mention the two most attractive men in Hollywood, not just in the 1970s, but maybe, possibly ever, are in the leading roles? Robert Redford was born to play a smart guy in a tux, and Paul Newman was born to play a winking alcoholic, and this is the movie where they both get to shine. Not since Dudley Moore slurred from a limousine have I seen such impeccable drunk acting.

Like the Ocean’s movies, the con job in The Sting is also a revenge job. This time our villain is a vicious Irish mob boss who likes to cheat at cards and doesn’t forgive easily. These guys need to take him for all he’s worth, but never let him know he’s been taken. So sit back and watch the elaborate machinations take shape while you sip on an Irish Stinger.

Irish Stinger

2 oz Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur

2 oz White Creme de Menthe

Combine Irish Cream with Creme de Menthe in a shaker without ice. Shake until combined, then strain into a glass filled with a large ice cube.

A drink that tastes like an Andes Mint, this is a perfect after-dinner beverage for this undeniably perfect film. But a word of warning: once you see it, you’ll immediately want to watch it again. I could say the same about this drink, too. Truly, a match made in movie-cocktail heaven. Cheers!

Holiday Films

Christmas Perfection

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Christmas Perfection
Image credit: Christmas Perfection, 2018.

“Okay campers, rise and shine, and don’t forget your booties ’cause it’s COOOOLD out there today…” Wait, wrong movie. I got confused because Christmas Perfection (Download) is basically a Christmas-themed version of Groundhog Day. If it weren’t for all the charming accents, I’d start to wonder if this actually takes place in Punxsutawney instead of Ireland.

Christmas Perfection is a delightful surprise within a crowded holiday landscape of milquetoast heroes and low-stakes plots. Our hero Brandon has a scrawny, Ben Whishaw appeal, and it’s easy to picture him standing beside you in a real-life grocery store, looking for the herb goat cheese. Our heroine Darcy is the classic STRESSED AT THE HOLIDAYS-type; a perfectionist who can’t handle it when her holiday doesn’t align with the picture she had in her head. Through the powers of a magical miniature holiday village, she’s transported to a small town in Ireland, where every day is Christmas, and it’s the perfect Christmas she always dreamed of. Except, even perfection gets old after a while. A girl can only take so many gingerbread cookies, cute red-headed children, and Lego-haired Stepford boyfriends; eventually she needs something different. Enter Brandon, her lifelong friend who also transports to the Irish village and helps her see that perfection isn’t everything. I was skeptical about this hero at first, but the actors’ chemistry is off the charts, particularly in one steamy foot-rub/yule log scene. Things get worse before they get better, and there’s even a Groundhog Day-esque moment with the smashed alarm clock (alas, no Sonny & Cher), but eventually Darcy realizes the most perfect Christmas is an imperfect one.

If you’ve got a bottle of Bailey’s sitting around, here is your chance to use it. The thing I’ve noticed with these TV Christmas movies is that there’s usually romance, but never any sex. If you want an Orgasm, you’ll have to make it happen yourself with this cocktail.

Orgasm

1 ½ oz Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur

1 ½ oz Amaretto

1 ½ oz Coffee Liqueur

Aztec Chocolate bitters

Combine Bailey’s, Amaretto, and Coffee Liqueur in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a glass with ice. Top with Aztec bitters.

Orgasm

I’ll admit, I saw a lot of myself in this heroine. I too like to play with miniatures, and go to painstaking efforts to decorate my dollhouse exactly the same way every year. I enjoy creating a world where everything is perfect, where not even a tiny Christmas card is out of place. Meanwhile, my real house is full of chaos and warmth; of memories and mistakes. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Cheers!

Dramas

Rudy

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Image credit: Tri-star Pictures, 1993, Rudy
Image credit: Tri-star Pictures, 1993, Rudy

Since it’s been one whole year of Cinema Sips fabulousness, I’m harkening back to my very first post on A League of Their Own, where I discussed my general disdain for sporting events, and my inexplicable love for sports movies. This year, I’m switching games so I can talk about one of the all-time best football movies, Rudy (DVD/Download). Now that we’re heavy into college football season, it’s definitely appropriate viewing. While I roll my eyes at a Facebook newsfeed littered with tailgate photos and score updates, I plan on watching Rudy with a tasty autumnal cocktail in my hand to usher in fall. Some autumn spice candles may be lit- we’ll have to see.

Rudy is the wonderful inspirational movie about young Rudy Ruettiger, whose main dream in life is to play football for Notre Dame. He’s not the best student, so he can’t get into Notre Dame on academic merit, and he’s pretty small for a football player, so he’d never be recruited. But, he doesn’t give up. Even after being rejected time and time again, he continues to work on his studies at nearby Holy Cross, improving his grades, until eventually he’s accepted. Then he goes to work on becoming a football player. Everybody tells him he’ll never make the team, but he persists day in and day out, until eventually he makes the practice team. From there, he never misses a practice, and always gives a 110% during training, until finally, they let him dress for a game and run out onto the field with all the other top players. Honestly, during the final moments of the film, with Rudy’s family and friends cheering him on in the stands, I’m a weeping mess. This is the Marley & Me of sports movies- you just can’t watch it without tearing up. The game is utterly uninteresting to me. What makes this such a great film is the courageous, tenacious, and unbreakable spirit of Rudy.

My drink this week is inspired by the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.  It features that great Irish export Bailey’s, along with apple and caramel.  Perfect for fall, and for when you just can’t drink another pumpkin spice latte.  This week, while watching Rudy, I’ll be drinking a Fightin’ Irish Appletini.

Fightin’ Irish Appletini

3 oz Baileys Caramel Irish Cream

1 1/2 oz Smirnoff Green Apple Flavored Vodka

1 teaspoon caramel

1 apple slice

Add Baileys and Vodka into a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake until chilled.  Prepare glass by swirling caramel on the bottom and sides.  Strain liquids into glass, then garnish with an apple slice.

fighting-irish-appletini

After thinking about this movie, I got to wondering what Rudy Ruettiger did after the big game at the end. If that was his life’s goal, to play in a Notre Dame football game, wouldn’t it all be downhill from there? A little internet research has informed me that he’s now a motivational speaker, which made me remember that the real Rudy actually did come speak at my elementary school 20 years ago, and I’m sure at the time my only thought was, “Well he looks nothing like Sean Astin.” I’m happy that his life took this particular career path though, if only because I’m seeing now how important it is that kids understand that their dreams are attainable. It’s not going to be easy, and nothing will be handed out on a silver platter, but if you work hard enough, and don’t give up, anything is possible. So hats off to Rudy and this movie for inspiring generations of people, and for goodness sake don’t forget to watch it with a box of Kleenex. Cheers!