Another Oscar season in the books means another Best Picture winner crowned, and this year, the honor went to One Battle After Another (Disc/Download). It’s been a long time since I felt like the recipient of this award actually was the best picture of a given year, but leave it to Paul Thomas Anderson to deliver a movie critics, voters, and this jaded moviegoer can all agree on. This calls for a celebratory cocktail.

I’ve been a superfan of PT Anderson since Boogie Nights, and while Magnolia remains my favorite of his films, One Battle After Another is a worthy addition to the California canon. In this tense thriller/drama, Leonardo DiCaprio plays a stoned revolutionary who must balance fighting the forces of evil with raising his teenage daughter. He sacrifices the excitement of the cause, along with his libido, to be the stay-at-home dad she needs, until the day his peace is threatened by the vengeful Colonel Lockjaw (Sean Penn, quite obviously playing Greg Bovino). This sets off a chain reaction of good guys on the run, bad guys in Patagonia vests calmly plotting the next Holocaust, and great teachers like Sensei Sergio just trying to help the people of his community.

As soon as I heard the phrase “The French 75”, I knew I loved this movie. A bunch of badass female fighters named after my favorite cocktail? Heck yes! I’ve already done the gin version of this drink on the blog, but a recent trip to New Orleans proved to me that the classic cognac version is where it’s at. While watching One Battle After Another, I recommend drinking this Classic French ’75.

Classic French ‘75

1 ½ oz cognac

½ oz simple syrup

½ oz lemon juice

2-3 oz champagne

Lemon twist

Combine cognac, simple syrup, and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into a cocktail glass. Top with champagne, and garnish with a lemon twist.

It’s pretty amazing when script development, shooting schedules, and studio timelines all align to give us the movie we need at the exact moment we need it. Who could have predicted that all the chaos and horror of the last fifteen months would be happening right when One Battle After Another releases and sweeps award shows? I guess many people knew; perhaps people smarter or more cynical than me. Hollywood tends to reward movies that project a certain image of what the film community wants to believe of itself, and by awarding the Best Picture Oscar to One Battle After Another, Hollywood has sent a clear message that they do not stand with ICE. They’re telling us to have faith that this regime will be defeated, by The French 75s, or The Whiskey Sours, or whatever mocktail name sober Gen Z wants to give their coming revolution. I’ll be ready with the shaker. Cheers!