Tag: John Ford

Classic Films

Donovan’s Reef

LizLocke1 Comment
Image Credit: Donovan’s Reef, 1963

Perhaps the most pedigreed of my Tiki Month picks, this week’s film by legendary director John Ford will have you feeling like you just spent a weekend in The Enchanted Tiki Room.

At Christmas.

Does Disney do an overlay for this attraction at the holidays? If not, it’s a missed opportunity. Donovan’s Reef (Disc/Download) proves Tiki and Christmas go together like Dole Whip and rum.

Starring John Wayne, Lee Marvin, and Jack Warden as a trio of US Navy veterans who’ve emigrated to an island in French Polynesia, Donovan’s Reef gets its name from the bar owned by Wayne’s character. While it contains some nonsensical barroom brawls and unfortunate stereotyping, there’s also a thread of melodrama woven in through the character of Miss Dedham, a proper Boston woman who’s come to the island looking for her long-lost father. She’s in the dark about his philanthropic medical practice and her three half-siblings, and the complicated feeling of knowing your dad didn’t want to be a dad to you, but he did want to be a dad to these other kids (and a whole community of islanders), is a relatable sting for many folks even today. There’s a weight I didn’t expect to this “hangout movie”, even though I’d ultimately still describe it as a fun romp.

Although Donovan’s Reef is set on the fictional island of Haleakaloha, it was actually filmed on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. This seems like a great excuse to mix a cocktail I found in The Home Bar Guide to Tropical Cocktails by Tom Morgan and Kelly Reilly, the Kauai Island Jungle Sling.

Kauai Island Jungle Sling

1 oz White Rum

1 oz 12yr old Rum

¼ oz Yellow Chartreuse

¼ oz Pomegranate Liqueur

¼ oz Cointreau

½ oz Cherry Syrup

1 ½ oz Pineapple Juice

½ oz Lime Juice

Dash of Angostura Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with crushed ice. Shake to chill and combine, then pour entire contents into a tiki mug or tall glass. Garnish with fresh orchids (optional).

I might revisit this movie again over the holidays with a different cocktail (there are some cinnamon-flavored grogs and punches I’m excited to try out!), but the Kauai Island Jungle Sling is a great way to celebrate a mix of flavors coming together, just like the mix of nationalities in this movie. The church service seems extra-inclusive, as though all are welcome, no matter where they came from. What a lovely idea. Cheers!

Action/Adventure/Heist · Classic Films

Mogambo

LizLocke1 Comment
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!