November, 2018 - Margaret Hamilton - Crimson Bulleit Punch

Margaret Heafield Hamilton (August 17, 1936 - )

Margaret Hamilton is an American computer scientist, systems engineer, and business owner. She is credited with coining the term "software engineering". Hamilton was Director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, which developed on-board flight software for the Apollo space program. In 1986, she became the founder and CEO of Hamilton Technologies, Inc., in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company was developed around the Universal Systems Language based on her paradigm of Development Before the Fact (DBTF) for systems and software design. On November 22, 2016, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Barack Obama for her work leading the development of on-board flight software for NASA's Apollo Moon missions. 

The Drink:

Crimson Bulleit Punch
2 parts Bulleit bourbon
2 parts cranberry pomegranate juice
1/2 part Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
2 parts Champagne

Drinkability: ?
Drunkability: ?
Taxic Diversity: ?
Accessibility: 4
Priority for Conservation: ?

Comments: (comments from the web: the ladies seem to have gone off the rails before they finished this cocktail. No notes recorded.) 

From "Packs a Punch" themed meeting hosted by Irish Knockout.

March, 2017 - Moms Mabley - Kir Royale 38

Loretta Mary Aiken (Jackie "Moms" Mabley) - March 19, 1894 - May 23, 1975)
A comedy pioneer credited with being the first female standup comedian.  She was born in Brevard, North Carolina and was one of a family of 16 children.  Her father owned and operated several successful businesses, while her mother kept house and took in boarders.  While working as a volunteer fireman in 1909, her father died when a fire engine exploded.  In 1910, after her mother took over their primary business, a general store, her mother was killed after being run over by a truck while returning home from church.  By age 14, Loretta had been rapced twice (at age 11, by an elderly black man, and at age 13, by a white sheriff) and had two children who she was forced to give up for adoption.  At the encouragement of her grandmother, Loretta ran away to Cleveland, Ohio, joining a traveling vaudeville-style minstrel show called Butterbeans and Susie, where she sang and entertained.  She developed an onstage persona as an old woman with a frumpy housedress, funny hat, and toothless gums, years before she was old.  It was an homage to her grandmother.  In character, she was able to be edgy with her routine covering racism and sexual innuendo through double entendres without offending.  Her "bit" was to pretend to be a dirty old lady, lusting after younger men.  She came out as a lesbian at the age of twenty-seven, becoming one of the first openly gay comedians.  During the 1920s and 1930s she appeared in androgynous clothing (as she did in the film version of The Emperor Jones with Paul Robeson) and recorded several of her early "lesbian stand-up" routines.  It wasn't until the 1960s that Mabley was "discovered" by white audiences, even though she had been performing for several decades at that point.  Loretta Aiken took her stage name, Jackie Mabley, from an early boyfriend, commenting to Ebony in a 1970s interview that he had taken so much from her, it was the least she could do to take his name.  Later she became known as "Moms" because she was indeed a "Mom" to many other comedians on the circuit in the 1950s and 1960s.  She is the subject of Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley, an HBO documentary film in 2013.

The Drink

Kir Royale 38
1 tsp cognac
1 tsp grand marnier
6-8oz champagne
1/2 orange slice for garnish

Drinkability:  4
Drunkability:  4
Taxic Diversity:  3
Accessibility:  3
Priority for Conservation:  5

Comments:  Ratings are a little fuzzy - girls have gotten pretty hilarious themselves.

From "Women in Comedy" themed meeting, hosted by Ball Buster

March, 2017 - Carol Burnett - Watermelon Champagne

Carol Burnett (April 26, 1933 - )
An American actress, comedienne, singer and writer, whose career spans six decades of television.  She is best known for her long-running TV variety show, The Carol Burnett Show, originally aired on CBS.  She has achieved success on stage, television, and film in varying genres including dramatic and comedy roles.  Born in San Antonio, Texas, Burnett moved with her grandmother to Hollywood, where she attended Hollywood High School and eventually studied theater and musical comedy at UCLA.  Later she performed in nightclubs in New York City and had a breakout success on Broadway in 1959 in Once Upon a Mattress, for which she received a Tony Award nomination.  She soon made her television debut, regularly appearing on The Garry Moore Show for the next three years, and won her first Emmy Award in 1962.  In 1963, she was the star of the Dallas State Fair Musicals presentation of "Calamity Jane." Burnett moved to Los Angeles, California, and began an 11-year run as star of The Carol Burnett Show on CBS television from 1967 to 1978.  With its vaudeville roots, The Carol Burnett Show was a variety show that combined comedy sketches with song and dance.  The comedy sketches included film parodies and character pieces.  Burnett created many memorable characters during the show's run, and both she and the show won numerous Emmy and Golden Globe Awards.

The Drink

Watermelon Champagne
3 cubs cubed, seeded watermelon
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 bottle champagne
(makes 8)

Drinkability:  5
Drunkability:  2
Taxic Diversity:  2
Accessibility:  4
Priority for Conservation:  5

Comments:

From "Women of Comedy" themed meeting, hosted by Ball Buster.

March, 2017 - Gracie Allen - The Old Cuban

Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie "Gracie" Allen (July 26, 1895 - August 27, 1964) was born in San Francisco to Irish Catholics.  She began performing Irish folk dances with her three sisters, who were billed as "The Four Colleens".  In 1909, Allen joined her sister, Bessie, as a vaudeville performer.  At a performance in 1922, Allen met George Burns and the two formed a comedy act.  They were married on January 7, 1926, in Cleveland, Ohio.  They toured the country, eventually headlining in major vaudeville houses.  Many of their famous routines were preserved in one-and two-reel short films, including Lambchops (1929).  In the early 1930s, they started a radio show.  Burns and Allen frequently used running gags as publicity stunts.  During 1932-33, they pulled off one of the most successful in the business: a year-long search for Allen's supposedly missing brother.  They would make unannounced cameo appearances on other shows, asking if anyone had seen Allen's brother.  Gracie Allen's real-life brother was apparently the only person who did not find the gag funny, and he eventually asked them to stop.  In 1940, the team launched a similar stunt when Allen announced she was running for President of the United States on the Surprise Party ticket.  Burns and Allen did a cross-country whistlestop campaign tour on a private train, performing their live radio show in different cities.  In one of her campaign speeches, Gracie said, "Everybody knows a woman is better than a man when it comes to introducing bills into the house."  The Surprise Party mascot was the kangaroo; the motto was "It's in the bag." As a child, Allen had been scalded badly on one arm, and she was extremely sensitive about the scarring.  Throughout her life, she wore either full or three-quarter length sleeves to hide the scars.

The Drink:

The Old Cuban
6 mint leaves, plus tip for garlish
3/4 oz lime juice
1 oz simple syrup
1.5 oz amber rum
2 oz champagne
1-2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 lime slice

Drinkability:  4
Drunkability:  4
Taxic Diversity:  3
Accessibility:  4
Priority for Conservation:  5+

Comments:  

From "Ladies of Comedy" themed meeting, hosted by Ball Buster.

July, 2015 - Rebecca Hammon - Summer Sunset

Rebecca Lynn "Becky" Hammon (born March 11, 1977)

is an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA and a retired professional basketball player.  Hammon played for the San Antonio Stars and New York Liberty of the WNBA.  She also played for multiple basketball teams outside the United Sates.  Hammon, who was born and grew up in the United States, became a naturalized Russian citizen in 2008 and represented the Russian national team in 2008 and 2012 Olympics.  

On August 5, 2014, Hammon was hired by the Spurs as an assistant coach, becoming the second female assistant coach in NBA history but the first full-time assistant coach.  This also makes her the first full-time female assistant coach in any of the four major professional sports in North America.  On July 3, 2015, the Spurs announced that Hammon would be the team's Summer League head-coach, the first woman to head-coach in that league.  Hammon led the Spurs to the Las Vegas Summer League title on July 20, 2015
The Drink:

Summer Sunset

1.5 oz pineapple juice
.75 oz cranberry juice
champagne 

Drinkability: 4.5 
Drunkability: 2
Taxic Diversity: 2
Accessibility: 3
Priority for Conservation: 4

Comments:  "a little sweet," "drunkability depends on the amount of champagne", "tastes like frothy juice" "good but kind of boring"

From "Women in Men's Pro Sports" hosted by BoilerMaker

August, 2014 - Claire McCardell - Black Velvet

Claire McCardell - 1905-1958

Claire McCardell was an American fashion designer in the arena of read-to-wear clothing in the 20th century.  From the 1930's to the 1950's, she was known for designing functional, affordable, and stylish women's sportswear within the constraints of mass-production, and is today acknowledged as the creator of the "American Look", a democratic and casual approach to fashion that rejected the formality of French couture.

First attending Hood College in Maryland from 1923 to 1925 at the age of 16, McCardell enrolled in Parsons (then known as the New York School of Fine and Applied Art) in 1925 to pursue her interest in fashion.  There she received a grounding in the general principles of art and design as well as the more specialized disciplines of comstum illustration and design.

By the time the United States entered World War II, in 1941, the country was cut off from France and its hegemony in clothing design.  In addition, the war effort demanded a rationing of fabrics.  These setbacks did not adversely affect McCardell, who already was steering clear of French influence and whose designs made frugal use of material.  In one fashion showing, for example, she clad all of her models in fabric ballet slippers due to leather rationing, sometimes covering the original material with fabric form the garment to match.

McCardell received multiple honors in the 1950s.  President Harry S. Truman presented her with the Women's National Press Club Award in 1950.  With this award, she became the first fashion designer to be voted one of America's Women of Achievement.  In 1990, Life magazine named her one of the 100 most importan Americans of the twentieth century, 37 years after her death.

The Drink:

Black Velvet

4 oz Champagne
4 oz chilled stout (Guinness type)

Drinkability: 3/4
Drunkability: 4
Taxic Diversity: 2
Accessibility: 4
Priority for Conservation: 4

Comments:  "stout + fizzy"

From "Women in Fashion Design" hosted by BanditQueen

August, 2014 - Coco Chanel - French 75

Coco Chanel - 1883-1971

Famous for pushing the social boundaries of fashion, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel rebelled against gender requirements in the industry.  She used masculine clothing to express herself.  She took the comfort of men's clothing, and made designs targeting women.  Not all of her best inventions were hits right away, in fact there were times they weren't understood or appreciated until much later; however, now, Chanel is a recognized name.

Men dominated the fashion industry at the time Chanel's popularity kicked in.  Coco changed the style of women's clothes simply by making them for women's bodies rather than for men's eyes.  The corset was still being used for women's wardrobe, but Chanel challenged this by designing relaxing yet elegant dresses.  She created for both the corporate and social world.

Coco took men's clothing, and transformed them to be for women.  Before Chanel, pants were considered unlady-like.  No woman would dare wear pants, but one cannot function well in a dress.  By taking men's designs, and revamping them for the woman audience, she made her popularity from rebellion.

On Sunday, January 10, 1971, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel passed away at the Hotel Ritz.  She leaves behind a legacy that women deserve to be both comfortable and beautiful.  One should not override the other.

The Drink:

French 75

.5 oz Fresh lemon juice
.5 oz orange liqueur
1 oz Gin 
3 oz Champagne

Drinkability: 5
Drunkability: 4
Taxic Diversity: 3
Accessibility: 4
Priority for Conservation: 5

Comments:  subbed out orange liqueur instead of simple syrup.  Weekday LUPEC meetings have their price.

From "Women in Fashion Design" theme hosted by BanditQueen

April, 2014 - Mary Katherine Goddard - Laughing in the Rain

Mary Katherine Goddard (June 16, 1738 - August 12, 1816)

was an early American publisher and the first American postmistress.  She was the first to print the Declaration of Independence with the names of the signatories.

MKG grew up in New London, Connecticut, before moving to Province, Rhode Island, with her mother in 1762.  Her famous firsts began when she became the first woman publisher in american in 1766.  In 1775, Goddard became the first American woman postmaster in Baltimore, MD.  When on Jan 18, 1777, the Continental Congress moved that the Declaration of Independence be widely distributed, Goddard was one of the first to offer the use of her press.  This was in spite of the risks of being associated with what was considered a treasonable document by the British.  Her copy, the Goddard Broadside, was the first to contain the typeset names of the signatories, including John Hancock.  Goddard was a successful postmaster for 14 years.  In 1789, however, she was removed from the position by Postmaster General Samuel Osgood despite general protest from the Baltimore community.  Osgood asserted that the position required "more traveling ... than a woman could undertake." and appointed a political ally of his to replace her.  On November 12, 1789, over 230 citizens of Baltimore, including more than 200 leading businessmen, presented a petition demanding her reinstatement.  It was, however, unsuccessful.  Following her dismissal, Goddard sold books, stationery, and dry goods.  She died August 12, 1816, still beloved by her community.

The Drink:

Laughing in the Rain:

1/2 oz pear vodka
3/4 oz Lemon Verbena Simple Syrup
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
Champagne to top off (about 1/2 cup)

Drinkability:  4
Drunkability:  2.4/3
Taxic Diversity: 3/4 
Accessibility: 3
Priority for Conservation:  5

Comments:  "3/4 split on taxic diversity for lemon verbena simple syrup being hard to pin down"

From Women Entrepreneurs theme hosted by CZ

July 2013 - Queen Nanny of the Maroons - Old Jamaica

Queen Nanny of the Maroons

Nanny is known as one of the earliest leaders of slave resistance in the Americas, and one of very few women leaders.  She was an outstanding military  leader, and she was particularly important during the First Maroon War against the British from 1720 - 1739.

Nanny was born in Ghana, Western Africa and was brought to Jamaica as a slave.  Upon arrival in Jamaica, Nanny was sold to a plantation in Saint Thomas Parish, just outside of the Port Royal area.  As a child, Nanny was influenced by other slave leaders called "Maroons" - defiant Jamaican slaves who fled their oppressive existence on plantations and formed their own communities in the rugged, hilly interior of the island.  She and her brothers, Accompong, Cudjoe, Johnny and Quao ran away from their plantation and hid in the Blue Mountains area.  Nanny and her brothers became folk heroes.  While in hiding, they split up to organize more Maroon communities across Jamaica; Nanny founded a community in Portland Parish that was given the name Nanny Town.  During the First Maroon War, Nanny Town had a strategic location as it overlooked Stony River via a 900 foot ridge, making a surprise attack by the British practically impossible.  The Maroons at Nanny Town organized look-outs for such an attack as well as designated warriors who could be summoned by the sound of a horn.

Nanny's cleverness in planning guerilla warfare confused the British and their accounts of the fights reflect the surprise and fear which the Maroon traps caused among them.  Besides inspiring her people to ward off the troops, Nanny was also a type of chieftainess or wise woman of the village, who passed down legends and encouraged the continuation of customs, music and songs, that had come with the people from Africa, and which instilled in them confidence and pride.

Nanny was also very adept at organizing plans to free slaves.  For over 30 years, Nanny freed more than 800 slaves, and helped them to resettle in the Maroon community. The government of Jamaica declared Nanny a National Heroine in 1976.  Her portrait graces the $500 Jamaican dollar bill, which is colloquially referred to as a "Nanny."

The Drink:

Old Jamaica Cocktail

1 oz Fresh lime juice
1.5 oz  Rum
.75 oz simple syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Champagne

Drinkability - 3.5
Drunkability  - 3
Taxic Diversity  - 2.5
Accessibility  -3
Priority for Conservation - 4

Hosted by CZ

November, 2012 - Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor

If you REALLY don't know, you can read the WIKI.

The Drink:

Elizabeth Taylor

4 oz champagne 
1 oz Crème De Viollete 
Stir together in champagne flute 
Garnish with a black cherry

Drinkability: definitely bimodal
Drunkability: low
Taxic Diversity: lemon
Accessibility: 4
Priority for Conservation: bimodal

Comments: "people are not paying attention, we are talking about ..." 

From "The Other Woman" hosted by CZ

November, 2012 - Lola Montez - Spider Dance Fizz

Lola Montez

No notes, but WIKI to the rescue.

The Drink:

The Lola Montez Spider Dance Fizz

 fresh raspberry
gin
champagne

Drinkability: 4.5
Drunkability: 3.5
Taxic Diversity: 2.5
Accessibility: 4
Priority for Conservation: 4.5

Comments: "pulpy raspberries - to strain or chew and swallow?" "the fruit soaks up and amplifies the alcohol," "especially for brunch in particular"

From "The Other Woman" hosted by CZ

April, 2012 - Royal Gin Fizz

Royal Gin Fizz:

1 egg white from 1 small egg
1/4 cup gin
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Simple Syrup, 
Champagne or sparkling wine, to taste

Drinkability: 4
Drunkability: 2
Taxic Diversity: 2 
Accessibility: 4.5
Priority for Conservation: 5

Comments:  "this drink is amazing, if a little lemony"

From Women Environmentalists, hosted by BallBuster

March, 2012 - Brunch - Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe

(If you need a bio - just read wiki)

Marilyn Monroe Cocktail:

4 oz. champagne
1 oz.  apple brandy
1 tsp. grenadine

Drinkability:
Drunkability:
Taxic Diversity: "Whoops!"
Accessibility: 3
Priority for Conservation:

Comments: "we are unclear about drinkability and drunkability, as we are all super drunk by this point - also BB just farted", PoC: "we wouldn't make it again, but we'd drink it if it was handed to us."

From "Champagne Brunch" hosted by BoilerMaker

March, 2013 - Brunch - Cockney Champagne

Cockney Champagne

3 oz Champagne
3/4 oz gin
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz sugar syrup

Drinkability: 4/5
Drunkability: 5
Taxic Diversity: 3/4
Accessibility: 4
Priority for Conservation: 4

Comments:  "basically the same as the last but with gin instead of tequila"

From "Champagne Brunch" hosted by BoilerMaker

March, 2013 - Brunch - French 25

French 25:

2 oz tequila
½ oz lemon juice
¼ oz sugar syrup
5 oz Champagne

Drinkability: 4/5
Drunkability: 5
Taxic Diversity: 3
Accessibility: 4
Priority for Conservation: 5

Comments: "AZ is slapping herself in the face", "AZ dissents from PoC - too much lemon juice."

From "Champagne Brunch" hosted by BoilerMaker

March, 2012 - Brunch - Strawberry Champagne

Strawberry Champagne

4 oz champagne
1 oz strawberry brandy

Drinkability: 4/5
Drunkability: 4
Taxic Diversity: 1
Accessibility: 0
Priority for Conservation: 5

Comments: "there is no benefit to eating the strawberries in the liqueur - this drink is like spring in a glass."  "Access - 0 - "strawberry brandy is very difficult to find unless you infuse it yourself."

From "Champagne Brunch" hosted by BoilerMaker

March, 2012 - Brunch - Champagne Charlie

Champagne Charlie

4 oz champagne
1 oz apricot brandy

Drinkability: 3.5
Drunkability: 4
Taxic Diversity: 1
Accessibility: 3/4
Priority for Conservation: 4/5

Comments:  "bubbly apricot", "apricot makes it syrupy", "BB finished them all - needs to be cold."

From "Champagne Brunch" hosted by BoilerMaker

April, 2011 - Raspberry Herb

Raspberry Herb Cocktail

1 1/2 pints fresh raspberries (about 4 cups)
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
6 large sprigs (about 2 ounces) fresh mint, basil, or both, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup vodka
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
1 bottle (750 mL) Prosecco or Lambrusco

Drinkability:  5
Drunkability:  2
Taxic Diversity:  4
Accessibility:  4
Priority for Conservation: 5

Comments: "basil is interesting" "perhaps blend?"

From "Unnamed theme" hosted by HN

October, 2010 - Nerd Girls - Green Dragon

Green Dragon

4 oz Champagne
1 oz Midori melon liqueur

Drinkability: 4
Drunkability: 2
Taxic Diversity: 2
Accessibility: 3
Priority for Conservation: 1

Comments: "meh," "tastes like jolly rancher"

From "Girls of the Nerd World" hosted by Boilermaker

June, 2010 - Adventurers - Elderberry Smash

Elderberry Smash

(serves 6)

2 dozen blackberries (about 1 cup) 
9 oz. St. Germain elderflower liqueur
Lime juice from 3 whole limes
8 oz. Champagne 
6 sprigs of mint

Drinkability:  4.5
Drunkability:  2.5 
Taxic Diversity:  4
Accessibility:  2
Priority for Conservation: 5

Comments: "would have been a 5, but "pulp" and "champagne" affect some ladies"

*** Archivist's Note: - Accessibility got a 2 and was noted "elderflower liqueur is hard to find." If it was in 2010, it certainly isn't in 2013, so don't let that deter you from attempting this cocktail.***

From Lady Adventurers hosted by (real name given! GASP!)