March, 2016 - Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy - Cosmopolitan

Lady Isobel Gathorne-Hardy - September 2, 1875 - December 30, 1963)
was teh daughter of former Governor General of Canada Lord Stanley of Preston. She held the office of Woman of the Bedchamber to HM Queen Mary and she was invested as a Dame Commander, Royal Victorian Order (D.C.V.O.).  While living in Canada, Stanley helped to popularize ice hockey and is one of the first known women to play the game.  Stanley shared her father's love of the game of ice hockey and was instrumental in convincing her father to create the Stanley Cup.  After the opening of the Rideau Skating Rink, Stanley is mentioned in one of the first games of women's hockey, played at Rideau rink in 1899.  Lady Isobel's role as a pioneer of women's ice hockey in Canada is acknowledged with the Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Award.  The award is given to any active player (at any level) whose values, leadership and personal traits are representative of all female athletes. The (American) National Women's Hockey League's championship trophy is called the Isobel Cup in honor o f her contributions to women's hockey and hockey in general.

The Drink:

Cosmopolitan:
1 1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz cointreau
1/2 oz cranberry juice
1/4 oz lime juice

Drinkability:  4
Drunkability:  4
Taxic Diversity:  2
Accessibility:  3
Priority for Conservation:  3.5

Comments:  FR admits to accidentally going a little heavy on the cranberry juice, but those of us who like cranberry juice like it better that way.

From FR's "Women of Sports with Awards Named After Them" themed meeting.

March, 2016 - Kim Perrot - Jack Rose

Kim Perrot - January 18, 1967 - August 19, 1999
was an American basketball player.  She played in the WNBA for thee Houston Comets.  Perrot attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette), and played four years there as a guard.  In one game against the University of Southeastern Louisiana, she scored 58 points, the third most in NCAA history.  After playing six seasons in Europe, Perrot became the regular point guard for the Houston Comets, helping them to win WNBA championships in 1997 and 1998.  At 5'5", she was noted for her ferocious play and was a crowd favorite.  She averaged 7.2 points, 3.3 steals, and 2.9 rebounds per game during her two seasons as a member of the Comets.  In February 1999, she was diagnosed with lung cancer which had already metastasized to her brain.  Perrot underwent surgery and radiation treatments to eradicate the tumors in her head, but declined chemotherapy recommended by her doctors.  Perrot went to Mexico to seek alternative methods to battle cancer.  Many attribute her death to that move - but metastasized lung cancer gave her no chance of survival with conventional medicine.  After her death, the Comets went on to win a third straight WNBA title.  She was posthumously awarded a third championship ring and her #10 jersey was retired, thus making her the first player in league history to have her number retired.  In 2000, the WNBA renamed their sportsmanship award in her honor.  While ill with cancer, Perrot had made many public appearances, and given motivational speeches, mostly at schools.

The Drink:

Jack Rose:
2 oz Laird's Applejack
3/4 oz grenadine
3/4 oz lemon juice
1 dash Pechaud's bitters

Drinkability:  3
Drunkability:  2.5
Taxic Diversity:  4
Accessibility:  3
Priority for Conservation:  2

Comments:  Taxic Diversity - diverse, but not blended well . Also, bitters are hard to find in Inwood.

From FR's "Women in Sports with Awards Named After Them" themed meeting.

March, 2016 - Sage Cowles - Income Tax

Sage Cowles
Former LPGA Tour Member Janie Blaylock, softball legend Joan Joyce and tennis icon Billie Jean King, founded the International Women's Professional Softball Association in 1976.  The fledgling association survived four seasons before lack of funds, high travel costs and inadequate facilities ultimately led to its demise.  In 1982, the NCAA began to sanction the Women's College World Series, a move that led to increased participation and exposure for the sport.  Along with her collegiate head coach John Horan, former Utah State University player Sage Cowles, owner of the Cowles Media Company, who agreed to provide financial backing for the endeavor.  Eight years of successful research and planning finally culminated in May 1997, with the Cowles family and title sponsor AT&T Wireless Services launching Women's Pro Fastpitch.  ESPN2 televised over 30 games from 1999 to 2001.  The broadcasts consistently out-rated those of Major League Soccer and the National Hockey League.  On Nov 21, 2002, WPSL announced a rebranding strategy and officially name changed to National Pro Fastpitch.  The 2004 season was distinguished by 178 league-wide games, 96 of the best female softball players in the country, the continued support of Major League Baseball, NPF playoffs, and the inaugural NPF Championship with the NY/NJ Juggernaut capturing the Championship Cowles Cup with a victory over the New England Riptide, fourth place finisher in the regular season.

Sage Cowles passed away in 2013 at the age of 88.  In her life she was "mother, wife, grandmother, friend. Philanthropist, fundraiser, benefactor.  Networker, cajoler.  Feminist, political activist, educator.  Softball and fitness enthusiast.  Artist: choreographer, performer, dancer", according to a profile written for the Walker Arts Center in Minnesota.  In addition to the Cowles Cup in softball, Sage helped make the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts a reality, giving Minnesota its long-awaited flagship for dance; and helped establish the Sage Cowles Land Grant Chair in Dance at the University of Minnesota, which brings in visiting artists.  In 2005, the Sage Awards for Dance were created to honor her profound contributions.  Outside of the arts, Sage served on the board of Planned Parenthood.  She and her husband were fellows at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs , where she taught the other fellows to engage with their bodies during movement workshops and wrote a paper calling for a more holistic educational model as the body isn't "a second-class citizen, separate from the mind."  

The Drink:

Income Tax

1 1/2 oz gin
3/4 oz dry vermouth
3/4 oz sweet vermouth
3/4 oz orange juice
2 dashes Angostura

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

Comments:  it was very diverse, but not a good tasting blend of flavors.

From FR's "Women in Sports with Awards Named After Them" themed meeting.

March, 2016 - Mae Louise Suggs - Three Mile Limit

Mae Louise Suggs (Sept 7, 1923 - Aug 7, 2015)
was an American professional golfer, one of teh founders of the LPGA Tour and thus modern ladies' gold.  Born in Atlanta, Suggs had a very successful amateur career, beginning as a teenager.  She won the Georgia State Amateur in 1940 at age 16 and again in 1942.  She won the 1946 and 1947 Women's Western Open, which was designated as a major championship when the LPGA was founded.  She finished her amateur career representing the United States on the 1948 Curtis Cup Team.  After her successful amateur career, she turned professional in 1948 and went on to win 58 professional tournaments, including 11 majors.  Her prowess on the golf course is reflected in the fact that from 1950 to 1960 she was only once out of the top 3 in the season-ending money list.  In 1957, she won the Vare Trophy (for low scoring average) and also became the LPGA's first player to complete the career grand slam, which included Titleholders Championship; six other women ahve since accomplished this feat.  Bob Hope nicknamed her "Miss Sluggs" for her long drives.  Suggs was inaugural inductee into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame, established in 1967, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1979.  She was one of the co-founders of the LPGA in 1950, which included her two great rivals of the time, Patty Berg and Babe Zaharias.  Suggs served as the organization's president from 1955 to 1957.  The Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award, given annually since 2000 to the most accomplished first-ear player on the LGPA Tour, is named in her honor.  In February 2015, she became one of the first female members of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.

The Drink:

Three Mile Limit

1 oz rum
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz grenadine
1/2 oz cognac

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

Comments:  Last drink of the night, ranking never recorded, only "Go Syracuse!" 

From FR's "Women Athletes with Sports Awards Named After Them" theme.

January / February, 2016 - Allison De Meulder - the Multitasking Moose

Baker & co: Allison De Meulder
CEO + Founder of Matrick & Eve Design and InvitationConsultants.com
Her theme for brunch surrounded the work life, corporate culture and some of the struggles in the workplace.  She offered ideas on how to make your office more fun.

The Drink:

Multitasking Moose
maple creme
jack daniels

Drinkability: 5
Drunkability: 2.5
Taxic Diversity: 2
Accessibility: 1
Priority for Conservation: 5

Comments:  just tastes like chocolate milk, fizzy, can't even taste the whisky.  And yet another ingredient you're not getting unless you go to Canada.

From OH and IK's joint-hosted (due to Jan illness) mash-up meeting

January / February, 2016 - Marissa Kraxberger - For Her Sake

The Chester:  Marissa Kraxberger:  

Creative Director at Ivanka Trump.  Marissa has created a series of editorial content to celebrate women working at all aspects of their lives: #WomenWhoWork initiative.

The Drink:

For Her Sake
Sake + something - it's a pun


Drinkability: 2.5
Drunkability: 2.5
Taxic Diversity: 2
Accessibility: 3
Priority for Conservation: 2

Comments: OH likes to keep us guessing with "mystery drinks"

From OH and IK's joint-hosted (due to Jan illness) mash-up meeting

January / February, 2016 - Katrina Craigwell - The Sheinhordt Wig Co

The Smith:  Katrina Craigwell
Director of Global Content and Programming at General Electric.  Only 28, in 2014 she made Forbes' 30 Under 30 in Marketing & Advertisign and AdAge's Creativity 50 in 2012.  

The Drink:

The Sheinhordt Wig Co.
bourbon
ginger liquer
lime 
pear juice

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

Comments: OH forgot to write down the recipe.  

From OH and IK's joint-hosted (due to Jan illness) mash-up meeting

January / February, 2016 - Jaime Petkanics - Wisdom of the Elders

Ten Degrees Bistro:  Jaime Petkanics:
founder of the Prepary a job-search consulting service company.  What are people looking for in job candidates?  Qualification - is the candidate qualified from a technical perspective?  Why are you interested in the job?  Are you a good fit for the company?

The Drink

Wisdom of the Elders
1/3 creme de sureau (elderberry)
2/3 sparkling wine

Drinkability:  4.5
Drunkability:  3.5
Taxic Diversity:  2
Accessibility:  1
Priority for Conservation: 5

Comments:  not exactly water, more like soda - like a slushy if you don't mind losing the bubbles.  Another only in Quebec spirit

From OH and IK's joint co-hosted (due to Jan illness) mash-up meeting

January / February, 2016 - Jill Ozovek - Caribou

B4 Restaurant:  Jill Ozovek:  "I'm a career change coach, working with millennial women who are sick and tired of having their crazy schedules, toxic work environments, and unfulfilling work run their lives.  I help my clients re-get to know themselves, dream a little and find "THE thing", complete with a plan of action to get them in the role.  Ask yourself, "What matters to me? What makes me tick?"

The Drink:

Caribou:

(some combination of)
Brandy
Vodka
Canadian Sherry
Canadian Pork
Nutmeg 
Cloves
Maple syrup

Drinkability:  4
Drunkability:  3
Taxic Diversity:  5
Accessibility:  1 (not even available online)
Priority of Conservation:  5

Comments:  Caribou is apparently a beverage only available in Quebec, Canada, OH brought us a bottle and shared this unique drink over penguin-shaped ice cubes.

From OH and IK's joint-hosted (due to illness in Jan) mash-up meeting

November, 2015 - Lady Stahope - Mexico Martini

Lady Stanhope

Charming and witty, Lady Stanhope was an admired socialite in English high society.  But after a string of messy romances, she left England forever at the age of 33, and went on to become the first Biblical archaeologist.  She journeyed to Greece, Turkey, France, and Germany.

En route to Egypt, Stanhope discarded her feminine and European attire for menswear of most common in Tunisia, a look that would prove her signature the rest of her days.  She traversed through Israel, Lebanon, and Syria.  Later, she'd tell tales of how she so impressed the Bedouin tribes that they named her Queen of the Desert, successor to Zenobia.  But her greatest success came in 1815, when she convinced Ottoman authorities to allow her to excavate the ruins of Ashkelon. Stanhope went looking for gold, but instead found a seven-foot headless marble statue.  Her reputation as an archaeologist takes a hit here, as she ordered the artifact smashed to bits.

The Drink

Mexico Martini
1 1/2 oz tequila
1 spt extra dry vermouth
2-3 drops vanilla extract

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

Comments:  "Very strange - vanilla, water, vermouth, frosting - it smells sweet but isn't"

From Women Who Traveled, hosted by Bandit Queen

November, 2015 - Nelly Bly - Aviation

Nelly Bly

American journalist Nellie Bly (a.ka. Elizabeth Jane Cochrane) is best known for her world-changing expose' for which she went undercover to reveal the abuse going on at Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island.  But on November 14, 1889, Bly took on a new challenge for Joseph Pulitzer's paper, the New York World.

Inspired by Jules Verne's novel Around the World in 80 Days, Bly set out to beat the fictional globetrotting record.  Traveling in ships, trains, and rickshaws, on horseback and on mules, Bly made her way from England to France, Singapore to Japan, and California back to the East Coast.  And she did all this in 72 days.  Well, 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds to be precise.  Naturally, Bly's bold endeavor made for a series of thrilling new stories, as well as a memoir - Around the World in Seventy-Two Days.

The Drink

Aviation

4.5 cl gin
1.5 cl lemon juice
1.5 cl maraschino liquer
1/4 oz creme de violette

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

Comments:  ** we have had this at a few parties before, and it's a favorite of BallBuster and Alabazam

From Women Who Traveled, hosted by Bandit Queen

November, 2015 - Aimee Crocker - Blue Lagoon

Aimee Crocker

An American railroad heiress born in 1864, Aimee Crocker was infamous for her lavish parties and long list of lovers and husbands.  She was a frequent subject of society gossip and a proud friend of Oscar Wilde.  But when the public attention became too much, Crocker took off on a tour of the Far East.

On route, she detoured to Hawaii, where she met King Kalakaua, who -- according to her memoir And I'd Do It Again -- was so enchanted with her that he gave her an island and the title Princess Palaikalani (which is said to translate to "Bliss of Heaven").  Crocker's book offers a slew of other outrageous encounters, including run-ins with headhunters in Borneo, a would-be murderer in Shanghai, and a sultry boa constrictor in India.  After ten years abroad, Crocker returned with wild tales, tattoos, a devotion ot Buddhism, and a whole new allure for the high society of America.

The Drink

Blue Lagoon

50ml vodka
20ml blue curacao
100ml lemonade
1 orange slice

Drinkability:  5
Drunkability:  2
Taxic Diversity:  2
Accessibility:  3
Priority for Conservation:  4

Comments:  Alabazam was throwing off the curve in rating.

From Women Who Traveled, hosted by Bandit Queen

November, 2015 - Gertrude Bell - Sex on the Beach

Gertrude Bell 

A contemporary and colleague of T.E. Lawrence (a.k.a Lawrence of Arabia), Gertrude Bell was a writer and archaeologist who traveled all around the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.  Her books gave the people of Great Britain a clear concept of the empire's outer territories and are still studied today.

An Oxford graduate who was fluent in Persian and Arabic, she met Lawrence while working in the Arab Bureau in Cairo during World War I.  She's best known for her contribution to the Conference in Cairo in 1921, where the beginnings of Iraq as a nation were forged.  She'd later pioneer the school of thought that relics and antiquities should be preserved in their home national.  The National Museum of Iraq was born from her efforts.

The Drink:

Sex on the Beach

4 cl vodka
4 cl Peach schnapps
4 cl orange juice
4 cl cranberry juice

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

Comments:  BallBuster was enthusiastic about this one

From "Women Who Traveled" hosted by Bandit Queen