Chris Vola - Pour One Out: Cocktail Odes to TVs Most Dearly Departed

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From frosted-tipped boy bands and Y2K paranoia to cargo pants and Napster, 1999 was a largely unremarkable (and often cringe-worthy) time, pop culturally speaking. But the impact of that years best new television programan HBO crime series about a diabolical-yet-alluring New Jersey wise guy named Tonywas anything but trite. The Sopranos took prime-time drama to previously unimagined heights, convincing serious actors and directors that a move to the small screen was no longer career suicide but rather a path to greater notoriety and acclaim. Along with the proliferation of DVDs, digital recording devices, and the streaming services that would go on to replace them, the show helped usher in a new era, in which TV has become a greater, more accessible part of the cultural consciousness than ever before.

Twenty years into this golden age of seemingly unlimited content, for millions of fans, our favorite TV characters are still much more than just (mostly) sexy faces beaming back at us in all their high-definition glory. Their motives, misdeeds, romances, and physical peculiarities are fodder for countless happy-hour diatribes, preposterous theory videos and podcasts, and savagely hilarious memes. When one of them dies, we might cheer, we might cry, we might bludgeon our viewing devices with replica swords and go on epic Twitter rants... but we always feel something.

The way I see it, there are only two options: You can live in a constant state of anxiety, dreadingor praying foranother epic fatality every time you fire up your Roku or Fire TV Stick. Or you can celebrate the unfortunate fictional souls who populate the TV universe in style, and numb your weeks (sometimes years) of accumulated emotions at the same time. How? you ask. With classic cocktails, of course!

Because 1999 wasnt just about award-winning mob operas. It was also around that time that a group of New York spirits professionalslike the Rainbow Rooms Dale DeGroff, Milk & Honeys Sasha Petraske, and Pegu Clubs Audrey Saundersfrustrated by a drinking landscape dominated by artificially sweetened, neon monstrosities, vodka sodas, and bland Cosmopolitans (sorry, Carrie Bradshaw!), began opening bars focused on long-forgotten drinks and fresh ingredients. Soon, a cocktail renaissance was in full swing, with suspender-clad bartenders around the world serving up their favorite well-crafted Prohibition-era and pre-Prohibition-era potations and putting their own unique spins on them, leading to an entire new library of modern classics. Nowadays youd be hard-pressed to find any self-professed booze connoisseur who hasnt at least attemptedwith wildly varying degrees of successan old-fashioned or daiquiri in the relative safety of their own kitchen or living room.

Pour One Out: Cocktail Odes to TVs Most Dearly Departed is a seamless marriage (i.e., the non-Hollywood variety) of two of todays most popular pastimes. Its an ideal tool for aspiring drink slingers and screen junkies looking to concoct the perfectly tailored toast for their favorite doomed heroes, deliciously despicable villains, tragic heartthrobs, fascinating historical failures, noxious neighbors, and fatally fuzzy friends, with mouth-watering recipes from both revered drinks manuals and some of the most innovative mixologists working today, cocktails whose names, flavors, and/or histories best embody the fictionally departed.

So the next time someone suggests a deep dive down a binge-worthy rabbit hole, make sure the Wi-Fis connected and the liquor cabinets stocked. The safety of even the most beloved characters is never guaranteed, and this way youll be able to give them a proper send-off in the classiest (and most delicious) way possible should tragedy strike!

THE WIRE

Omar comin!

Did two words ever strike more terror into the hearts of Baltimores criminals? Not while the citys most notorious stick-up man haunted its streets. RIP, Omar Little.

Known for his shotgun-concealing trench coat and legendary whistle, Omar made his living by strategically robbing and brutalizing drug dealers. But this professional killer also had a strict moral code, showing nothing but tenderness to those he lovedand vengeance to those who might harm them.

When BrandonOmars boyfriend and associate thiefwas horrifically tortured and murdered by drug lord Avon Barksdales crew, Omar launched a years-long war that landed Barksdale in prison and most of his soldiers six feet under. Omar tried to retire to Puerto Rico, but was forced back to Baltimore to avenge his beloved mentor, Butchie, after Marlo StanfieldBarksdales successorkilled him. Abandoning all caution, our Robin Hood of the streets went on one last rampage before being shot by a low-level corner boy he might have noticed had he not been so consumed by his desire for retribution.

Despite his emotional downfall, Omar was still a one-man firing squad, who, at the top of his game, seemed more like an invincible apparition than a flesh-and-blood vigilante. The Mexican Firing Squad, first described in Charles H. Bakers The Gentlemans Companion, and named for that countrys (and Omars) preferred method of execution, is an equally formidable drink. Refreshingly tart, with a bloodred blend of tequila, citrus, and bitters, this concoction has more than enough depth to celebrate all the facets of a seriously complex man. An ideal nerve tonic for those who still get shivers when someone starts whistling A-Hunting We Will Go.

OMAR LITTLE

mexican firing squad

2 ounces reposado tequila

ounce fresh lime juice

ounce

4 dashes of Angostura bitters

Club soda

1 lime wedge, for garnish

Combine the tequila, lime juice, pomegranate syrup, and bitters in a shaker. Whip (shake without ice) and pour into a long glass filled with ice (preferably one long ice cube, known as a Collins spear). Top with club soda. Garnish with the lime wedge.

GAME OF THRONES

If being the fan-favorite protagonist of a wildly popular epic fantasy show came with a set of mandatory qualifications, dearly departed Lord Eddard Ned Stark checked all the boxes. Head of an ancient family and respected by the common folk? Check. Owner (and swinger) of a magically forged execution sword? Check. Ruggedly noble good looks and