A Boomerang cocktail is a specific cocktail dating back to the early 20th century. In the 21st century, it may also be a reference to cocktails that bartenders illegally shuttle back and forth between bars as a way of sharing experimentation or building comradery.
Boomerang as a specific cocktail
The ''Official Mixer's Manual'' lists the popularized version of the Boomerang Cocktail as calling for:
* 1/3
Rye Whiskey
Rye whiskey can refer to two different, but related, types of whiskey:
* American rye whiskey, which is similar to bourbon whiskey, but must be distilled from at least 51 percent rye grain
* Canadian whisky, which is often referred to as (and ...
* 1/3 Swedish
Punsch
Punsch (or ''punssi'' in Finnish) refers to a specific type of alcoholic liqueur and punch popular in Sweden and Finland. It is most frequently described as ''Swedish Punsch'', and while historical variations have also been called , , and , punsc ...
* 1/3 Dry
Vermouth
Vermouth (, ) is an aromatized fortified wine, flavoured with various botanicals (roots, barks, flowers, seeds, herbs, and spices) and sometimes colored. The modern versions of the beverage were first produced in the mid- to late 18th centur ...
* 1 dash Angostura bitters
* 1 dash lemon juice
To be stirred well with ice and strained into a glass.
The ''Cafe Royal Cocktail Book'' lists the same recipe. The ''Savoy Cocktail Book'' lists the same recipe, but calls for "Canadian Club whisky" instead of rye. ''The Standard Cocktail Guide'' employed rye whiskey but calls for different proportions, with 1 oz rye, 3/4 oz. swedish punsch, 3/4 oz. sweet vermouth, 2 dashes of lemon juice, and 1 dash of Angostura bitters.
Trader Vic
Trader Vic's is a restaurant and tiki bar chain headquartered in Emeryville, California, United States. Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr. (December 10, 1902 in San Francisco – October 11, 1984 in Hillsborough, California) founded a chain of Polyn ...
lists the same recipe in his 1947 ''Bartender's Guide'' as was in the ''Official Mixer's Manual'' but substitutes the rye with bourbon.
Prior to World War II, the original Boomerang Cocktail was associated with a South African origin, and likely referred to the
boomerang
A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...
as used for hunting. The drink reached its zenith for a period of time after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, when the early
Atomic Age
The Atomic Age, also known as the Atomic Era, is the period of history following the detonation of the first nuclear weapon, The Gadget at the ''Trinity'' test in New Mexico, on July 16, 1945, during World War II. Although nuclear chain reaction ...
and
Space Age
The Space Age is a period encompassing the activities related to the Space Race, space exploration, space technology, and the cultural developments influenced by these events, beginning with the launch of Sputnik 1 during 1957, and continuin ...
began to influence
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
and popular culture in terms of
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
,
furniture
Furniture refers to movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (tables), storing items, eating and/or working with an item, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Fu ...
,
fabrics
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
, and style, including boomerang shaped cocktail tables, barware, and so-called "atomic cocktails". Flying-themed cocktail names were also popular during this time.
Boomerang as a shuttled cocktail
A Boomerang cocktail may also refer to alcoholic drinks that bartenders send back and forth to each other from competing bars. It is considered a friendly gesture within the industry, but is typically illegal.
In popular culture
The Boomerang cocktail was the featured drink for episode #14 of the pioneering video podcast
Tiki Bar TV
''Tiki Bar TV'' was a web series distributed in the pioneering field of video podcasting or " vodcast." Each episode features a problem that is rectified by the episode's namesake cocktail, which is scribbled on a prescription pad by ''Dr. Tiki' ...
.
See also
*
Atomic cocktails
References
{{reflist
Cocktails with whisky
Cocktails with vermouth
Cocktails with bitters
Cocktails with Swedish Punsch
Cocktails with rye whisky
Cocktails with Angostura bitters
Cocktails with lemon juice
Space Age