Happy Friday! You made it through the first week of December relatively unscathed, and now it’s Happy Hour! We’re on Day 8 of the December of Drinking set list, and I’m sure there are a few of you heading out to Holiday parties tonight. What better way to get primed than the classic martini? Our next artist seems like someone who’d always have a batch of martinis at the ready, should the occasion arise.
Reverend Horton Heat – It’s Martini Time
The Good Reverend has been making music since his teens, but came into his signature style of punkabilly in the early 80s. Married with a child, Jim Heath had given up his dreams of a band and was working as a sound tech for warehouse party venues. In 1985, the owner of a venue prodded him into playing during a particularly slow night. Jim Heath ripped through “Folsom Prison Blues”, and the Reverend Horton Heat was born.
The Rev has many songs dedicated to intoxication, but being as this is Friday night, I figured a martini* was the perfect drink to send you into the weekend. Off his 1996 release of the same name, here’s Reverend Horton Heat with “It’s Martini Time!”
Drinks List
- King Cole Trio – Scotchin’ With The Soda
- Big Bad VooDoo Daddy – You And Me And The Bottle Makes Three Tonight
- George Thorogood & The Delaware Destroyers – I Drink Alone
- Stick McGhee & His Buddies – Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee
- Willie Nelson – I Gotta Get Drunk
- Kendrick Lamar – Swimming Pools (Drank)
- Nina Simone – Gin House Blues
- Reverend Horton Heat – It’s Martini Time
* I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit of a purist when it comes to martinis. Gin or Vodka and a splash of vermouth, served icy cold and garnished with an olive or a twist. You can get creative with the olives or twists, or serve it on the rocks or straight up, but that’s it. This is a martini. There are variations on the classic, but they mostly have different names, like a Flying Dutchman or a Minted Gin. Any drink with “-tini” in it’s name is bullshit. Serving it in a martini glass doesn’t make it a martini. Here’s my basic recipe:
Classic Martini
- 2 oz Gin
- 1/4 oz dry vermouth
- 3 stuffed olives
Combine the gin and vermouth in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a pre chilled glass and garnish with olives. Simple and classic. Bottoms up!