Delectations

LIQUOR’S DANDY, TOO

IT IS NOT GENTEEL, I know, to weave around at a party, glass in hand, greeting middle-aged women with a benevolent “halloh baby.” But this sort of jolliness is infinitely preferable, and I use these words deliberately, to the frosty events of my Roman childhood which were called Ricevimenti. These receptions, truly traumatic experiences, convinced me as soon as I set foot on American soil, that there is a lot, if not everything, to say for Scotch, bourbon, rye, gin, vodka et al., including concoctions called oh so rightly “What the Hell” and “Fallen Angel” (culled from the Esquire Drink Book which is one of the best of its kind). The fire of these strong waters melts the ice between strangers which, after all, is the purpose of a party. I can’t think of any other way of doing this, especially among those unfortunate Americans with a Puritan background. But, as you will see in a moment, even the allegedly hot-blooded Latins, on occasion, would have profited from a wee drop. And don’t think what I will tell you relates only to the Rome of my youth. No sir; this year I went to an Italian reception and nothing had changed; the Cardin-suited gents and the miniskirted ladies were just as vapid as their fathers and mothers had been in their day.

NH

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Nika Hazelton

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LIQUOR’S DANDY, TOO

IT IS NOT GENTEEL, I know, to weave around at a party, glass in hand, greeting middle-aged women with a benevolent “halloh baby.” But this sort of jolliness is infinitely preferable, and I use these words deliberately, to the frosty events of my Roman childhood which were called Ricevimenti. These receptions, truly traumatic experiences, convinced me as soon as I set foot on American soil, that there is a lot, if not everything, to say for Scotch, bourbon, rye, gin, vodka et al., including concoctions called oh so rightly “What the Hell” and “Fallen Angel” (culled from the Esquire Drink Book which is one of the best of its kind). The fire of these strong waters melts the ice between strangers which, after all, is the purpose of a party. I can’t think of any other way of doing this, especially among those unfortunate Americans with a Puritan background. But, as you will see in a moment, even the allegedly hot-blooded Latins, on occasion, would have profited from a wee drop. And don’t think what I will tell you relates only to the Rome of my youth. No sir; this year I went to an Italian reception and nothing had changed; the Cardin-suited gents and the miniskirted ladies were just as vapid as their fathers and mothers had been in their day.