The Red Eye: Welcome to Summer!

At the writing of this entry, we're closing the door on May and looking forward to the warmth and summery weather of June. And I can't think of a nicer, lighter cocktail to enjoy at this time, than the Red Eye!

The version of the Red Eye that I enjoy is what cocktail aficionados call "The Japanese Version," made only with beer, tomato juice and lemon juice. However, the Red Eye appears to predate this version by decades. Some sources (http://www.cocktailmusings.com/2010/10/red-eye.html) follow the original back to the days of Tom Cruise and the movie "Cocktail," but my memory seems to go back to a movie called "My Man Godfrey," with William Powell, in which he played a butler who mixed a similar concoction for a very hung over society deb played by Carole Lombard.

The "original" contained beer, tomato juice, vodka and a raw egg, but the appeal of the cocktail - for many - doesn't seem as great, with the addition of a dollop of albumen and a yolk.

Another version is made with just beer, tomato juice and vodka, but I've chosen to enjoy the Japanese version (featured in Japanese Cocktails, by Yuri Kato [(c) 2009, Suntory International Corporation] with only beer, tomato juice and lemon juice.

With summer weather on the horizon, I look for cocktails that are light, refreshing, easy to make and that have some flavor - as well as the opportunity for variety. You can probably see that this simple recipe leaves much to the imagination, and that adding a touch of cayenne or Tabasco, or perhaps a dash of Worcestershire might change things almost imperceptibly, but just enough to give the taste buds a bump. Here's the way I make a Red Eye:

Red Eye Cocktail (Japanese Version)

4 oz Beer (lager or pilsner works best)

2 oz Tomato juice

1 tsp Lemon juice

In an Old Fashioned glass, add the beer, tomato juice and lemon juice (in that order), then stir gently. Add an ice cube or two, but this is best if you chill all the components well - including the glass.

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Cinema Recommendation:

The D.I. (1957). Jack Webb, Don Dubbins. Directed by Jack Webb. The quintessential portrait of a Marine Drill Instructor. There are no cocktails prominent in this film, but there is a scene in which Gunnery Sergeant Jim Moore (Webb) goes to the local "slopshoe" (a speakeasy), and bellies up to the bar. Virtually everyone is drinking beer, but Moore orders a tomato juice. You can see the connection, now . . .