Recent LUPEC inductee Heather Mojer turned a year older Wednesday! We raise a glass to this lovely bartending lady and to her chosen cocktail moniker, a tipple that was until recently extinct: Swedish Punsch.

Not to be confused with “punch,” the liqueur evolved from Batavia Arrack, a red rice-and-sugar cane based spirit native to Southeast Asia. The Swedish East India Company is responsible for importing the stuff, which eventually became beloved by Swedes far and wide. “To mollify the sailors on board the ships, they let them dive into the Batavia Arrack that they brought back from the East Indies,” Eric Seed told theNew York Times last spring. “They would mix that with sugar and maybe a touch of the spice, and that grog they called their punch.”

Swedish Punsch began to be bottled sometime in the 19th century and was classically enjoyed warm with pea soup as a Thursday night tradition. By the early 20th century Americans were putting it in—you guessed it—cocktails. As the story so often goes, Prohibition killed any momentum the category had and it was obsolete stateside until very recently.

Could selecting a nearly extinct tipple as her LUPEC name be more in keeping with our mission to breed, raise, and release endangered cocktails into the wild? We think not. For that we salute you, Heather—happy birthday!

Raise a glass and go pay Heather a visit at Hungry Mother, where she’ll surely mix you up something fancy with the stuff.

MAY BLOSSON FIZZ
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz grenadine
2 oz Swedish Punsch
Shake in iced cocktail shaker and strain into a highball glass. Fill with ice & top with soda.

CIN-CIN!

by Pink Lady

There are few more romantic, dreamy places to be than April in Paris—I know, I’ve been there. Watching spring emerge in the city of lights while sipping classic cocktails at the Hemingway Bar and Harry’s New York Bar, two famous haunts of Jazz Age American ex-pats was a dream come true for this little cocktail nerd. Le sigh.

Since April is now and France isn’t on the agenda this spring, LUPEC is looking forward to enjoying an incarnation of that bliss right here in Boston. On April 17th the Greater Boston Beverage Society and Opus Affair will host April in Paris at Les Zygomates, a posh night of French music, food, and drink.

We will be there with bells on. In Jazz Age attire.

Local arts non-profit and longtime LUPEC buddy Opus Affair will team up with the Greater Boston Beverage Society (aka the folks who are bringing us the Boston Cocktail Summit this October 4-6) to transport guests back to the French cabaret scene of the 1930s. Classic-inspired cocktails curated by the one and only “English Bill” Codman will be served, featuring the deliciously floral Nolet Gin, Ketel One Vodka, Don Julio tequila, St. Germain, and Moet & Chandon and other wines.

An array of French-inspired hors d’oeuvres will be on offer from the talented chefs at Les Zygomates. The piece de resistance will be a live performance from the Ben Powell Quartet in the Hot Club de France style of legendary Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt.

Tickets to April in Paris cost $50—all of which will be donated to the Greater Boston Beverage Society and their quest to put on the most amazing city-wide cocktail festival you’ve ever seen—and includes all food, drink, and music. Black tie or festive formal attire encouraged. Space is limited to just 50 people so dépêchez-vous! That means hurry up.

PARISIAN
1/3 French vermouth
1/3 creme de cassis
1/3 gin
Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

CIN-CIN! 

TO BUY TICKETS TO APRIL IN PARIS, HEAD TO OPUSAFFAIR.ORG OR VISIT LUPECBOSTON.COM. DO IT. NOW.

International Women’s Day is upon us, dear readers! The March 8th holiday isn’t something we celebrate with much gusto here in the states, but it’s celebrated heartily in other corners of the world. We first learned about Women’s Day from an ex-pat friend who lives in Italy, where Italian regazzi give their ladies yellow mimosas as they gather for women-only dinners and parties. Anyone who’s seen an episode of Sex and the City finds this commonplace, but in Italy, ladies night is not so. In Poland Women’s Day is similar to American Mother’s Day; in Pakistan it’s a day to commemorate the struggle for women’s rights.

Women’s Day arose after an important protest on March 8, 1908, when 15,000 women took to the streets of New York, marching for voting rights, shorter hours, and better pay. The Socialist Party of America declared National Women’s Day to be February 28 the following year.

The first International Women’s Day was celebrated on March 19, 1911, with more than a million men and women attending rallies around the globe, campaigning for women’s rights to vote, work, and hold public office. The holiday was moved to March 8 two years later and has been celebrated then ever since. In 1975 the holiday received official sanction from the U.N. and has been an officially sponsored holiday ever since.

This International Women’s Day, why not celebrate with a cocktail from the “Lady” category?

White Lady, Chorus Lady, Creole Lady—there are several but a Pink Lady will always be my go to.

Pink Lady

1.5 oz Plymouth gin
.5 oz applejack
.5 oz fresh lemon juice
.5 oz grenadine
1 egg white

Combine ingredients without ice in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Fill the shaker with ice and shake shake shake until frothy and delicious.

CIN-CIN!

Happy International Women’s Day! The LUPEC ladies are thrilled to raise a glass today to broads everywhere, our first toast of Women’s History Month. To learn more about International Women’s Day, check out our latest column, originally published in DigBoston.

To celebrate, order an International Women’s Day Cocktail at any of these locations helmed by LUPEC ladies and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to On the Rise, a Cambridge-based day program for women who are homeless and living in crisis.

Check out the spots listed below and follow us on Twitter for updates on what to order where, as well as any additions to this rock star list!

Join us in raising a glass to broads – for a good cause!
Cin-cin!

by Pink Lady

International Women’s Day is upon us, dear readers! The March 8^th holiday isn’t something we celebrate with much gusto here in the states, but it’s celebrated heartily in other corners of the world. We first learned about Women’s Day from an ex-pat friend who lives in Italy, where Italian regazzi give their ladies yellow mimosas as they gather for women-only dinners and parties. Anyone who’s seen an episode of Sex and the City or ever happened across a huge group of girls at the bar finds this commonplace, but in Italy, ladies night is not so. In Poland Women’s Day is similar to American Mother’s Day; in Pakistan it’s a day to commemorate the struggle for women’s rights.

Women’s Day arose after an important protest on March 8, 1908, when 15,000 women took to the streets of New York, marching for voting rights, shorter hours, and better pay. The Socialist Party of America declared National Women’s Day to be February 28 the following year.

Women’s Day went global in 1910 when the delegates to the 2^nd Annual Working Women’s Conference in Copenhagen unanimously approved an International Women’s Day. The first International Women’s Day was celebrated on March 19, 1911, with more than a million men and women attending rallies around the globe, campaigning for women’s rights to vote, work, and hold public office. The holiday was moved to March 8 two years later and has been celebrated then ever since. In 1975 the holiday received official sanction from the U.N. and has been an officially sponsored holiday ever since.

This International Women’s Day, why not celebrate with a cocktail from the “Lady” category? White Lady, Chorus Lady, Creole Lady – there are several but a Pink Lady will always be my go to.

Pink Lady

1.5 oz Plymouth gin

.5 oz applejack

.5 oz fresh lemon juice

.5 oz grenadine

1 egg white

Combine ingredients without ice in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Fill the shaker with ice and shake shake shake until frothy and delicious.

Cin-cin!

Happy Leap Day, readers! Ever wonder why we add an extra day to our calendar every four years? It’s simple: the Earth actually takes 365 days and six hours to rotate around the sun, and the extra day keeps us on track with the astronomical and seasonal year. More importantly, this gives us one extra day of the year to do things we love—such as toast friends, eat a lavish meal, or drink a delicious cocktail.

Leap Day traditions in Ireland hold February 29th as the one day out of the year when it is acceptable for a woman to propose to a man—St. Bridget allegedly struck up a deal with St. Patrick to balance the traditional gender roles between men and women, just as Leap Day balances the Gregorian calendar.

Tell a modern LUPEC lady that she can’t propose to her beloved any day she wants and she’ll likely toss her well-crafted cocktail in your face. But here’s to St. Bridget for trying.

As February slips into March which, we LUPEC ladies see Leap Day as a chance to toast strong women everywhere. After all, March is Women’s History Month and we’ve got some great events in store for you this year, so stay tuned. For now, take a moment to raise a glass to your favorite lady bartender or fearless lady imbiber. This offering, from Hendrick’s gin, is a nod to the notion that a proposing broads was to wear a scarlet petticoat to warn her beloved of her intentions.

Scarlet Petticoat

1 1⁄2 parts Hendrick’s Gin
3⁄4 parts fresh Blood Orange juice
1⁄2 part Lillet Rouge
1⁄4 part Creme de Cassis
1 slice of Cucumber

In mixing glass, muddle one slice cucumber, combine remaining ingredients, add ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into cocktail glass.

CIN-CIN!

If a Sazerac tastes delicious to you and drinking several makes you drunk, what’s an easy way to make the experience of imbibing them even better? Why, make them stronger of course. But how do you make a cocktail that’s already about as boozy as they come even more so?

A high proof spirit is the solution.

As women who love spirits, we are always delighted to sample from this category of potables, known as “Navy Strength” products. In seafaring days, spirits would be distilled to a higher proof to ensure that if a bottle was ever spilled onto a pile of gun powder during an evening’s revelry, the ammo would still explode.

High proof spirits are also fun for party tricks, such as flaming shots, Blue Blazers, and the particularly showy display of blowing fire. Trying at home without supervision is not recommended. Instead, grab yourself a bottle of high proof rye and get busy mixing up a batch of the aforementioned Sazerac.

If mixing at home isn’t your thing, head on over to the Citizen where any of their team of skilled mixologists can mix one up for you, preferably with a perfectly spherical cube of ice.

SAZERAC
Adapted from The Essential Cocktail by Dale DeGroff

1 sugar cube
3-4 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
2 oz Rittenhouse 100 Proof
splash of Absinthe, Pernod, or Herbsaint
Lemon peel

Take two rocks glasses and fill one with ice to chill for serving while preparing the drink in another glass. In the bottom of the prep glass, muddle the sugar cube and bitters until the sugar is dissolved; a splash of water can execute the process. Add the rye and several ice cubes, and stir to chill. Take the serving glass, toss out its ice, and add the splash of Absinthe, Pernod or Herbsaint. Swirl it around to coat the inside of the glass, and then pour out any liquid that remains. Strain the chilled cocktail into the prepared glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

CIN-CIN!

It’s easy to get the blues this time of year when the only holiday on the horizon is Valentine’s Day. You need a cocktail. Thus we bring you THE SNOW BALL—a LUPEC Boston Winter Prom. On January 30 the ladies of LUPEC Boston will transform the back room at Silvertone into a winter wonderland for a magical evening of dancing, drinks and awkward prom photos to benefit local women’s charityOn the Rise.

While former prom kings and queens are reliving their wonder years,

those among us who skipped prom because they were too busy listening to punk music and being vegan (cough BOURBON BELLE cough) will have a chance to enjoy Prom 2.0—complete with spiked punch, cocktails and hands below the waist.

Entry to THE SNOW BALL costs $10 and will be granted on a first come, first served basis. All of the ticket proceeds will be donated to On the Rise. Guests who bring clothing and other items deemed acceptable for donation (visit lupecboston.com for specifics) will be given tickets for complimentary drinks commensurate with their donation. Additional spiked punch and cocktails that commemorate proms throughout the ages will be available for purchase for $5-$7 each. Light appetizers will be served.

Josh Childs and Beau Sturm will guest bartend and TJ Connelly, the locally famous DJ for the Boston Red Sox and co-founder of getonthebar.com will provide musical entertainment. Guests will have an opportunity to have their moment memorialized in THE SNOW BALL photo booth.

As with all LUPEC events, dressing up is encouraged and guests are invited to come in creative formal prom attire. And yes, a prom king and queen will be crowned, so dress to impress.

Enjoy one of these as you mull over your outfit.

PINK CARNATION
1 egg white
.25 oz grenadine
.25 oz lemon juice
.25 oz Sweet cream
2oz Beefeater gin
Shake and strain into cocktail glass.

CIN-CIN!

COCKTAIL PARTY

Our prom date left with the art teacher. True story. Man, we really coulda used a drink back then. Heh. Yeah … we’re calling this SNOW BALL thing a total do-over.
[69 Bromfield St., Boston. 617.338.7887. 7 pm/21+/$10. silvertonedowntown.com]