Screwdriver in search of fortune and good spirits
This month’s Mixology Monday hosted by Rowley’s Whiskey Forge is all about desperate times. In these days of economic downturn how do we tipplers keep ourselves fully saturated? For the ladies of LUPEC Boston its through an understanding that quality hooch doesn’t have to carry a hefty price tag.
Now don’t get us wrong. We are more than willing to splurge on a delicious bottle of 20 year old bourbon every now and again. It takes a lot of care to shepherd a barrel of bourbon through 20 years of aging and we will happily empty our wallets to enjoy that labor of love. But all too frequently a bottle sports a hefty price tag due to the producer’s million dollar ad campaign. So what about the bottle next to the $40 bottle of bourbon, the one that is only $20 and has a name with which you’re unfamiliar? With a little research you just may find a gem. Here are a few tips and things to keep in mind as you explore:
RULE #1: Skip anything packaged in plastic. These aren’t the desperate times of college.
RULE #2: Don’t be afraid to ask questions at your favorite cocktail bars and liquor stores. We are fortunate to have several establishments here in Boston that stock unconventional brands in their wells and on their back bars. If your bartender appears to have some time next time you visit your favorite local, ask a few questions about what they’ve chosen to stock and why.
RULE #3: Don’t be afraid to take a chance. It’s doubtful that $20 bottle will be completely undrinkable. Take it home and taste it next to some of your higher priced bottles. You may decide that one bottle was enough – or you may have found a diamond in the rough.
A favorite affordable bottle for the LUPEC broads is Old Fitzgerald bourbon, a quality spirit with a distinguished history. According to the Heaven Hills web site John E. Fitzgerald started producing his bourbon in 1870 for rail and steamship lines. Around 1900 he released his bourbon to the public and was able to continue distilling through Prohibition, thanks to the national medicine trade. It’s also around this time that the famed Pappy Van Winkle took over Old Fitzgerald and introduced the “whisper of wheat” formula. Today the fine folks at Heaven Hills distillery continue the tradition of Old Fitz.
The final stamp of approval for Old Fitzgerald comes from one of our favorite saucy broads of yore, Dirty Helen (aka Helen Cromwell). A woman who wore many hats, including prostitute and madame, Dirty Helen was known far and wide. Her bar at the Sunflower Inn in Milwaukee, WI was frequented in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s by gangsters, millionaires, society, famous sportsmen and just plain people. With no furniture to speak of guests plopped down on the plushly carpeted floor sipping one of two options: House of Lords Scotch or Old Fitzgerald Bourbon. And if you dared to order something else, Dirty Helen’s salty sense of humor would turn you into the spectacle of the bar.
In 1946 her dedication to Old Fitzgerald earned her a personal invite by Julian Van Winkle to attend the three day annual sales meeting of Stitzel-Weller distillery. In true Dirty Helen style she eschewed the offer of a free plane ticket and traveled by taxi from Milwaukee, WI to Louisville, KY with an unsuspecting cab driver named Harold.
So in honor of hard times and salty broads, grab a bottle of Old Fitz, pour yourself a shot and raise your glass to Dirty Helen!
Cin Cin!
Here’s to Salty Broads!
Your suggestions are excellent. It’s just like I tell people about the value of a good butcher. They can direct you to inexpensive but delicious cuts and tell you how to cook them. (e.g. pot roast from a very inexpensive chuck roast.)
Good bartenders and wine purveyors can do the same.
Good article!
Greetings!
I just found your blog post. It’s hysterical…and true about Dirty Helen too.
FWIW, my dad wrote the only authorized story of Dirty Helen’s life in 1966. He was one of the unsuspecting USN boys who dared order a martini at the Sunflower Inn. Dear Lord, what ensued was indeed a spectacle and they remained friends for the rest of her life. I met her many times as a child and even have a few stories myself.
I am following up on her zany story where my father left off and have found many unpublished adventures (written in her own hand!) including more tales of rum-running for Al Capone.
If any dear readers know more of Helen or the Sunflower Inn please do contact me. I would love to hear from you as I explore ways to re-ignite interest in the tale of this survivor’s life.
Cheers!
Jane
I live in Milwaukee and have been following the tale of Dirty Helen for many years. It took a while to find an affordable copy of your father’s book, and I’ve read it repeatedly. I’m working on a project about Helen and would love to speak with you.
Robin Kinney
I am a collector of Illegal gambling chips from old clubs,taverns,etc. I was wondering if she had gambling at the Sunflower Inn and if anyone found any chips from here. I live in Wisconsin. Also my Father-In-Laws dad used to keep the books for Dirty Helen if that is anything anyone wants to know.
Robin –
Please read my reply to Jane about “Dirty Helen”. If you want to talk, email me.
– Cathy
Hi –
My brother Tom has been in contact with you. I just wanted to say “hi”, and let you know that I’m meeting with my aunt JoAnn (Helen’s grand daughter) this weekend to go through the photos, notes and other personal things that she has about Helen. When my grandfather (Phil, her son) died, JoAnn took most of Helen’s things and they are stored in her attic. One thing I remember that might help you is an autograph book that we found that was quite full of notes and stories.
I’ll be in touch again soon.
– Cathy
When I was a student at the University of Wisconsin in the early 50’s we used to make periodic trips to Milwaukee and on one these occasions we ended up at the Sunflower Inn. It was an experience that has stayed with me for over 50 years. Recently I discovered your father’s book and finally got a copy on loan from a library in California. I just finished it yesterday and it confirmed all of my recollections of that evening. Fortunately, I didn’t order a martini.
Helen related the story of stepping on the women in the toilet.
Are there any pictures of Helen. I would love to see one.
Can you imagine a movie of her life? Who would they ever find to play the role.
Keith McKinley
My grandma was friends with Dirty Helen, owned a tavern and when stock was down she went to Dirty Helen who happily sold whiskey to grandma, who incidentally was an entertainer in a special roadhouse near Milwaukee (a whole other story)
Greetings Robin!
I’d love to hear more about your project. Feel free to try my new email address: jane@dirtyhelen.net
And, to LUPEC et al,
“Stir the eggnog, lift the toddy, Happy New Year, everybody.”
-Phyllis McGinley
Cheers and Happy New Year 2010.
–J.