Old Fezziwig

Cath and I recently saw “A Christmas Carole” at Ford’s Theatre, our 12th year in a row. I always find it renewing and every year, a different character or part of the play touches me.  Not just Scrooge, or Tiny Tim, or the Ghosts, but sometimes a minor character like Old Fezziwig stays with me and provides inspiration. 

Who sees the same play over and over? I mean, who does that? Well, Cath and I do, along with a slew of our friends, and as it turns out, several others in the DC area. “A Christmas Carole” at Ford’s is a holiday tradition for quite a few people. They do such an excellent job with the play, the singing and the caroling. I defy anyone to see it and not come away full of the holiday spirit. 

Our good friend Dave first invited us to the play 12 years ago. We joined him in attending and have gone ever since. Every year, a group of us go together. Sometimes it’s 6 or 8 of us. Sometimes 16 or 18. Afterwards, we typically go out for a drink or some food and to celebrate life. This year, Dave invited us all back to his home, Chateau Magoo, with its magnificent view of DC and the monuments. Dave asked everyone to bring an appetizer or dish to share. In additions to the wine and champers Dave would have on hand, he asked our mutual friend Roger and I to produce a couple of craft cocktails to serve. 

 The day arrived, and after the play we all retired to Château Magoo. Roger served some great mojitos made from scratch to go with the quesadillas he and his wife Barbara made. It was a perfect pairing.

And me?

 I thought about it ahead of time and decided to try and make some sort of bourbon-based holiday drink. I checked out a couple of recipe books, but nothing struck my fancy. One drink, called a Cranberry Bourbon cocktail, came close with bourbon, OJ, simple syrup, sweet vermouth and unsweetened cranberry juice. For me, the OJ ruined it, but it made me think and I played around with the recipe. Cathy was a willing guinea pig and we tasted a few different attempts. Eventually, I swapped rye in for the bourbon, added Cointreau instead of OJ, dropped the simple syrup and used regular cranberry juice. Oh, and I put a sprinkle of nutmeg on the top.

 Wow! This was tasty, but what to name it? Something from “A Christmas Carole” for sure. A Scrooge (or, Not a Scrooge) was too obvious, and Tiny Tim didn’t fit. And then it hit me. An Old Fezziwig. Of course! An Old Fezziwig! I can hear you now – an old who!?

 The Ghost of Christmas Past introduces old Fezziwig to us in “A Christmas Carole.” Fezziwig was Scrooge’s boss when he was a young man. The Ghost shows Scrooge a scene from his past featuring Fezziwig. After closing the office on Christmas Eve, Old Fezziwig arranges a great party with food and drink, music and dancing. Everyone is having a fun time. Scrooge enjoys watching and comments to the Ghost about Fezziwig, “He has the power to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service light or burdensome; a pleasure or a toil … The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune.”  

 I thought about our attendance at “A Christmas Carole” and the dinners, fellowship, and good times we shared after the play each year. I thought about the spirit of Christmas and the holiday season that invaded all of us, along with the love and the friendship we all share. What could be more perfect than calling the drink an Old Fezziwig? 

 So, there you have it. I served it up that evening after the play and folk seemed to enjoy the drink and there were calls for seconds. Even people who said they weren’t whiskey drinkers were complementary, although maybe, in the spirit of Christmas, they were just being nice. 

 I wish you all a happy holiday season and a Merry Christmas. If you need a cocktail for a party, I highly recommend you give the Old Fezziwig a try. May this little drink give you happiness, along with the happy remembrance of Christmas’s past.

           An Old Fezziwig 

- 1 1/2 oz Rye (preferably Old Overholt, but any inexpensive rye is fine)
- 1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Pratt is what I use, but anything is fine)
- 1/2 oz Cointreau 
- 1 oz Cranberry juice cocktail
 
1. Add all to a shaker. Fill with ice. Shake vigorously. 
2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass (neat). Or, if you prefer, strain into small glass filled with fresh ice.
3. Scrape/sprinkle some nutmeg on top.

Proportions matter for this cocktail!
 
The rye gives it a bit of holiday spice. The vermouth and cranberry juice add a bit of holiday color. The Cointreau and nutmeg contribute a bit of holiday taste. 

Addendum:

• I have looked online and through cocktail books to see if this drink already existed under another name. Maybe it does, but I could not find it anywhere. 
• Thanks to Andy Stuart for taking the picture of the four of us at Dave’s.
• I’ve written one previous blog about “A Christmas Carole” at Ford’s Theatre. “Yep. It’s almost Christmas. Last weekend, Cath and I went to Ford’s Theater to attend the play “A Christmas Carol”. This is the 5th or 6th year in a row that we’ve watched it at Ford’s, and it never fails to put me in the Christmas spirit. This wonderful story of redemption can soften even the grinchiest of hearts.” Continue here: https://mnhallblog.wordpress.com/2018/12/20/scrooge-the-grinch-and-redemption/