Hey everyone, and welcome to the bar, where we make incredible cocktails inspired by history.
Today I’ve crafted a creamy cocktail worthy of knighthood, or at least a nod from royalty, and is based on a uniquely American tale.
It has everything you want. A hero from a small town, the price of fame, and a legend that still resonates today.
Our cocktail is based on the favorite sandwich of a famous king graced with dulcet tones and faint-worthy dance moves.
C’mon, let’s get “all shook up” and go behind the bar and make this “big hunk o’ love.”
You’ll thank your “blue suede shoes” you did.
This cocktail is fit for a king. The king of rock-n-roll, to be exact. Elvis Presley.
I call it Your Diet has Left the Building and it’s a boozy shake made in honor of a man whose lived a legendary rags to riches story, the superstar dream of fame, power, money and drugs.
You’ve all heard of successful people who came from nothing? Well, Elvis had LESS than nothing.
He was born in the dusty, rural town of Tupelo, Mississippi in 1935.
How small was Tupelo? Well, so few people lived there, it didn’t even appear on the state census.
And I’ve been there myself to see Elvis’ childhood home and let me tell you, it’s humble. Tiny. I’ve seen garden sheds that were bigger.
For future royalty, Elvis was born a pauper.
His dirt poor childhood was not only marred by poverty, but also by the death of his twin brother, Jesse, who was stillborn and arrived first. Then Elvis was born 35 minutes later.
His family was so broke that they couldn’t bury Jesse in a coffin. They had to use a shoebox instead.
Isn’t that sad? Not the type of royal upbringing you’d expect for the eventual King of Rock-n-Roll, right?
And that’s why I think we need to brighten our spirits by adding some to our cocktail. After all, we’re making a shake here. Not just any shake, but one in honor of Elvis’ favorite snack, a deep fried banana, peanut butter and bacon sandwich.
You heard me.
Things are about to get decadent.
Now, let’s get this party started by introducing some spirit, well, brandy, to be exact.
I’m use Christian Brothers brandy, because it’s smooth, and balances more bold liquors, like rums and whiskeys, without diluting the alcohol. Hint: there will be liquid subjects that will be attending this royal party.
For this shake, we’ll add 1 ounce.
Elvis’ journey to music stardom took a positive turn on his eleventh birthday, when his mother bought him a guitar. The young man was gifted from the start. He hung out with local musicians to fine tune his voice, and learned to play the guitar… by ear.
And this musical talent was just getting started. By the time he was a teenager, Elvis’ family had moved to Memphis, Tennessee and that was where his star quickly rose.
Inspired by blues, country, and the gospel music sung at Rev. H.W. Brewster’s Black Memphis church, Elvis began recording at Sun Records. Before his 20th birthday, he began to define his “rockabilly” sound, soon after making a name for himself with “That’s All Right Mama” and “Mystery Train.”
He did all this when he was 20 years old. Twenty!
When I was 20 I was in college trying to find myself, like all of you, I’m sure.
But not Elvis. He found himself climbing the charts and becoming a heart throb. Not that we should be bitter, of course.
Now, his golden voice is what inspired our next alcohol, golden rum. Gold rum, unlike light, or clear rum, is aged for a short time in wooden casks, which makes it sweeter and gives it its nice golden color. This flavor profile, along with the Brandy, makes a great base to build on.
For our hip-shaking shake, we’ll add 2 1/2 ounce to our mixer.
Within the next two years Elvis was dominating the music industry.
In 1956 alone, he released such amazing hits as “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” and “Love Me Tender” and, in the next year, released “All Shook Up.”
Realizing he was dominating everyone, he decided to call it quits and return to Memphis.
No, not really. He decided to keep on winning? How?
Well, Elvis wasn’t content being JUST a musical sensation and national hunk. While still 21, Elvis also began his movie career, starring in an incredible 31 movies over the next 13 years, most notably, King Creole, Viva Las Vegas, Jailhouse Rock and Blue Hawaii.
Blue Hawaii was one of five tropical-themed films and that’s why our next ingredient is banana rum cream. This liquor is sweet, creamy, has a nice subtle banana flavor and good punch from the rum. Normally, adding alcohol to a shake would thin out the cream. But, by using banana rum cream, it adds more alcohol while helping to maintain the thickness.
So, what were we doing at 21? Well, I was hoping to get a B in Stats while trying to nail down the college experience.
Elvis, on the other hand, appeared on the most popular television program in the country, The Ed Sullivan Show, where 82 percent of the nation, nearly 60 million people at the time, tuned in to watch the first nationally televised performance of the musical phenomenon.
His swaying and dancing hips drew screams from women in the audience and across the nation, however, his suggestive moves were censored for being too sexual, and the cameramen only showed Elvis singing and dancing from the chest up.
Now, In 1957, a 22 year old Elvis bought a mansion in Memphis for his parents, grandmother and himself, called Graceland.
When I was 22 I bought my friend a gift certificate to Starbucks. Not quite the same, but Starbucks is a nice place to visit and their coffee is quite expensive.
Now, speaking of Elvis’ home, nothing reminds me of home more than our next ingredient, home cooked bacon. He loved it in his sandwich and you’ll love it in this shake You’ll add 1 1/2 crispy bacon strips, finely chopped, to our mixer.
Elvis may have been a genius behind the mic, but not when it came to business.
FYI – I graduated college with a Business Degree and maybe you did to. And if you think Graceland was expensive, try college.
Turns out, Elvis could have used my tutelage, because his choice of Colonel Tom Parker as his manager severely limited his already meteoric popularity and net worth.
The Colonel, who many considered a country music hustler, was in the United States illegally (he was Dutch) and couldn’t leave the country for fear he wouldn’t be allowed back in.
That’s why the King of Rock-n-Roll never visited his subjects abroad.
Elvis never knew the Colonel’s citizenship status had prevented him from taking his show around the globe. That’s right, one of the greatest singers in history, never toured outside of the United States.
Crazy right? That’s why we’re adding 1 chopped banana to our shake. Not only because it ties back to Elvis’ favorite sandwich, but because the money he left on the table is bananas!
Now, at the height of his career, Elvis served in the military from 1958 – 1960. His manager, the Colonel, wanted him to be protected and enlist as part of Special Services, where he would perform for the other soldiers.
But Elvis insisted he spent his time in service as a regular soldier, earning the respect of the fellow infantrymen.
It was during his time in the military, while stationed in West Germany, where a 24 year old Elvis would meet his future wife, Priscilla, who was the ripe old age of 14 years.
Perhaps a little too European for my taste. Maybe it’s better he didn’t travel overseas.
Fortunately, the king of rock-n-roll would marry his queen six years later. When she was the legal age of twenty.
Elvis’ time in basic training brings us to the most basic of ingredients to our cocktail, peanut butter. Now, I use Jiff, which is classic, creamy, sweet and delicious. You can use crunchy if you want more textural variety, but I’m sticking with creamy Jiff. We’ll add 1 1/2 tablespoons, but no more, or it will dominate the other flavors, so be precise.
No matter his fame, Elvis never forgot his roots. He used his influence to open doors and, through his music, brought black musical styles into the mainstream, often proclaiming how he just wanted to be as good as iconic black artist, Arthur Crudup.
As Little Richard once said…
“I thank God for Elvis Presley. I thank the Lord for sending Elvis to open the door so I could walk down the road.”
And Black Panther leader Eldridge Cleaver shared the same feelings as he said, in Soul on Ice, that Presley…
“…dared to do in the light of day what America had been doing in the sneak thief anonymity of night—consorted on a human level with the blacks.”
It’s no surprise, then, that Presley was a staunch supporter of the 1963 Civil Rights Act.
Over the course of his unparalleled career, Elvis garnered 101 gold albums, 57 platinum and 25 multi-platinum records.
Try topping that Taylor Swift. Then again, she has a good start.
However, a combination of drug use and an unhealthy lifestyle, like fried peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches, led to a lethal heart attack and he died in 1977, at the age of 42… on a throne, as a King should.
But, in this case, his throne was made of porcelain… and located in a bathroom.
But, we want to honor this 1950s icon with a 1950s classic, the milkshake. Let’s finish up our creamy cocktail by adding the final few ingredients, 1/4 cup of milk, 1 pint of vanilla ice cream, and 4 ounce of ice. Blend to smooth.
By the way, after Elvis’ live shows had ended and his encores had finished, his fans would refuse to leave the concert hall, hoping he’d perform one more song.
The problem was that Elvis would leave the venue before his fans did.
Eventually, an announcer would have to exclaim over the loudspeaker, “Elvis has left the building.”
And THAT’s what inspired the name of our cocktail.
Now, pour our cocktail into a big glass and top with whipped cream, chopped graham cracker and bacon bits.
Top with a cherry and enjoy this drink fit for a king. Your Diet has Left the Building.
