The Luongo: Happy July 1st

By aidanbc

Welcome back, Smuglies. We now interrupt 6 weeks of radio silence to bring you… a cocktail recipe.

This is a completely different drink

July 1st, known across this land of ours as either Canada Day or Free Agent Frenzy Day, is coming up on Sunday. This year, July 1st is also the speculative deadline day for a Roberto Luongo trade, since it is the date when RFA goalie-of-the-future Cory Schneider hits the offer-sheet market.

A day so fraught with both sports-fan tension and chest-thumping nationalism naturally pairs well with just about any alcoholic beverage. But since this is the day we might be saying farewell to the greatest goaltender in our troubled franchise’s history, it deserves its own special drink. Read after the jump for the recipe to a cocktail bursting with both flavour and symbolism: The Luongo.

The Luongo is a hybrid between a couple of old cocktail recipes: the Old Pal (awww) and the Boulevardier, with a touch of soda to really drag it out.  It’s made entirely of Canadian and Italian ingredients, much like the man himself. Here is the annotated recipe:

The Luongo

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz. Canadian Club 12 Year Old Classic (A little bit of Canadian Gold for 2010, aged a year for every one on Luongo’s contract)
1 oz. Cinzano sweet vermouth (To remember the sweet times, with a C for the Canucks)
1 oz. Campari (To remember the bitter times, with a C for the captaincy.)
San Pellegrino sparkling water (how Italian is this guy!?)
Ice cubes (You know, ice hockey. You know.)
Garnish: lemon wheel (the gold medal), cocktail cherry (Vancouver’s Stanley Cup v-card; leave intact)

Instructions:

Briefly shake the alcoholic ingredients with some ice. Strain it into a tumbler over fresh ice, and top up with soda to desired strength. If you are at a party, try to trade it for a robust Canadian pale ale. Tell them you’re pretty sure it’s called a Luongo but you can’t be totally certain. If this doesn’t work, find someone who didn’t bring enough booze, and offer to give it to them in exchange for a drink the next 15 times you see each other. If you are unsuccessful on both counts, make a big batch of these and drink until you fall on your belly.