Today is the birthday of Herbert Manfred Marx, better known as Zeppo, the good-looking straight man of the Marx Brothers.
There are several different stories surrounding his nickname. But according to his second wife Barbara, it came from the word Zeppelin, the first of which flew in 1901, the year he was born. This tale, as it turns out, was as false as Barbara, who had an affair with, and eventually left him for their friend and neighbor, Frank Sinatra.
As a lifelong Marx Brothers fan, I’m going to make a cocktail in his honor, to sip while watching one of the five Marx Brothers movies he appeared in before leaving acting to become an agent.
This is a mild-tasting drink that packs a tremendous wallop. It owes a debt of gratitude to the Manhattan, the Scofflaw, and the Sidecar for inspiration, and it’s intended to pay tribute to Zeppo’s roots and emphasize his easy-going nature while alluding to his volatile side. You may substitute Cointreau for the Grand Marnier, but to be a true “Zeppo,” this cocktail must feature Jameson’s Irish Whiskey, in honor of Zeppo’s characters of almost-the-same name in The Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers.
1 oz Jameson’s Irish Whiskey
1 oz dry vermouth
1 oz Grand Marnier
¼ oz lemon juice (or more, to taste)
Stir the ingredients with cracked ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
What are you doing this afternoon, Deadsplinters?
at the moment…im half asleep and mixing junk on youtube with keeping an eye on ukraine
home alone since thursday….too tired for that to be dangerous at mo…. but the rest of the weekend could be interdasting
wooo! hi im farscy and im the designated responsible adult today!
please sign the waiver
(edit) oh….ive also got a zeppo
(Sigh) Working. On deadline. Just shoot me.
@MemeWeaver You work too much! You need shooters, not shooting.
I’m having a hard time enjoying much today with the Russian invasion. But I’m hoping the Marx Brothers will be a distraction. And I have no intention of being a responsible adult. I’ll probably end the night as a weepy drunken mess, lol. I love that you found an appropriate bit of music!
The only one who should have been named Zeppelin was Frankie Sinatra. Sinatra flame Ava Gardner once described Sinatra as “only 110 pounds, but 10 pounds of it is cock!”
To be fair, I’d be drinking quite a few Zeppos too if I had lost my wife after she was dickmatized by Sinatra.
I can’t feel too sorry for Zeppo, he reportedly physically assaulted girlfriend Jean Bodul and was ordered by the courts to pay her $20,000.
I’d probably need a nap after one of those cocktails, but I support your day drinking – enjoy!
I’m doing it in reverse. I had a nice long nap and am ready to start drinking.