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 If you have visited your grocery store recently you may have noticed that fresh cherries are in season again. Seeing those dark, ripe cherries ready to burst inside the little plastic bins always makes me think about the same thing: homemade cocktail cherries. You may wonder, what’s the point? Can’t you just buy a jar of bright red maraschino (mar-a-SHEEN-oh) cherries that last forever? Sure you can, but allow me to explain what you are really getting inside that jar and you might reconsider that purchase. Besides, it’s not hard to make your own maraschino (mar-a-SKEEN-oh) cherries for special cocktails. As you noticed, there’s a pronunciation difference here, but that’s just the beginning.
Understanding the point of making your own cocktail cherries requires a brief walk through the history of this garnish. Originally, cocktails were decorated with marasca cherries, a variety grown in northern Italy known for their decadent
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 Chimp In Orbit, huh? This ought to be good! I admit, it’s a really odd name for a drink. So, why monkeys in space?
This week in history. . .
I was researching this week in history and found a few things that seemed thematic to me, although not every story has a good ending. First, on this day in 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. I know, it’s not a happy event, and it’s certainly not an image most of us will forget. So, let’s just get the sad stuff out of the way first. In the coming week on February 1, 2003, the world watched in shock and disbelief as the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart on re-entry. Again, it’s another sad day for the space program. Meaning no disrespect to those brave spacefarers who lost their lives, there were a couple positive achievements that also occurred.
January 31st marks the anniversary of the 1971 Apollo 14 launch, the third mission to land men on the moon. This anniversary coincides with the launch in 1961 (here it comes) that sent a chimpanzee named Ham into space! Is it a crazy excuse to feature this drink? Well, that’s not all! In addition to the space references, the tropical nature of this cocktail is represented in history by the TV show, Fantasy Island which first aired on January 28, 1978. Finally, this day is also Elijah Wood’s birthday. I know, Frodo was a hobbit, not a chimp, but it’s close enough.
Ok, enough with the goofy historical references—let’s get to the drink.
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  Overview
I’ve thought about this for a while now and finally decided that the new year is a perfect opportunity to start posting a Drink Of The Week (DOTW). Since I just barely made it for the first week of the year, I have not yet decided on the timing for DOTW posts. It makes sense to post before the weekend—like on a Thursday—but as soon as Friday hits, we will be into our second week of the year, so it will actually be the Drink Of Last Week. On the other hand, most people think of the week as starting on a Sunday which completely misses the weekend, and in Minnesota at least, you can’t even buy booze on Sunday! So we will start this off on Thursdays and see how it goes.
My goal with DOTW is to go through a basic drink recipe, showing you how to best prepare the cocktail. Recipes may come from a variety of sources, including books both new and old, bars or restaurants that have divulged their secrets, or even original cocktails that I create. I want to show you drinks that I enjoy and that I know you can prepare. They should not have ingredients that are impossible to find or create yourself. If they include homemade items, I will refer to previous posts with instructions, or write additional articles ahead of time in anticipation of using them for a Drink Of The Week. I also want to encourage you to speak up in the comments. Is there an ingredient you have had trouble locating? Perhaps you found a good deal somewhere that you can share with others. Maybe you want me to feature or interpret one of your favorites. Speak up! So, without further ado. . .
The 20th Century Cocktail
Now, I know what you are going to say: “But it’s the 21st century!” Of course it is. In fact, it has been for over a decade. So, if you want that cocktail you are welcome to try it. It’s a creation by Jim Meehan of PDT in New York and it appears in the book The Essential Bartender’s Guide by Robert Hess. With all of the possible cocktails to choose from, I thought I should begin with a classic, and the 20th Century seemed appropriate given the new year. It’s actually a cocktail from 1939 that was created to commemorate the new engine that began pulling the Twentieth Century Limited passenger train that connected New York with Chicago.
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 Randy explains how best to open a pomegranate and release the precious seeds within as well has how to use the juice from these seeds to make grenadine. Once you’ve made your own grenadine, there are several delicious recipes to try, including the Singapore Sling, Monkey Gland, and the Commodore Cocktail.
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