History in a Glass.

Posted on by Thor

I went to the Orange County Regional History Center
(65 E Central Blvd, Orlando, Florida 32801) For the second installment of History in a Glass, called Hog Wild, three different bar tenders from the Mills/50 District, mixed custom cocktails based on the stories of wild hogs that were eventually outlawed in Orlando and Winter Park. It seems the hogs would rub their backs on the courthouse steps and generally make themselves a nuisance. I was quite pleased that I sketched the bartender who mixed the winning cocktail for the night.

Thursday, October 26th is the the third installment of the History in a Glass series, called “Murder at the San Juan” and will feature local craft bars competing for bragging rights by creating libations using Cooper’s Craft bourbon whiskey.

The drink recipes will be inspired by an infamous murder that shocked Orlando in 1938. The dark tale began in room 208 of downtown’s San Juan Hotel, then only a block from the Orange County Courthouse (now the History Center.) Hear the unexpected twists and turns of a mesmerizing mystery as you enjoy great food and music, plus three hand-crafted cocktails created by masters from Ravenous Pig, Luke’s Kitchen and Bar, and The Nest Bar. Food will be supplied by the Black Bean Deli. Halloween costumes are encouraged.

Plan to also join us for the series finale December 14, when the winning bartenders from the first three contests compete for the grand prize.

Members $20, general admission $25.

For details, call 407-836-7046.

History in a glass.

Posted on by Thor

The first History in a Glass took place on June 22 at the Orange County Regional History Center, 65 E Central Blvd, Orlando, FL 32801. History in a Glass pairs fun and fascinating historical collection
artifacts with delicious hand-crafted cocktails. Three bar districts –
Downtown, Mills/50 District, and Winter Park – battle for the championship to see
who can win people’s choice in designing the
best custom cocktail based on a story from the history of Central
Florida. Three ace mixologists from each district will go head to head
with their colleagues, the winner advancing to the series finale in
December.

In the first competition mixologists from three popular downtown Orlando establishments – Hanson’s Shoe Repair, The Woods, and The Courtesy Bar – received a brief biography of Billy Bluebeard, Orlando’s first swan to create their drink from. Billy was brought to Orlando in 1910 by Charles Lord and placed at Lake Lucerne with his mate Sally. They were a rather romantic pair and Billy took quite an interest in their domestic affairs. Sally would sit on their eggs, but each day Billy would come by to relieve her so that she might swim about the Lake and stretch her legs.  One day, Billy was running a bit behind and Sally decided to take off before his arrival.  Their eggs grew cold, Lord knowing they would be dead, removed them from the nest. Upon finding an empty nest, Billy was furious. He swam out to Sally in the middle of the lake, grabbed her by the throat, and held her head under until she died.

Billy was given a new mate, Mary, who was quite a bit younger than he. Billy grew ill and was taken to a veterinarian. Once he was better, he returned home to find Mary with another swan! Unfortunately Billy wasn’t quite the fighting swan he once was, and the new, younger Charlie wasn’t having any of Billy’s attitude. Lord made the decision to remove Billy to another lake where he eventually passed away.  Some say it was old age, others say Billy died of a homesick broken heart.

In 1933, the proprietor of W.H. Swan Company had Billy stuffed and placed in the foyer of his department store where he stood until becoming one of the very first donations to the History Center.

Mark your calendar! The next History in a Glass, “Hog Wild” Edition is Thursday, August 24 at 6 PM – 9 PM. Not far from the present-day History Center’s
door, razorbacks once rubbed their backs on the steps of Orange County’s
wooden courthouse in the 1870s,
when Florida was a wild frontier. Florida still has an estimated one
million feral pigs on the loose. Just recently in the news, wild hogs
are still running amok in Brevard County! Come cheer on your favorite bartender from the Mills 50 District in a competition to create the best history-inspired beverage. The winner will advance to the series finale in December.

Admission tickets include great music with a DJ, three hand-crafted cocktails, and tasty cuisine
from a local restaurant. Member tickets are $20, general admission $25. This event is for guests 21 and older. For details, call 407-836-7035. Doors open at 6 p.m., cocktail competition and drink service start at 6:30.