UPDATE February 4, 2017: Well, alot has happened over the last few years…a few of you know most of what has changed, but I’m sure some of you haven’t…
So, the Twilight Lounge as we’ve known it no longer exists. I’m no longer married and although I’m still in Germantown, sadly not in the same home that was home to the Twilight Lounge and Boom Boom Room.
With that said, the Twilight Lounge does live on in spirit! And I am back with more swell cocktails and stories than ever before! So if you’re a long time reader, welcome back. And if your new to the Twilight Lounge, welcome!
THE HISTORY OF THE TWILIGHT LOUNGE: In 2006 my interest in classic cocktails really started to develop. The catylist was moving to our present home in Germantown, WI. Among the many great features of the house was the finished basement with a built in bar. The space has a totally retro feel including smoked mirrors behind the bar and shag carpet. My deal with Gwen was simple…she’d be able to do whatever she wanted to the rest of the house, but the basement was mine. Thus, the Twilight Lounge was born.
Since then my interest in classic and craft cocktails has grown, as has the stock of liquors, liqueors and accessories. And now, inspired by the movie Julie and Julia, I’ve decided to embark on a journey through the world of cocktails…365 of them in 365 days. I will mark today, April 24, 2010 as day zero.
Q & A with Daddy-O
I frequently get questions about cocktails, lounge culture, music, tiki decor and eyebrow hair removal (I’m not sure why, but heck, why not?) So, I’ll answer some of those questions here.
Q. Is it OK to serve a martini with olives that are stuffed with pimentos?
A. Absolutely not! You can use cocktail olives stuffed with almonds, blue cheese, garlic, but never, never, ever use an olive stuffed with a pimento. That’s for salads, not martinis!
Q. Can you invent a cocktail that uses Peppermint Schnapps? My girlfriend really likes that stuff.
A. No. Next question!
Q. What music should I play at my next cocktail party?
A. My current playlist includes a mix of Ultralounge tracks, Gin Wigmore and Frankie Flowers. Be sure to have Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros in the mix as well.
Well, that’s all I have time for today….
Renovation Update:
The renovation of the Twilight Lounge continued today with the scraping up of the old pad that was under the carpet. Yes, I’m sad to report that the shag carpet is forever gone. In it’s place will be a slick cork floor. In the meantime, I’m stuck trying to remove carpet pad that had been glued down to the cement underfloor. Ugh!
More Renovation Update:
The new floor is down and I’m one more piece of quarter round moulding away from being complete!
The Twilight Lounge:
I’ve been asked for pictures from the Lounge. Here’s a small sample:
December 4, 2010 – Christmas at the Twilight Lounge!
The Christmas decor is up – check out the latest photos!
It wouldn’t be Christmas without the aluminum tree!
The Boom Boom Room and poker table.
New Year’s Eve Party at the Twilight Lounge
- OK Dave, pay attention…
- Mike was a ghostly bartender for part of the night…
- It’s a party when the fez comes out!
There and Back Again, A Cocktail Journey 
17 Comments
I’m sending all of your recipes to Chicago. So that means I’ll have a lot of catching up to do for a weekend jaunt. I think you need to open a bar and I could be your bartender. I’ll just tell people I learned from the best.
p
Thanks Patty, but I’m from the best…but maybe someday!
You need a picture of you and/or the Twilight Lounge on this website.
I love your recipes and I’m always on the lookout for unusual and interesting ideas for you.
Thanks Jen – good idea about the pics, I’ll get some up shortly, and maybe a music video or two…:)
Stan the Man!
Love the concept and the execution rocks too! You made the Blogroll. Looking forward to reading more of your posts and trying some of your recipes. A well stocked bar is a little slice of heaven.
Cent’anni!
G-LO
Thanks G-LO for the comment and making the blogroll. You are absolutely correct that a well stocked bar is a little slice of heaven!
Stan and Gwen – great meeting you at Ivee’s. Completely agree that letting the Pub Crawl come to you is the way to go. Already enjoying the blog. Thanks.
Hey Meredith, we enjoyed meeting you and Christian last night as well – look forward to getting together again!
Thanks for the comment on the French Gimlet. You have a nice website, it’s always great to meet other cocktail enthusiasts. Are you part of a bartenders cabinet or guild?
Cheers,
John Apodaca
Hi John – I’m simply a home based amateur that likes cocktails. The Twilight Lounge I reference is my basement rec room. Thanks for taking the time to check out my blog!
Hope this e-mail finds you well! Here at LaForce + Stevens we have been enjoying following your blog on bartending and are interested in receiving contact information so that we can collaborate with you in the future and invite you to events. We look forward to hearing back from you.
Thanks!
Amanda Schultz
Hey Stan-
It’s been a while since I got time to surf your blog….and tell you the truth I didn’t have it right now either but I was itching to see what else has been conjured up in The Twilight Lounge 😉 I hope things are going well and I hope that you are successful in your pursuit so I can welcome you as a collegue soon!
Hey Ashish – thanks! Did you see anything interesting?
We need a Twilight Lounge soundtrack! If you’re really ambitious, you could pair a song with each cocktail. I’m just trying to figure out what song would go with the “Bend Over, Shirley.”
Why Madonna’s “Hanky Panky” from the Dick Tracy soundtrack, of course! I do like the soundtrack idea, I’ll have to incorporate that in once I’m past the 365th cocktail!
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Stan, you haven’t changed one bit since that drunken week where we consumed 9 cases of beer and one really cheap bottle of wine. You might check out ‘Suzi’s Drink of the Week’ on one of our houston radio stations – http://www.houstonseagle.com/drink/. She mixes live at 8:40 am CST every Friday. And to answer your inquiry, yes Jim got married in 1990 to Sheila………LOVE the blog!