One of Vik's favorite patrons (and rumored amoure of Henri), the lovely Miss Kirsten can occasionally be convinced to take the bandstand and delight Vik's Lounge with her "Cocktail Extravaganza". A voice as smooth as black velvet, every song an homage to the mighty cocktail. Here, is her own words, Miss Kirsten explains her passion...

The following list is in 2 sections:

Kirsten's Cocktail Extravaganza -- Here's my own list of fabulous cocktails. I can vouch that each one of these gems fits the category that I'm interested in: suave and "loungy". In fact, several of the songs listed are ultimate lounge songs (eg, the Kingston Trio's Scotch & Soda). This list has served me well; I've used it successfully at parties and on my radio show. Mix and match 'em as you please, although one recommendation I'd give: end with "Last Call" followed by "One For My Baby"... Intoxicating!

More Cocktails to Investigate -- These are the tunes that I collected from y'all exotica lovers. I'm unfamiliar with these songs and so am not sure if they fit into the same style category as the first list. Some of them sound like they will be great! After listing the song titles, I also included some of the comments people made about the songs.

In both lists, I've used "(d)" to mark definitive versions of a song.

If anyone has other hip cocktail tunes or information about definitive versions, please drop me some email!

Kirsten's Cocktail Extravaganza

More Cocktails to Investigate

Comments:

* An R&B artist named Amos Milburn started a minor streak of drink songs with his "Just One More Drink" in the late 1940s. It became Milburn's trademark, as he followed with "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer," "Bad, Bad Whiskey," Let Me Go Home, Whiskey," "Good, Good Whiskey," and "Vicious, Vicious Vodka." (Milburn later died from the effects of diabetes brought on my his drinking).

"Rum and Coca-cola," written by Morey Amsterdam (of The Dick Van Dyke Show), done by tons of folks, most notably the Andrews Sisters

Don Ho - "Suck 'em Up" - has got to be near the top of the list. Live version only.

DCC compilations have: "Absinthe" by Duke Ellington & Lenny Dee's version of "Tequila" (Latin Rhythms CD) & "Hot Toddy" by Julie London (Easy Rhythms CD) while Rhino's Swingin' Singles CD has: "Tequila" by Stan Kenton and "One Mint Julep" by Sarah Vaughn

Johnny Ray was a crooner in the vein of Frank Sinatra-- his fame was of Beatle- mania proportions (for the requisite 15 minutes) just before Rock&Roll took over. "Whiskey & Gin" is his ode to a "...gal who drinks whiskey and gin." and is ironic when you know that Mr. Ray drank himself to death. His greatest hits is worth the price of a cd if only for the three-hankey epic "Cry". It gets me everytime. (Incidentally, Johnny was almost completely deaf... you'd never know.)

Fred Astaire: "The martini": he gives (talking, not singing) the recipe for making a perfect martini. It's on the lp "Astairable Fred" on drg records MRS 911 released in the US in 1987; it is not from a movie, i checked that in "the hollywood musical" which lists all the songs.