Happy Monday,
Have you ever found yourself feeling nostalgic about the decade you were born in?
I do. I’m a proper ‘90s kid and enjoy flashing back to Saturday morning cartoons in the late ‘90s on Fox Kids. It was a golden age of comic animation. Spider-Man, Ironman, Fantastic Four and the X-Men.
The theme song for the X-Men ‘90s show remains iconic to this day and it set the foundation for a life-long love of comics and pop culture.
The X-Men have some amazing characters and you can be your bottom dollar that some of them like to drink.
In today’s newsletter, you get a double helping of the Pop Culture Pub Crawl with the X-Men’s Gambit and Emma Frost.
Best,
Jamie
Pop Culture Pub Crawl: Gambit
Superheroes save the day regularly and some choose to relax by getting a drink to celebrate their good fortune. The Pop Culture Pub Crawl looks into a character’s favourite tipple to see what happens when they take a night off.
With his charisma and zest for life, Gambit is someone who’d enjoy having a few beverages. Remy Lebeau is a man of the people and his quest for alcohol would make him the soul of the party.
Budweiser
Volume: 5%
Taste: Bittersweet
To get ready for the night, Gambit would start by sipping a Budweiser. Known as ‘The King of Beers,’ Budweiser is one of the most popular brands in the world. It’s light and easy to drink, which would suit Gambit because he wouldn’t be any rush to get drunk. He strikes me as the kind of person to ease himself in and see where the mood takes him.
Budweiser fits the image of the traditional American beer. It’s produced using rice, barley malt, water, hops and yeast. The brewing process gives it a light-bodied flavour with notes of sweetness and bitterness.
La Choulette Ambree
Volume: 8%
Taste: Spicy
After drinking a couple of Buds, Remy would move on to stronger beer. I’d see him going for a French blend, such as a bottle of La Choulette Ambree. Made in northern France, the drink comes from a traditional ‘biere de garde’ brewery. The Ambree can be considered a variation of the Belgian saison beers that are made nearby.
The drink has a spicy flavour that would appeal to Remy’s powerset. It’s the kind of explosive taste that matches his ability to charge objects.
Hurricane
Volume: 18%
Taste: Sweet
Having grown up in New Orleans, Gambit would want a drink that reminded him of home. The hurricane is an ideal cocktail to take away the heat of the last drink. Made with rum, fruit juice, grenadine and syrup, the hurricane has a sweet flavour. Gambit would likely have caught the attention of a woman at the bar, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he chose to make the drink himself to impress her.
New Orleans’ signature cocktail was created in the 1940s by a bar owner named Pat O’Brien. At the time, rum wasn’t as popular as whiskey or scotch. Local distributors forced O’Brien to buy the rum, so he needed to find a way to get rid of it. O’Brien mixed rum into hurricane lamp-shaped glasses and the drink has been served in the French Quarter ever since.
Muscadet
Volume: 12%
Taste: Dry
The more alcohol Gambit has, the more sophisticated his palette becomes. When charming a lady, he’d likely switch to wine and a good choice is Muscadet. Brewed in the Loire Valley, Muscadet is a white wine made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape.
Traditionally, Muscadet has a light-bodied, dry flavour. It leaves behind a prickliness on the tongue, giving it a crisp texture. Remy would sip his wine gently, appreciating the taste and the woman at his side.
Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge
Volume: 40%
Taste: Sweet
To round off the night, I’d see Gambit sitting back with a glass of Grand Marnier. Made from a blend of Cognac brandy, the Cordon Rouge version contains the essence of orange and sugar. It was created by Alexandra Mariner-Lapostolle in 1880 and has the kind of flavour that Remy could enjoy.
Pop Culture Pub Crawl: Emma Frost
Emma Frost has an appreciation for the finer things and she’d be used to drinks that match her sophisticated palate and approach to life.
Hendrick’s Gin and Tonic
Volume: 41.4%
Taste: Aromatic and smooth
Emma would start her night off with an elegant drink like a Hendrick’s Gin and Tonic. Infused with junipers, Bulgarian Rosa Damascena and cucumber, Hendrick’s is one of the most well-known gins in the world.
Distilled in Scotland, the alcohol is mixed between a Bennett and Carter-Head still to create a unique blend of flavours. Hendrick’s has the kind of taste that would appeal to Emma’s cultivated palette.
Traditionally, Hendrick’s gin is served with cucumber to strengthen the notes. I’d feel sorry for the bartender who forgot to serve Emma’s drink with a cucumber. In my mind, she’s a gin purist who pays attention to every little detail.
Peach Pomegranate Martini
Volume: 35%
Taste: Sweet
Depending on her mood, Emma might move onto a cocktail. I’d see her being a fan of a classic brewed and mixed to a high standard. A peach pomegranate martini is a drink that would appeal to her because of the taste and infusion techniques.
Created with pomegranate vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice and ground cinnamon, the martini was developed at the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia.
Ward Eight
Volume: 40%
Taste: Smooth and fruity
Emma was born in Boston and grew up with an abusive father and drug-addicted mother. She went to great lengths to transform herself and get out from under the weight of her father’s influence.
In order to toast the victory over her family, I’d see Emma drinking a Ward Eight cocktail. A classic Boston drink, the Ward Eight was named after a corrupt political district and first served at the Locke-Ober Café in 1898.
There are several variations of the drink and Emma would choose a strong version to enhance the irony. Hers would contain rye whiskey, lemon juice, grenadine and orange juice. She’d drink the Ward Eight to spite her father’s memory and have the last laugh.
Barolo
Volume: 15%
Taste: Sweet and rich
I imagine Emma being a wine connoisseur, so she’d drink a high-quality vintage like Barolo. Considered to be one of Italy’s greatest wines, Barolo is produced in Piedmont. The drink is made from a red grape called Nebbiolo, which contains a high concentration of tannins and acidity.
Barolo comes with a full-bodied, sweet taste. Emma might choose to drink the wine if she were on a date night with someone like Cyclops or Namor.
Palm Wine
Volume: 4%
Taste: Sweet
Given her affluent background, Emma has travelled across the world and been exposed to all kinds of drinks. I could see her developing a taste for palm wine because of its health benefits. Made from palm tree sap, the drink is common in places like Ghana and Cameroon. The sap ferments quickly, producing a sweet taste.
According to an article written by Ilovewine, palm wine contains a number of healthy ingredients, such as potassium, Vitamin C and zinc. Drinking palm wine can potentially improve bone health and lead to a better complexion. In order to maximise the benefits, Emma would have pure palm wine imported.