Good morning, we made it to Friday, which took its sweet time in getting here – or so it felt to me.
Of all the post-election coverage that I have waded through, one story in particular stuck out to me. It had nothing to do with politics, or turnout, or policy, or turnout, or analysis. It was about booze. Writes the NY Post:
The only places that might’ve been busier than the polls on Election Day in the Big Apple were the liquor stores. New Yorkers eager to celebrate or mourn their presidential candidate Tuesday night raided booze shops across the five boroughs, according to several store employees — many of whom told The Post they noticed one bizarre trend among clientele.
“People were buying sparkling wine and a bottle of liquor for both [outcomes],” said Sebastian, an employee at the Juice Box in Brooklyn’s Windsor Terrace, who added that election night was “crazy” busy at the liquor store.
The fact that people were hedging their bets – bubbly for celebration, the hard stuff for consolation – just tickled me for some reason. It also reminded me that we are heading into the season of over-consumption. The holidays are almost upon us, during which the average person tends to as much as double their alcohol consumption.
I, of course, will not be among those imbibing. But even though I stopped drinking a while ago, I’m nevertheless still interest in cocktail culture. (Or, in my case, mocktail culture, which is definitely on the rise…as an aside, I tried this nonalcoholic wine last week and it was not bad; not really anything like wine, but definitely tasty).
I have always been most interested in traditional, old school drinks. Things like the Sidecar, the Tom Collins, the Manhattan, the Old Fashioned, etc. One drink I never tried, though, was the Harvey Wallbanger. Quite frankly, I think the name – and the drink’s reputation for really packing a wallop – turned me off.
Let’s start with the basics.
What’s in a Harvey Wallbanger? According to the interwebs, it’s a mix of vodka and orange juice, with a float of an Italian liqueur called Galliano L’Autentico, garnished with a slice of orange and a maraschino cherry. (This liqueur by the way, is described as having an “aromatic peppermint herbal freshness,” which sounds to me like kind of an odd partner for orange).
One could also add simple syrup and/or bitters, but it’s recommended that a true Harvey Wallbanger is stirred, not shaken.
Sounds familiar, right? That’s because a Harvey Wallbanger is basically little more than a gussied up Screwdriver.
As for the Harvey Wallbanger origin story, there is one, but it’s kind of far fetched. Allegedly, it was named after an 1950s-era surfer named Tom Harvey, who one night nursed a poor performance out on the waves at Duke’s Blackwatch Bar where a well known mixologist named Donato ‘Duke’ Antone was serving one of his signature drinks – a Screwdriver with a Galliano float.
Tom Harvey is said to have enjoyed one too many of these concoctions, and then, when quite inebriated, banged into the walls when he tried to depart. And viola, the Harvey Wallbanger was born. This may or may not be true, but it is known for sure that Antone was the man behind a number of other classic drinks, including the White Russian, the Kamikaze, and the Rusty Nail.
Before we leave the realm of the sublime and enter into the realm of the fantastical (AKA what passes for the news these days), a PSA for all you skywatchers out there: The year‘s fourth and final supermoon is fast approaching. The Beaver Moon is anticipated to reach peak illumination at 4:29 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, so mark your calendars. (Don’t worry, I’ll remind you).
We’ll see mostly sunny skies today with temperatures topping out in the low 60s. The weekend is looking like a mixed bag, with sun tomorrow and clouds and rain on Sunday. Both days will see temperatures in the low-to-mid 50s.
In the headlines…
President Joe Biden vowed to carry out a peaceful transition of power to the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump even as he urged Americans to continue to fight for Democratic values.
In his first public appearance since Election Day, Biden called on the nation to not give up on his fight for the “soul of America,” despite Vice President Kamala Harris’ sweeping loss to Trump.
Trump said that mass deportation of undocumented immigrants will be the top priority of his incoming administration after he claimed a “common sense” mandate from his big election win.
The incoming president said he has “no choice” but to keep his promise to launch a broad effort to deport undocumented immigrants, although he focused on criminals who would be a small minority of foreign nationals in the U.S. illegally.
Trump has tapped his campaign senior adviser Susie Wiles, who amassed outsized influence has his de facto campaign manager, as White House chief of staff – the first woman ever to hold that position.
In a statement Trump called Wiles “tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected” and said it’s a “well deserved honor to have (her) as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history.”
In Wiles, Trump turned to an aide he knows well and who has worked closely with him, understands how he operates, is close with his family and to whom most of his current team is loyal.
In a break from his approach in 2016, Trump has turned to a pair of staunch allies from the private sector — Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon — to lead his transition effort. Lutnick is in charge of personnel, while McMahon is overseeing policy.
The slew of tax cuts Trump proposed in loosely defined slogans over the course of his victorious campaign will now face a fiscal reckoning in Washington.
A federal judge in Texas struck down a new Biden administration program that sought to provide a path to U.S. citizenship for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants married to American citizens.
A depressed and demoralized Democratic Party is beginning the painful slog into a largely powerless future, as its leaders grapple with how deeply they underestimated Trump’s resurgent hold on the nation.
By seeking re-election, Biden deprived Harris of months of campaigning that might have helped her.
In states like Arizona and Nevada, some voters split their tickets, supporting abortion rights measures while also backing Trump.
The legal consequences of Trump’s victory start with the likelihood that the cases against him will sputter out but could also extend to the cases of hundreds of his supporters who are being — or have been — prosecuted for storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and the owner of The Washington Post, which did not endorse in the presidential race, congratulated Trump on his victory, a sign of a potential thawing between Trump and the billionaire tech mogul.
Would Jerome H. Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, step aside if asked to do so by Trump? Powell had a one-word answer: “No.” He also doesn’t believe Trump could fire him or demote him if he refuses to go.
Federal Reserve officials cut interest rates yesterday, their second reduction of 2024 and the latest sign that policymakers believe that inflation is finally coming under control.
The Fed’s move comes just days after America elected Trump as its next president, and at a moment when the U.S. economy stands on the brink of change.
Trump’s presidential election victory left immigrants in New York City on edge as they fear what will come of his pledge to launch “mass deportations” once he takes office early next year.
Republican leaders projected confidence yesterday that they will keep control of the U.S. House as more races were decided in their favor, while Democrats insisted they still see a path toward the majority and sought assurances every vote will be counted.
The GOP picked up two more hard-fought seats in Pennsylvania, which became a stark battlefield of Democratic losses up and down the ticket. Democrats notched another win in New York, defeating a third Republican incumbent in that state.
Democrat Laura Gillen has officially won a hard-fought race for a Long Island House seat, ousting incumbent GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito.
While the AP didn’t call the race for more than 36 hours, Gillen declared victory in a speech to supporters just before midnight on Tuesday. She was two points ahead of D’Esposito – a margin she held yesterday.
A fierce Trump ally who has been floated as White House counsel or US AG warned that the new administration will have no patience for New York Attorney General Letitia James if she weaponizes the legal system against the 47th president.
Transit advocates are urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to fund congestion pricing before Trump’s inauguration, who has promised to terminate the program during his first week in office.
Hochul promised to assist the more than 1,500 employees facing the loss of their jobs with the sudden closure of the Sumitomo Rubber USA tire plant in the Town of Tonawanda
Mayor Eric Adams said that he had spoken with Trump following the election but would not disclose whether they discussed his federal indictment brought by Biden’s Justice Department.
A former City Hall aide charged with tampering with witnesses in the federal corruption investigation into Adams is talking with prosecutors about a potential guilty plea — raising the possibility that he might cooperate with them against the mayor.
Adams’ administration plans to stop giving prepaid debit cards to migrant families, ending a pilot program that conservative critics have fiercely attacked.
Adams has defended the program, arguing that the program would bring down the costs of feeding migrants and give them a wider array of healthier options at supermarkets and bodegas, but still won’t be renewing it.
Adams had all but packed his bags for Puerto Rico — but he is not going to SOMOS, the annual political conference on the Caribbean island, after all, he said.
“My flight was booked, my hotel was booked, but I wanted to make sure that I’m here,” Adams said at an unrelated press conference.
After dithering for several days, Adams has finally announced through a spokesperson that he supports keeping fluoride in the New York City water supply, “as recommended by his public health officials and experts.”
The city has filed a lawsuit against a Long Island vape provider, Adams announced.
The lawsuit, filed yesterday in the Eastern District of New York, seeks to block the Price Point company from selling vapes, plus seeks monetary damages and fines, claiming the company violated numerous federal, state and local laws.
Rudy Giuliani was blasted by a Manhattan federal court judge for claiming he didn’t know the location of assets he owes the Georgia mother and daughter election workers he defamed.
“The notion that your client doesn’t have any knowledge of where his assets are located is farcical,” Judge Lewis Liman scolded Giuliani’s legal team.
A violent encounter on an uptown F train that divided New Yorkers is now dividing the Manhattan courtroom where a man stands trial on manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide charges.
A man shot another man on the Upper West Side of Manhattan yesterday morning before fleeing into a nearby subway station, the police said, forcing passengers to take shelter on the floors of subway cars and leading to delays across the subway system.
Brooklyn faith leader Rev. Edward-Richard Hinds has been indicted on sex abuse charges for an inappropriate relationship with a teenager, law enforcement sources told the Daily News.
Nearly a quarter of NYPD officers who responded to an academic survey said they were actively looking to leave the department — a statistic experts say could further strain an organization whose staffing levels are already at decade lows.
A search of the home of a New York State Police trooper under investigation turned up guns, steroids and money, according to a report.
PIX11 News reported the discoveries late yesterday following authorities’ 19-hour search of the home Thomas Mascia, 27, shares in West Hempstead with his parents.
A charter bus traveling from New York City to Niagara Falls flipped over yesterday morning, sending 28 passengers to the hospital. One rider was listed in critical condition.
State police said they were working with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the crash in the Rochester suburb of Chili, where the bus traveling westbound on I-490 was photographed lying on its side.
Republican Assembly candidate Joe Mastroianni has been charged with petit larceny for allegedly stealing a political mailer from a mailbox in Scotia.
The state Attorney General’s Office has released body-camera footage as part of an investigation into the death of a man police shot in September in Saratoga County earlier this year.
The Albany International Airport’s chief financial officer, Michael F. Zonsius, was placed on leave yesterday morning.
A second Lake George student has been charged in connection to the allegations of football team members committing a lewd act against a child.
A tractor-trailer driver from Canada died Tuesday when his rig slammed into the back another tractor-trailer on the Thruway, State Police said.
Nearly one month after Liam Payne’s fatal fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, three people — including a friend of the One Direction alum — have been charged in the ongoing investigation into his death.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
