By Bean Miller
Happy Birthday, Leo!
I’d like to propose a toast to one of my favorite leading men, Leonardo DiCaprio! He’s a great actor, a huge champion for the environment, involved in a ton of charity work, and an overall stud of a man. But really…. what’s not to love?
You can’t do a toast for Leo without a proper drink in hand. After all, he deserves the best. So that got me thinking… what drink would be the perfect drink to give him one heck of a toast?
There is no perfect answer to this one. But with his birthday quickly approaching (November 11th), I took it upon myself to search the Internet high and low for the best Leo-inspired cocktails I could find.
So plug in your favorite Dicaprio movie on the 11th, pick a cocktail from below, and raise your glass to Leo! Cheers and be sure to comment below with your favorite drink/movie pair! This will be sure to be a “buzzworthy” movie night.
The mint julep is my pick for a go-to Gatsby drink and it’s mentioned twice in the film. It’s the perfect 1920s drink.
Ingredients
10 mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish
1 1/2 teaspoons superfine sugar
Seltzer water
Crushed ice
2 1/2 ounces Kentucky bourbon whiskey
Preparation
Start by muddling mint leaves and sugar in your glass of choice (traditionally served in pewter cups)
Add a splash of seltzer water with ice and add the bourbon
Garnish with a sprig of mint and enjoy
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
This is a timeless film that will always have a place in my heart and, once again, Leo knocked it out of the park. I still can’t believe he was only 19 when this was filmed, and some still consider this film one of Leo’s best works to date. With “grape” being the key word I searched for, I found one recipe by AdvancedMixology.com that features a cocktail of the same name. So grab your shaker, pop in the movie, and enjoy a refreshing performance by Leo!
Ingredients
1.5oz pisco
.5 oz lemon juice
.25 oz lime juice
12 green grapes
egg white
Preparation
Combine all ingredients except the egg white in a shaker
Muddle
Pour pisco
Add ice
Shake and strain
Add egg white
Dry shake for 15 seconds
Pour cocktail into coupe glass
Garnish with green grapes
In this film, Leo’s character, Calvin Candie asks for a Polynesian Pearl Diver and I immediately had to Google this recipe. This is a fun tiki drink and just like it is said in the film: “do not spare the rum.”
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Puerto Rican rum
1/2 ounce Demerara rum
1/2 ounce Jamaican rum
1 barspoon Velvet falernum
1 ounce orange juice
3/4 ounce lime juice
3/4 ounce Pearl Diver's Mix
6 ounces crushed ice
Garnish with an orchid
Preparation
Add all ingredients to a blender
Blend on high until consistent
Pour into tiki mug or coconut shell
This movie has single-handedly inspired so many different cocktails that it was hard to choose which one I liked the best. With names from “The Stock Broker” to “The Green Beast,” there was no shortage of cocktails to find to pair with this film. My favorite recipe is below as it gives a few nods to the film. The color of the drink is light green to represent the money-driven story and the rim is lined with powdered sugar to represent the drug references. It’s a very detailed and well thought-out cocktail – enjoy!
Ingredients
1 ounce absinthe
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce simple syrup
4 to 6 ounces chilled water
Ice
Sliced cucumber for garnish
Preparation
Combine absinthe, lime juice, simple syrup and water in a Collins glass filled with ice
Garnish with cucumber slices and stir
Multiply the recipe in a pitcher or punch bowl with large ice cubes to serve at a party
Titanic
For this classic film, I wanted to find a cocktail that was actually served on the Titanic so that when you watch the movie, you actually can feel like you’re a part of history as well. After a few searches, I found that the Manhattan was listed on a drink menu for the Olympic (Titanic’s sister ship) and was a hugely popular drink during that time.
For this film, beware; don’t drink too many Manhattans before the ending as you’ll be laying on the floor sobbing. Plus, I personally believe Leo was snubbed for an Oscar nomination for Titanic... just sayin.’
Ingredients
2 oz bourbon or rye
1 oz sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters
Preparation
Add all of the ingredients with ice and stir well
Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a brandied cherry
Be sure to mark November 11th as your Leo-inspired film night and add the film of your choice to your DVD queue now. Cheers to Leonardio Dicaprio and happy birthday!
Bean Miller is a travel addict and video and content producer. She's constantly on the move (and takes her red DVD Netflix envelopes with her, so look for our Where in the World in this Netflix DVD posts on social media, courtesy of Bean)!
When she's home, she loves having movie night with her cats Louie and Libby. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.