Benson & Hedges 100’s Presents Drink Recipes from 100 of the Greatest Bars: Traffic Light (1979)

Let’s crack open one of my favorite cookbooks from my collection, Benson & Hedges 100’s Presents Drink Recipes from 100 of the Greatest Bars (1979).

Don’t you love the cover?

My little eye spies a Martini, a Daquiri, and a Long Island Iced Tea.

Since I decided to feature this book on Facebook and Instagram for National Cookbook Month, I had to give a new cocktail a spin.

This is the Traffic Light from Harrison’s on Peachtree.

Some history: Harrison’s was a singles’ bar in Atlanta, GA. Scratch that–it was THE singles’ bar in Atlanta, GA.

The best bar in the heyday of Atlanta as a singles’ haven closed, if memory serves, at 2 a.m. Harrison’s on Peachtree was so crowded on Friday nights in the 1970s that the furniture was removed for that evening…

Harrison’s was located on Peachtree (duh) in the city’s Buckhead neighborhood which was filled with restaurants and hot spots, like the ones featured in this video from 1985, which I implore you to watch.

ONE  NIGHT IN BUCKHEAD!

“I can feel a yuppie sitting next to me.” Damn, the 80s were…wow.

Like most of the other bars in the video, it closed.

Here’s a menu from the 80s:

I decided to make the Traffic Light because I picked up a small bottle Galliano at the liquor store (not the giant bottle you see in the bar) and I already had the other ingredients at home from other recipes I’ve made.

So basically it’s just layer after layer of liquor.

FUN!

Sadly, I didn’t have a 2oz glass and had to resort to one of the liqueur liglasses that my Gramsy stole from the Duquesne Club.

I once read that a spoon is helpful in the floating, so I did that. Apparently the science behind it is that the higher the alcohol content, the lighter the liquor (which is why I guess Bacardi 151 is a popular float). I assume that you could layer most any alcohol as long as there are differences in the alcohol percentage.

But it worked!!!

Although it irks me that the colors are not in the right order for a traffic light and since it’s a curved glass, the proportions are visually off.

I don’t know if Peppermint Schnapps comes in a different color, but mine was clear so I suppose it just sort of expanded the green of the Creme de Menthe.

BUT HOW WAS IT?

It tasted like Galliano to start and then it was just mint.

Um. No.

I’d love to try my hand at more booze floating in the future.

Other drinks from Benson & Hedges 100’s Presents Drink Recipes from 100 of the Greatest Bars (1979):

Pat O’Brien’s Cyclone & Hurricane
Sdandia’s Danish Bloody Mary