Challenge your barkeep with these NASA-Inspired drinks, but remember you are not in the zero-gratuity range.
With NASA poised to return to manned space missions, it seems as if it is more than appropriate to delve into some throwback potables in honor of our space programs making a return to prominence. After scrapping our Space Shuttle program, NASA had fallen into a fog of anonymity for a time. But now our supernal power is set to return.
Between Elon Musk seeing technological advances with his Space X missions and Donald Trump building up his Space Force, we could see fit to have a return to our cosmic glory days – and it was a swinging time. During the early 1960s, America was in an economic boom and leisure and luxury were taking on prominence, so when the space program became a glowing entity there was a hunger for it in the marketplace. And in the lounges and home bars as well.
And on the breakfast table?
A Taste of Space in a Glass…but Not Really
Talk to anyone who was reared in the 60s-70s and the product Tang was a well-known staple in most homes. The tart powdered drink became synonymous with the space program, and so it was a wild marketing success. But now it is time for me to crush your orbiting dreams. Despite the entrenchment in our minds that Tang was not just a booster rocket of flavor but a drinkable miracle borne from the technological wizardry of the era, the truth is it was not developed by NASA. Tang actually preceded the space program.
Years earlier, as America rebounded from World War 2 and saw the explosion of the nuclear family, there was a priority placed on convenience and rapid service. TV dinners, instant coffee, and similar products were flooding into the marketplace. At that time, a food chemist at General Foods named Bill Mitchell was becoming a star – at least in the food industry. During the war, he came up with a substitute for tapioca pudding for the troops, once cassava supplies became cut off.
With his career established, Mitchell’s post-war legacy is legendary. You may not know him by name, but you know his work very well. He created Jell-O, Cool Whip, and even Pop-Rocks. And in 1957, he tried to add to the bustling homelife a breakfast addition. After creating his powdered drink mix, it was test-marketed and finally brought to grocery stores. Sales were not so impressive, but then the space race took place.
After John Glenn circled the planet, he became a national hero, and there was all manner of attention paid to the space program. When it became known that Tang was a product that Glenn had on board, interest…well (please, forgive me) skyrocketed. But if this drink mix was not a product of NASA ingenuity, why did they turn to it? The water astronauts consumed was not packed, but produced while in space. It was actually a byproduct of some of the mechanisms of the life-support system, but as a result, the H2O produced had an unpleasant aftertaste. But add Tang and then the water is measurably more potable to consume.
Some Celebratory Orbital Libations
London’s possibly most legendary bartender was Joe Gilmour. He plied his trade and pickled his customers at the famed American Bar inside the Savoy Hotel. Word has it he had been so impressed by the lunar landing of Apollo 11 that he mixed a new drink, and not only this but had servings of it shipped to NASA where the astronauts were in quarantine. The legend is Neil Armstrong sent him a letter of gratitude, stating it was the first thing they drank once they were settled in.
THE MOON WALK
- 2oz. Grapefruit Juice
- 1 shot Grand Marnier
- 2 Dashes Rose Water
- Champagne
Shake the first three ingredients with ice, then strain into a champagne flute. Top off with the champagne
As the years went on, the space program expanded and the precursor to the International Space Station was created. The New Orleans staple, Pat O’Brien’s, whipped up this concoction to honor the orbiting research facility of the 1970s.
THE SKYLAB COCKTAIL
- 1/2oz. Rum
- 1/2oz. Vodka
- 1/2oz. Brandy
- 1/2oz. Blue Curacao
- 1oz. Orange Juice
- 1oz. Pineapple Juice
- 1oz. Sour Mix
Shake all ingredients with ice, pour into a Daiquiri glass, garnish with a cherry
Now to mix things up, quite literally, here are some Tang-based tipples you could experiment with while watching the upcoming space missions.
THE LAUNCHING PAD
- 1 Shot Vanilla Vodka
- 4oz. Orange Tang
- 2 Dashes Orange Bitters
Mix ingredients in an Old Fashioned glass, garnish with orange wheel.
THE SPLASHDOWN
- 2oz. Plantation Pineapple Rum
- ½ Shot Tippy Cow Orange Creme Liqueur
- 4oz. Orange-Pineapple Tang
Shake ingredients well until blended and chilled, strain into martini glass
