A Boomerang cocktail is a specific cocktail dating back to the early 20th century. In the 21st century, it may also be a reference to cocktails that bartenders illegally shuttle back and forth between bars as a way of sharing experimentation or building comradery.

Boomerang as a specific cocktail

The ''Official Mixer's Manual'' lists the popularized version of the Boomerang Cocktail as calling for: * 1/3

Rye Whiskey Rye whiskey can refer to two different, but related, types of whiskey: * American rye whiskey, which is similar to bourbon whiskey, but must be distilled from at least 51 percent rye grain * Canadian whisky, which is often referred to as (and of ...

* 1/3 Swedish

Punsch Punsch (or ''punssi'' in Finnish) is a type of liqueur popular in Sweden and Finland. It is most frequently called ''Swedish Punsch'', and while historical variations have also been called , , and , punsch should not be confused with the English ...

* 1/3 Dry

Vermouth Vermouth (, ) is an Italian aromatized wine, aromatized, fortified wine, flavored with various Botany, botanicals (roots, Bark (botany), barks, flowers, seeds, Herb, herbs, and Spice, spices) and sometimes Food coloring, colored. The modern ve ...

* 1 dash Angostura bitters * 1 dash lemon juice To be stirred well with ice and strained into a glass. The ''Cafe Royal Cocktail Book'' lists the same recipe. The ''Savoy Cocktail Book'' lists the same recipe, but calls for "Canadian Club whisky" instead of rye. ''The Standard Cocktail Guide'' employed rye whiskey but calls for different proportions, with 1 oz rye, 3/4 oz. swedish punsch, 3/4 oz. sweet vermouth, 2 dashes of lemon juice, and 1 dash of Angostura bitters.

Trader Vic Trader Vic's is a restaurant and tiki bar chain headquartered in Emeryville, California, United States. Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr. (December 10, 1902 in San Francisco – October 11, 1984 in Hillsborough, California) founded a chain of Polynesia ...

lists the same recipe in his 1947 ''Bartender's Guide'' as was in the ''Official Mixer's Manual'' but substitutes the rye with bourbon. Prior to World War II, the original Boomerang Cocktail was associated with a South African origin, and likely referred to the

boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...

as used for hunting. The drink reached its zenith for a period of time after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when the early

Atomic Age The Atomic Age, also known as the Atomic Era, is the period of history following the detonation of the first nuclear weapon, The Gadget at the '' Trinity'' test in New Mexico on 16 July 1945 during World War II. Although nuclear chain r ...

and

Space Age The Space Age is a period encompassing the activities related to the space race, space exploration, space technology, and the cultural developments influenced by these events, beginning with the launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, and co ...

began to influence

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

and popular culture in terms of

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

furniture Furniture refers to objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., Stool (seat), stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (table (furniture), tables), storing items, working, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Furnitur ...

fabrics Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not ...

, and style, including boomerang shaped cocktail tables, barware, and so-called "atomic cocktails". Flying-themed cocktail names were also popular during this time.

Boomerang as a shuttled cocktail

A Boomerang cocktail may also refer to alcoholic drinks that bartenders send back and forth to each other from competing bars. It is considered a friendly gesture within the industry, but is typically illegal.

In popular culture

The Boomerang cocktail was the featured drink for episode #14 of the pioneering video podcast ''

Tiki Bar TV ''Tiki Bar TV'' is a video web series, or "vodcast". Each episode features a problem that is rectified by the episode's namesake cocktail, which is scribbled on a prescription pad by ''Dr. Tiki'' and "filled" by bartender ''Johnny Johnny'' who e ...

''. In Charlotte Macleod's series of mysteries centered around Professor Peter Shandy at Balaclava Agricultural College in Massachusetts, the featured drink is the Balaclava Boomerang, which includes locally produced cherry brandy as an essential ingredient.

References

{{reflist Cocktails with whisky Cocktails with vermouth Cocktails with Swedish Punsch Cocktails with rye whisky Cocktails with Angostura bitters Cocktails with lemon juice Space Age Australian diaspora

Boomerang as a specific cocktail

Boomerang as a shuttled cocktail

In popular culture

See also

References