A Pause for a Libation: The Old-Fashioned
Purportedly this legendary libation was created in 1806 in upstate New York and is the first drink to be called a “cocktail.” Whiskey, bitters, sugar, water. That was basically it. By the middle part of that century the cocktail eventually became more and more complex, with the addition of a variety of liquors, like orange cura?ao, absinthe, and who knows what else. Drinkers looking for the simpler version would ask for it to be made “the old-fashioned way,” hence its now-famous moniker. I am not a big bourbon drinker but this cocktail is very hard not to want.
Here’s how to make it:
1 teaspoon simple syrup
A few dashes Angostura bitters
2 shots rye or bourbon
Ice
Orange slice and cherry, to garnish
Pour the simple syrup into an “old-fashioned glass,” meaning a rocks glass.
Add the Angostura bitters.
Add the booze.
Add the ice.
Stir.
Add the garnish.
You could also make this with scotch, or Irish whiskey if you prefer.
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A great drink for any season or reason.
10
Eating catered food on movie sets is often a terrifying prospect. Basically the way it works is, the bigger the budget, the better the food. When and for how long a lunch break is taken on any film is dictated by union rules, which differ from country to country. However, instead of taking a lunch break, which is the norm, I much prefer, as an actor as well as a director, to shoot “continuous days,” or what are called “French hours.” This is also known as a “running lunch,” meaning that small plates of food or sandwiches are always available throughout the day, and a short break is taken about halfway through the day, where cast and crew can grab a quick bite or a little rest. I have always found that this makes the shooting day not only shorter but more efficient.
French hours are much more welcomed in England and in Europe but not as often in the United States, for reasons I have never fully understood. I know I am not writing a book about the machinations of the film industry, which would be even more tedious than this memoir, but it is important to know that food on set not only feeds people but also has a significant effect on the budget, the structure of a shooting day, and how a cast and crew work together successfully.
Now that you’re about to nod off, here’s a taste of how catering typically functions on most films.
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When an actor arrives on set in the morning, which can sometimes be between four thirty and seven o’clock, depending on the complexity of the makeup, wardrobe, or scene to be shot that day, a hot breakfast will be ready. The first people on set are the assistant directors, the runners, wardrobe, and hair and makeup. They will have already eaten or will be in the middle of their breakfast when the actor arrives. On a big-budget film, breakfast will be laid out on tables underneath a huge marquee. There will be steam trays of pre-fried eggs; scrambled eggs; pork, turkey, or vegetarian sausages; bacon; hash browns; platters of smoked salmon; fruit; industrial toasters for toasting bagels; white bread; butter; jam; honey; yogurt; fruit juices; and urns of coffee and tea. If the budget is substantial and the producer appreciates their crew and how hard they work, there will also be an omelet station and then some. These are the kind of producers who also always employ a great craft service caterer who provides a table of savory and sweet treats, and/or a truck making little sandwiches, smoothies, espresso, etc. to keep people well sated during potentially fifteen-hour days. Again, this is only on very large-budget films.
On most films there is one truck with a few beleaguered caterers doing their best with minimal funds to keep a cast and crew well fed and vaguely happy. The caterers, who are actually the first to arrive, at some ungodly hour, begin cooking two meals for a minimum of about fifty people every day. The quality of ingredients isn’t usually of the highest caliber, and their resources （and unfortunately often their talents） are stretched to the limit attempting to provide a variety of dishes every day for what could be up to an eight-week shoot.
In an effort to satisfy so many people, every lunch consists of a meat or chicken dish, a fish dish, two starches, two vegetables, a vegetarian dish, a salad or two, and dessert. This is not easy to do even on a healthy budget, and I don’t envy their task. Unfortunately most caterers are not up to this task, which means that by the end of a film many people have stopped eating their food. Certain members of the cast and crew will end up bringing their own food if they have time to shop and prepare it, which isn’t easy given the long and erratic working hours.