Sep 10, 20232 min read

The Noir Bar

TCM host and "Czar of Noir" Eddie Muller joins Hollywood Kitchen to discuss his new book.

Eddie Muller's new book "Noir Bar" is filled with recipes for cocktails inspired by the world of film noir. He originally began working as a bartender and has combined his passion for cocktails and noir in this beautiful new book that is filled with recipes, poster art, behind-the-scenes stills and more!

Recipe

*These recipes are directly excerpted from Noir Bar.

THE MILDRED PIERCE Cocktail

Ingredients

COUPE GLASS, chilled or ROCKS GLASS with one big ice cube

SHAKER, strained

3/4 ounce. Vida mezcal

3/4 ounce. Aperol

3/4 ounce Giffard Pamplemousse liqueur

3/4 ounce lime juice

Garnish orange peel

Directions

NOTES: Resist any temptation to substitute tequila for mezcal. It becomes a very different drink, not nearly as good. There are good mezcals more reasonably priced than Vida--but what could be more perfect?

THE ZEENA Cocktail i

Inspired by Joan Blondell in the noir classic Nightmare Alley (1947)

Ingredients

COUPE GLASS, chilled

MIXING GLASS, strained

2 ounces rye whiskey (or Bourbon)

3/4 ounce sweet vermouth (Cocchi di Torino, preferred)

3/4 ounce Bénédictine

Dashes Angostura bitters (to suit your personal taste)

Absinthe rinse (or Pernod or Pastis)

Garnish orange peel twist

Directions

CONSTRUCTION: Do not underestimate the necessity of the absinthe rinse. Pour a small amount of absinthe (or Pernod or Pastis) into the chilled coupe, tilt it side-ways, and rotate to coat the glass. Pour the excess into the other glass if you're making more than one, and carefully shake out the glass(es) so only a thin coating remains. Strain the mixed drink into the coupe and garnish with an orange twist. This is a personal favorite.

*Eddie is not being paid to endorse this, but he finds many of his cocktail supplies at CocktailKingdom.com

Special Guest

Eddie Muller aka the "Czar of Noir" is the host of TCM's Noir Alley and the prolific author of crime fiction (The Distance), biographies (Tab Hunter Confidential), cinema histories (including Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir) and the children's book Kid Noir: Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey. He produces, programs and hosts a national network of Noir City film festivals, presented under the auspices of the Film Noir Foundation, a non-profit corporation he founded in 2005 to rescue and restore films from America and abroad. The Foundation also publishes Noir City magazine, the world's leading publication on classic and contemporary noir. He was born in San Francisco and continues to reside in the Bay Area.