MAGIC COCKTAILS

Cocktail Night this Friday had a MAGIC theme! There were drinks, tricks, bluffs, challenges... and a lot of (real) magic!

Look here-- Arjen pulling a white rabbit from a hat!









Never did I think I'd have occasion to wear a turban, a gym top, and a pair of purple underpants (together) in public-- but here it was!

The evening started off with my drink, called 'The Year of the Rat'. My Chinese zodiac symbol is the rat, hence the name.

The drink came garnished with a Chinese fortune cookie.

Ah, but was it an ordinary fortune cookie?

The Year of the Rat:
- a cup of strong jasmine tea
- 1/2 ounce ginger liqueur
- 1/2 ounce white rum

I went to each person's cocktail and made a pass over each cup-- magically transforming the message inside the fortune cookie from a generic one about friendship or money to a truly personalized message-- without ever touching the cup!

David: You will run many marathons.
Astrid: You will spend many moons in Sweden.
Arjen: You have a stunning wife.
Judith: Fluffy will come to life and mate with Jinx.
Reinout: You will build a great online shop for your music.
Deana: You are a genius and have the sex appeal of a tiger woman.

Well-- if the fates say so!

In between cocktails we discussed Houdini's most famous tricks and tried to guess how they were done (the answers are in this book I'm holding)
That employment of the little grey cells took us up to the next drink... David's 'Black Magic'.

Black Magic:
5 parts vodka
2/3 parts Tia Maria
- in a tall glass
- fill up with cola
- add ice

Delicious! And it has the power to transform you into a slobbering drunk person in less time than it takes to wave a wand or blow your nose into a rainbow handkerchief. 

Cats! Cats! Everywhere!

Astrid was next with her cocktail. Called, 'The Prestige' it was inspired by the film of that name.
If you've seen the film, you'll remember the significance of the many many many cats. Astrid brought us a bowl of HUNDREDS of cats to snack on.

And here it is... the Prestige.
The performer is standing on top of a water tank...

And here is David pulling the trap our from under him...
















And splash! Oh holy hell! He's in the tank and there's ANOTHER guy in there with him!?!?!?

Here is Judith chomping on a surprise cupcake. The real surprise was that I cook bake something that was edible.

Astrid with The Prestige

The Prestige:
- 1 part blue curacao
- 1 part vodka
- 4 parts lemonade
- and a splash of duppelganger!

And here comes Judith, carrying her concoction!

and... presto!

The Disappearing Dessert!
In a small bowl or glass put:
- 1 layer of custardpudding, allow to cool and set, then add
- 1 layer of strawberryjello, also allow to cool and set. Just before serving you add:
- 1 layer of advocaat
- Top with whipped cream.

And soon it will not only magically disappear.. the next time you see it, it will have changed color!

More mysterious still.. the moment Judith left the room Madame Infinity appeared!

Hold on (distraction) while Teddy levitates....

Here is Madame Infinity making an ordinary pen float in mid-air. You can look closely-- Madame Infinity has nothing to hide!

And here is the audience, agog with excitement. They are in such a wonderment of confusion, their facial expressions cannot possibly convey the emotion.

Madame Infinity doing one of the card tricks in her repertoire...

And here is David picking a card while M. Infinity's back is turned. (no mirror involved)

And M. Infinity is back... and she identifies the very card that David chose! HOW DID SHE DO IT???

The Great Tedini getting dressed for his act (and having his diaper changed) in his Dressing Room.

And The Great Tedini appears! The room breaks into wild, frenzied applause.

Now, if this is not the face of an artiste who is about to perform a mentalist feat--  then I don't know what is.

The Great Tedini and his assistant

BUT WAIT! The Great Tedini erupts.... first the COCKTAIL!

The Great Tedini prepared a drink called 'The Eye of Isis', in honor of his substantial powers.

The Eye of Isis:
- 1 ounce vodka
- Gazozu (Turkish soda flavored of bubble-gum)
- an ice cube with a magical all-seeing eye

Inside the ice cube is the EYE. Or rather an ice cube containing a date with a jelly bean for a pupil stuffed into it.

WHOA.. The Great Tedini approves! All is well.

He is ready to perform.
I will hold up a hermetically-sealed envelope to the head of The Great Tedini. He will (magically) glean the contents of the sealed envelope. An answer. He will then whisper the question into my ear:
Q: What prison got its name from the Spanish work for pelican?
Q: What was Wilhelm Rontgen's most important discovery?
Q: What was the 1st toy advertised on American TV in 1952?
Q: On what holiday do people much on chocolate coffins and sugar skulls?
Q: What was the 1st planet discovered by telescope in 1781?
Q: What branch of the U.S. military only had 50 soldiers when WWI broke out?

Do you know?
The Great Tedini does...
A: Alcatraz
A: X-rays
A: Mr. Potato Head
A: The Day of the Dead
A: Uranus
A: The Air Force

And were they right????
Mostly right.

Q: Who was the author of The Lost World?
Q: What game was created by French mathematician Blaise Pascal while experimenting with perpetual motion?
Q: What's the more commonly used name for Holy Roman Emperor Charles the Great?
Q: Where was the 2nd atom bomb dropped?

Do you know? The Great Tedini did.

A: Arthur Conan Doyle
A: roulette
A: Charlemagne
A: Nagasaki

It turned into a family act. Here is The Great Tedini demonstrating that he didn't need his turban to do magic (which he communicated by screaming it OFF his head).

Sandwich having a lick of The Disappearing Dessert

And last but not at all least...what is this? Two rabbit ears emerging from the hat? Great Heavens!

Oh, no! It's Arjen's drink 'The White Rabbit'.
It was warm and white AND fuzzy. Also delicious, and it certainly has the ability to hop around in your stomach if you drink enough f it. It may also make your mouth fuzzy in the morning.

The White Rabbit:
- 1/2 ounce Bols yogurt
- 1/2 ounce vanilla vodka
- shake over ice in a shot glass
- spray Bols white chocolate foam on top

Cheers m'dears! Happy Magic-making!