On a Personal Note …The Legend of the Pink Squirrel

At a recent meeting of The Discovery Orchestra’s staff, there was a discussion about serving a signature cocktail at an upcoming event. The performers – and the cocktails – were a big hit! I had suggested the Pink Squirrel be the signature cocktail because, more than fifty years ago, it became my favorite dessert drink.

It’s a delicious mixture of Crème de Noyaux, which has an almond flavor and a red hue giving the cocktail its pink color, white Crème de Cacao, and whole cream. Mix these ingredients in a blender with ice and you have a delicious, chilled dessert drink. I was introduced to it by Jack, the bartender at Lentini’s, an Italian restaurant I frequented when I lived in Louisville, Kentucky. Jack and I got to know each other well during my nine years there, and he’d heard that after I had completed my master’s degree at the University of Louisville School of Music in 1972, I’d been appointed conductor of The Louisville Ballet and assistant conductor of the Kentucky Opera.

Jack brought Pink Squirrels to the table to help celebrate this special occasion. And later that evening, he said: “You know, you really need to move to New York.” Jack’s taste in music leaned not so much in the direction of classical but more toward Broadway. He loved musicals and the theater in general, and confided that he had always secretly wanted to live in New York City. And he had decided that Manhattan was where I needed to be. I was in my mid-twenties by then and ready formy next quest.My first adventure “out of the nest” had been moving from Philadelphia, where I grew up, to Louisville at age 19 to attend music school.

From the evening of my first Pink Squirrel onward, Jack was relentless. He just would not give up until finally in 1975, when I was 28, I told Jack that I had decided to move to the Big Apple. Jack was very happy. Truth be known, I’d actually wanted to move to New York since childhood. Occasionally, they would show photos of the New York City skyline on the Howdy Doody Show. And I remember pointing to our tiny black and white Philco television screen and saying to my mother: “I want to live there some day.” To which she replied: “Oh no, you don’t ever want to live there! It’s far too dangerous!” Of course, having moved to Manhattan, I was inevitably bound to discover … New Jersey. And so, I have Jack and the Pink Squirrel to thank for getting to know and love all of you these 35 years!