Life Is Like a Cocktail: Forrest Gump’s Journey Through History, Heart, and a Box of Boozy Chocolates 

A man is sitting on a bench waiting for a bus with a box of chocolates in hand, and while he waits, he tells an amazing story starting in the 1950's of a boy in leg braces and his mother who ran a boarding house and spans through the 1980's which touches on several major events that happen in America's twentieth century.  His differences, and his mother's aphorisms shaped his future which included meeting a girl whom he'd care for his whole life, and becoming the fastest runner amongst his peers.  Along the way, Forrest's life touches almost all major American events and a lot of people by pure circumstance which all of the bus stop passersby hear in his very matter-of-fact style.  

Forrest's speed and single-mindedness leads him into becoming an All-American Football Player which gave him the opportunity to meet President Kennedy.  The most notable part of meeting the President was the unlimited offering of Dr. Pepper.  Forrest's love of Dr. Pepper and his mother's saying that he often repeated, "Stupid is, as Stupid does."  is the inspiration for our first cocktail, "Stupid Is, as Stupid Does".  Staying true to the popular soda, we created a cocktail in Spritz fashion by mixing it straight into the glass.  To get the 23 flavors, we started with Ramazotti Amaro bitter liqueur which is known, perhaps self-proclaimed, to be incredibly similar.  To sweeten the drink, and to bring up the citrus and fruit notes, we added Licor 43, Asti Spumante Sparkling Wine, and a little Vanilla Simple Syrup.  A few dashes of Turkish Tobacco bitters enhanced the warming spices, and topping it off with a bit of soda water really brought in the effervescence we so enjoy when drinking a soda pop.  Incredibly easy to make, even easier to drink and just as remarkable as the popular soda was for Forrest while meeting the President.   

That would not be the last time Forrest would visit the President, he explains while offering a chocolate to the person waiting for the next bus.  His stories continued on, each very different from the last, but all a part of his experience.  He tells a stranger another one of his mother's aphorisms, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.", then continues his story.  His stories and the aphorism inspired our second boozy treat "Box of Chocolates".  We created four very different boozy confectionaries housed in a crisp, chocolate shell each style and flavor very different, much like the moments Forrest recounts about his life.  A Peanut Butter Whiskey Bon Bon for when Forrest met Elvis, Crème de Menthe and Coconut milk reminiscent of his time in Vietnam, a vanilla ice cream truffle with Whipped Vodka for Lieutenant Dan, and the cordial cherry chocolate to represent Forrest and the heart he has for Jenny.