I was sorry that I missed out on the album release party and beer tasting that took place at Turkey and the Wolf Icehouse last fall in honor of “The Swamp Fox” Tony Joe White, but it looks like I have another chance to toast the late artist. If you don’t know who TJW was, he spent more than five decades as a singer and songwriter, laying down the greasy grooves of hits like “Poke Salad Annie” and “Rainy Night in Georgia,” and worked on hits for famous performers ranging from Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, Elvis Presley and Tina Turner to Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw.
Born in Goodwill, La., in 1943, White epitomized Louisiana rock ’n’ roll, and his estate has decided to keep his memory alive in two special ways. The first is the re-release of 1980 album The Real Thang, an absolutely mandatory part of his canon if you want to hear him at his peak of creativity. The first half of the album showcases White’s singing and songwriting as a more traditional country artist, including several songs he wrote and sang with Waylon Jennings during their time together in the ’70s. As part of the new edition, Tony Joe’s family discovered 10 new songs from that era to include with the re-release. Among these are great examples of TJW’s “swamp funk” jam sessions that were an integral part of his live performances, often veering into longer instrumental performances like the Allman Brothers paddling a pirogue through a bayou.
For the second tribute, Tony Joe’s son Jody is developing a beer dedicated to his father’s memory. Jody partnered with one of my favorite brewers on the planet, Roy Milner, to create Cowboy Singer Lager. Milner used to be in charge at Blackberry Farm Brewery in Maryville, Tenn., before the business was purchased by Peaceful Side Brewery, another fantastic East Tennessee operation out of Townsend.
Together, Milner and Peaceful Side have created a new lager that reminds me of the wonderful and complex beers that came from Blackberry Farm. Rather than just tossing off a light lager that tastes like every other mega-brewery beer, they have crafted a delightfully crisp pale golden lager that still allows the character of the malt to shine through alongside the expected crisp, peppery notes. It’s enough to make me actually excited about hot weather!
Speaking of hot and peppery, Jody White is throwing a special TJW Father’s Day Crawfish Boil at Spicy Boy's from noon until 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 21, at 924 McFerrin Ave. in East Nashville. Your $50 admission includes all-you-can-eat spicy mudbugs and fixin’s, plus two Country Singer Lagers to enjoy while Jody showcases his father’s great album. Grab your tickets at the event website.
Ramos Gin Fizz: The taller the foam, the closer to God!
The second Pelican State party I want to tell you about takes place at Green Hour, the absinthe and cocktail lounge that pops up Thursday through Saturday nights inside Tempered Fine Chocolates at 1201 Fifth Ave. N. Ordinarily, the highlight experiences at Green Hour are pairings with absinthe or cocktails alongside chocolate truffles made on the property, but for one night a year, the bar staff at Green Hour gets a little delightfully weird.
This year, that night will be June 28, when they will host their annual Fizz and Flip Night at the bar. The evening is an homage to a legendary cocktail made famous in 1888 by Henry C. Ramos at his bar, the Imperial Cabinet Saloon on Gravier Street in New Orleans. Maybe you’ve heard of the drink before, but you probably haven’t ever actually tried one. In fact, very few people outside of The Big Easy think to order or make a Ramos Gin Fizz.
Why not? Because they are a tremendous pain in the butt to make, requiring eight ingredients and at least 12 minutes of vigorous shaking in a mixing tin filled with ice to create the signature pillowy cloud of whipped egg whites that rise precariously above the rim of the glass of a properly shaken fizz. (They are also not a great idea if you have a mustache or don’t want to look like you have a mustache.)
But the staff at Green Hour has never been afraid to put some extra effort into the presentation of a great cocktail, including the elaborate absinthe drip service ritual that you have to experience to understand — just not on Fizz and Flip Night. Try to order a Ramos Gin Fizz on any other night in any other bar in Nashville, and odds are that you’ll be met with: 1. a confused stare from the bartender who knows only how to make vodka sodas or open long-neck bottles; 2. a polite suggestion to maybe try something or someplace else because nobody got time for that; or 3. a swift kick in the butt to get you out of their bar and into the street.
I enjoyed how Green Hour bar manager Tommy Woodring explained what is special about the evening: “It takes a lot of labor, and it becomes very exhausting, but that’s why we do it. It doesn’t require special skills or equipment. It doesn’t require special knowledge or thousands of dollars. This is a raw labor of love. It’s not about something the other bars in town can’t do, it’s about what they won’t do, and because of that, it’s an experience for locals in town who love a drink that’s different.”
If you want to partake in this once-a-year celebration, make your way to Green Hour on June 28. You’ll know they’re serving when the green light is glowing in the front window.
