Drink 35: The Twin Scouts

The Name: The Twin Scouts                                                                                

The Bar: Nitecap (120 Rivington Street, NYC)

The Story Behind The Name: Despite the fact that about 3% of the world's population are twins, the existence of twins seems to fascinate those who are not twins themselves. Nearly all of William Shakespeare's comedies feature confusion involving twins, and require a lengthy explanation of the events that occurred because everyone's so confused, even though all would have been cleared up if anyone had just referred to anyone else by name. In pop culture, when twins are not presented as confusing, they're presented as undeniably creepy, despite the fact that all they want is someone to play with them.

"We were thinking backgammon or something, but we also have parcheesi if that's more your speed. Our mom made snacks."

But, more than being just confusing or creepy, the most consistent representation of twins in pop culture is that they are identical in every way. The fact that they are twins is generally offered to the audience in lieu of giving the characters any discernible personality.

Like these twins from the show Doug. You can tell which one is which because they have different shirts!

Of course, such depictions of twins are wildly inaccurate. While twins are often very close, they are their own individuals and have their own personalities, interests, and lives which exist outside one another. Surely in real life there isn't a creepy set of twins who do everything together and basically act as one entity!

Well, that's what I thought, until my mom told me about two twins she went to college with. Meet Larry and Terry.

Larry and Terry, in my mom's yearbook.

But when I think of Larry and Terry, I don't call them Larry and Terry. I call them Lawwy and Tewwy, because aside from their matching faces and haircuts, they also had matching speech impediments--infantile R's that I feel bad for laughing at but which undeniably make this story all the funnier. Larry and Terry were practically indistinguishable from each other, right down to wearing the same outfit and having the same haircut. Speaking of their haircuts, they both had matching buzzcuts because they were boy scouts. Being boy scouts was their only activity.

My mom didn't know much about Larry and Terry. the mostly kept to themselves, doing scouting-related things. But she remembers them very distinctly. They were literally never apart and would often be seen walking in the hall together. But, for some reason, when walking in the hall, instead of holding their heads upright, their heads would be kind of bent towards each other, forming a sort of arch between them. My mom and her friends formed a theory that this must have been how their necks were positioned in the womb.

But this was not their quirkiest trait. My mom's most distinct memory of Larry and Terry comes from seeing them as they were studying in the library. They would get their textbooks out, and Terry would turn to his brother and they would have the following exchange.

"Awe you weady, Lawwy?"

"I'm weady, Tewwy."

They then proceeded to turn their pages at the exact same time. They would repeat this exchange at the end of every page, and would only turn to the next page when the other was ready. I mean, weady. This was not an isolated incident, this is just how they studied.

Pictuwed: a gif of a pewson who is weady.

If you don't find the visual of these two guys saying this and turning their pages in unison incredibly hilarious, then I can't help you. Try reading it aloud. Ever since my mom told me about Lawwy and Tewwy, this became a part of my life. If I'm doing work or reading a newspaper, or doing anything that requires an exaggerated turning of a page, then before I turn it, 90% of the time I first say "Awe you weady, Lawwy? I'm weady Tewwy!" and turn the page, giggling to myself. Then I look around and realize that nobody else is there and I worry about my own sanity. 

But not as worried as I am about the sanity of Lawwy and Tewwy. Look at Larry's eyes. LOOK AT HIS EYES.

It's also worth noting that not only were their first names similar, but their middle names were almost identical as well. My mom doesn't remember exactly, but she thinks one of their middle names was Gilman and the other was Stilman. Seriously, the inhuman similarities between them and their odd behavior makes them sound like the Coneheads. That would make a lot of sense, actually.

Ordering The Drink: I was getting a drink with my friend Ryan, who has appeared several times on this blog and was in fact there at What's That Drink's conception! We went to a neat little spot called Nitecap--a great little place that I'd heard a lot about but never been to before. I'd read that it had a speakeasy vibe to it. Apparently it was one of those places that you would walk right by without noticing, because it was behind an unmarked, underground door. I love hidden places like that, and so Ryan and I planned to meet there.

When we arrived we discovered the following sign clearly showing where the bar was.

There's an arrow and everything.

So, reports of how secretive Nitecap is were fairly exaggerated--it even had a big red sign outside the storefront. My guess is it USED to be secluded away, but then nobody would go in, so they decided to scrap that and go ahead and let people know they were there. But, even with these changes, once you go inside it still has the speakeasy feel. It's very dark and atmospheric--you really do feel like you're in some hidden, unknown spot.

As part of this atmosphere, it was really, really dark in Nitecap, and I hate taking flash pictures in dark bars because I think it's obnoxious. So I didn't get any pictures of the very hip interior. And I also didn't get any pictures of my first drink, which is a shame because it was great. It was called the See No Evil, and was served in a glass in the shape of a monkey covering its eyes. It was delicious, and it summed up what I think the idea behind Nitecap really is. The bar feels very sophisticated and cool, but has lots of touches of fun and whimsy. Along with things like a drink served in a monkey, the menu itself was almost childlike, with a wacky, bright red font, and past menus have had things like word searches and "spot the difference" pictures. It's a fun place, but they also know their mixed drinks and the menu, which divides their drinks into various categories by type of cocktail, features twists on classic cocktails, and shows a keen eye for the history of mixology. It's the type of place that cocktail experts will appreciate, but those who know nothing about cocktails will enjoy just as much.

After I finished my monkey drink, I asked our waiter if the bartender would make me a drink called the Twin Scouts. I had actually never considered using Lawwy and Tewwy as inspiration for a drink, so the name came at Ryan's suggestion.

Ryan at the top of the stairs leading to Nitecap. You'we the best, Wyan!

In not too long, my dwink was weady, and the Twin Scouts was placed on my table.

The Drink:
Laphroaig Scotch Whiskey
Famous Grouse Scotch Whiskey
Passion Fruit
Pineapple Juice
Lime juice
Garnish with pineapple (both the fruit and the leaves), maraschino cherry, and a cocktail umbrella

(I know I said I don't like to take pictures in dark bars, but...I had to get a picture of this absurd garnish. I'd already taken a few sips, and eaten the pineapple and cherry, but...just look at that umbrella and those pineapple leaves! Amazing. It was like drinking a tropical forest.)

Assessment of Drink: This was great--an unsurprisingly tropical drink, given the ingredients and the colorful garnish. Passion fruit is a fairly dominant flavor, and sure enough, it's the first thing you taste. At my first sip, I thought the passion fruit was actually too overpowering, and that it had drowned out the two scotches. I was wrong, though--the scotch was definitely there, but would kind of sneak up on you. Instead of being the dominant flavor, you'd get a distinct flavor of scotch as an aftertaste. This was a very pleasant surprise, with whiskey being the flavor that lingered on your tongue. This aftertaste also prevented the drink from being too sweet. Ultimately, it was a fun drink that is deceptively complex. It's a drink that you'll like whether you like to drink straight scotch or margaritas.

Does It Live Up To The Name: Sure. When the waiter brought the drink to our table, he initially just said "There are two types of whiskey," and didn't specify the type until afterwards. I hadn't thought too much about the name, but this is an obvious and clever solution--by having two varieties of whiskey, the "Twin" part of the drink's name is already taken care of.

I'm less sold on how this drink conveys the Scout part. The drink was distinctly tropical in flavor, and there's really nothing tropical about the scouts.

"This badge is for the limbo. And this badge is for surfing. And this badge is for a complete lack of a suntan. And this badge is for..."

The waiter actually explained why there was a tropical theme. Not sure what sort of drink I wanted, the bartender knew I had ordered the See No Evil already, which also has a bit of a tropical bent, so he had stayed in that theme. That still doesn't explain how the "Scouts" were represented in this drink. Maybe, because it had two scotches in it, and Scotch kind of sounds like Scout? Maybe he actually thought I was asking for a Twin Scotch--it wouldn't be the first time a bartender had misheard my drink order. But, no matter what, the Scout aspect is, I think, definitely missing from the drink, and that holds me back from being 100% sold on thinking this drink matches the name. Scouts, after all, have pretty much nothing to do with passion fruit.

But, despite this, I still was a big fan of the drink, and of Nitecap as a bar. It's a great, semi-secret place and I would definitely return. Next time I'm in the area and someone asks where's a good place to get a drink, I'll certainly be weady with a suggestion.