The Whisky Connection: What Ava Loved to Drink
John Denver may’ve crooned ‘A Country Girl in Paris’ in 1988, but if the song resonates with anyone, it has to be Ava Gardner – the country girl from Grabtown, North Carolina who went on to become a diva. Only, she didn’t find herself in Paris. She ended up in Hollywood.
Ava’s life was no less than a story straight out of a Hollywood musical. From riches, to rags to riches again, her life was a roller-coaster of the good, the bad, and at times, the ugly. Born into an affluent farming family that later lost their property, Ava’s family moved into the big city of Virginia, in search of better opportunities, and a better life. It was years later in 1941 when Larry Tarr put up one of his portraits of Ava at a shop window that MGM took notice, and cast her in a series of blink, and you miss roles. The Killer, released in 1946, changed it all, and Ava Gardner, the drop dead gorgeous diva of the silver screen, was born.
She may have come a long way from her days as a simple girl from a Baptist family, but her roots as a girl born on the farm was mirrored in her love for cigarettes, for her father owned a tobacco plantation. Later, whisky would become her poison of choice. She loved her whisky neat, and is said to have downed several pegs at a go. So much did she love her whisky that on the sets of Night of the Iguana, she is rumoured to have refused to film her scene because she felt like drinking instead. Thanks to her charm, she got away with it. She’s right at the top with the likes of Humphrey Bogart, and Raymond Chandler when it comes to celebrity drinkers famous for their love of whisky.
The Importance of Scotch Whisky’s Ageing Process
A rich, peaty whisky is the dream of any whisky aficionado and to achieve this, the spirit needs to be aged for months, preferably years. In fact, the longer it is left to mature, the more intense the flavour. Distilleries all over Scotland experiment with different blends that in turn give each liquor its unique body and character. For the connoisseur, the maturation and ageing process is a stepping stone towards obtaining a full-bodied drink with its own unique character.
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A Tale of Tennis: Whisky, Wimbledon and Much More
I grew up in a predominantly sport loving household. My father, an avid tennis lover, having played state-level tournaments in his teens and early twenties, tried his best to toughen me up and make me sporty as a child. Much to his disappointment and my happiness, I failed graciously at all competitive physical activities. While in school, when asked to choose co-curricular pursuits, I chose poetry over basketball, dramatic arts over tennis, and debating society over karate. Don’t get me wrong! This isn’t a tale of a failed effort at breaking gender stereotypes. The fact of the matter is I am not biologically built to even stand out as average in any kind of sport. All of 153 centimeters, a poor body mass, and being prone to exhaustion at the slightest physical exertion do have its cons. Good thing—he never pushed me beyond what was fitting.
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