Dan’s blog about the Netherwood Station clean up and his reference to one of Plainfield’s greatest volunteers , Anne Louise Davis and her favorite drink; the Sidecar clicked a pleasant memory.
About 1951 shortly after moving into Kenyon Ave, we held a house warming party. We had a limited budget, so we decided to have a punch instead of an open bar.
One of my patients was a bar tender at that era’s Stage Coach Inn. He suggested that we sample various mixed drinks that could be mixed in a batch. Ultimately after being under no stress we decided on “Sidecars” as the basis of the punch.
Another patient owned a road house night club “Princess Wana” on Route 22 in Green brook where she also was an “exotic dancer”. Her husband must have been a minor league “Mafioso” but he volunteered to arrange for me to purchase from his source, a liquor wholesaler, 3 cases of brandy and one of Cointreau.
I was happy to be able to save the money and waited for him to call that he had the four cases. One afternoon while I was at my office, Helen called and said there was a delivery truck in the driveway at the b ack of the house. They were delivering the cases.
I don’t believe that it was legal to do so however “the price was right” and the service could not have been better. Up to the turn of the Century we still had several bottles left.
The party was a great success. I never knew we had so many "friends",acquaintances and "who are theys". All seemed to enjoy themselves.
Our neighbor across the Street was a retired High School Teacher (Mr. Beers) who had been instrumental in my receiving the ‘chemistry” prize at graduation (1936-another story). Unfortunately his charming wife who was naïve thought that the "fruit punch" was the best she had tasted. Needless to say she had a little difficulty crossing the street and slept well that night.
Since we had greatly overestimated our needs for that party it led to another “tradition”.
For a great many years, when we lived on Kenyon Ave, on New Year’s Day Jeanne and Bob Reis with Helen and I, would hold an open house. We alternated locations between our two homes. We still had bottles of brandy and Cointreau left over from our house warming party, The “Side Car” punch bowl had been such a success that it became our party trademark. This open house evolved into a local social event and forty or more couples would come.
The Jimmy Mirons on a nearly annual basis also held an open house on New Year’s Day. Initially their guest list consisted of slightly older individuals than ours. However, there were many overlapping guests. As the guest lists enlarged, the age groups became quite heterogeneous. Therefore, by virtue of some kind of female agreement, the two parties were held in alternating years. Ultimately, some people felt t not being invited to either one was a social disgrace
This was part of our Plainfield 50 and 60 years ago.
Dick Peter’s New Years Day Egg Nog party in the 60s became a doctor’s must.
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