Full confession, I’ve never seen one episode of the show or even watched the remake in movie form starring Seth Rogan but the drink came to me and I thought it would be a damn good name for a cocktail. No? It does have some martial arts reference and history. We like martial arts references over here. And hey! Bruce Lee was the original Kato. It was the show that put him on the map. For the young ones out there, Bruce Lee landed with a huge impact back in the day. Martial arts, and more specifically, karate, just blew up once all his movies came out. They were all a part of my special diet as a kid, especially Enter the Dragon which played on cable tv a lot.

The style was so different from the popular tough guy shit from that era. The Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson stonefaced killer type of stuff. This was energetic, fluid, athletic. Bruce Lee, with his patented cool demeanor, could erupt into an ass kicking dynamo at any moment. We all mimicked him on the playground. The kicks, the jumping around, and most importantly the sounds he made.

The Green Hornet originated as a radio show in 1936. Kato started out Japanese but World War II changed that and Kato’s nationality became Korean and then Filipino. In movie serials in the 40s, Kato was played by Chinese actor, Keye Luke. In 1966, when the TV show aired, Kato remained Chinese. Bruce Lee was hesitant at first to play the role because he viewed the character as subservient and insisted he be able to use his martial arts skills instead of the normal cheesier style fisticuff choreography displayed in popular shows of that time like Batman. The execs decided to follow his lead and the Kato character’s fight scenes, designed by Lee himself, ended up being one of the more anticipated parts of the show. No one had ever seen anything like it. Lee became a huge star virtually overnight.

Two of my favorite regulars, J&C, came in last night for their final Rustic meal. They’re moving back to New York City next week. They’ve been coming in for literal years. Five or six for sure. Almost as long as I’ve been there. Just genuine, kind, nice people. Sad to see them go. Regulars come and go, and like life, the good ones go too early while the mediocre thrive. Sigh.

Green Hornet

1 oz. Cachaca

1 oz. Rum Punch

.5 oz. White Rum

.5 oz. Fresh Green Melon Juice

.5 oz. Corngeat

.25 oz. Mandoquat Syrup

1 Dash Shio Koji

Shake, strain onto BFR. Garnish with a pre-slapped makrut lime leaf for aroma.