Bad name for a drink? Dunno. We’ll call it To Wong Foo for short. I scrolled through my notes list of potential cocktail names. There’s some good ones in there. This was almost named Bro Hug, but then I realized we’re using Wong Farm’s (Riverside, CA) mangoes in this beverage and there was also a movie from the 90s (1995 specifically) where Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, and John Leguizamo play drag queens. Hey, why not combine them?

Admission: I’ve actually never seen the movie. After some brief research I see it’s one of those flicks where the fans and critics are fairly divided, like . On Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score is 71% (C-) and the critic score is 45% (F). Not quite as bad as a turd like The Last Jedi (Tomatometer 91% [how?] audience score 42%) but wide enough to raise an eyebrow or two. The tomato website blurb cuts it down like so, “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar seeks to celebrate individuality, but is too timid and predictable to achieve its admittedly noble aims.” Ok, prety unspecific. I’ll have to check it out myself one of these days. Apparently the first scene is of Swayze coming out of the shower in all his chiseled hunkiness, where he drops the line, “Ready or not, here comes mama” and then we see him prepare himself in makeup and required clothing. I’m in and I’m sure Jo will be happy we’re watching it as Swayze has mystical sexy powers over pretty much everyone. Win win.

Sidenote: I once dressed in drag for Halloween and I’ve got to say, skirts are incredibly comfortable and freeing. It sort of makes more sense for men to wear them, as we can be a little more jangly and receive more fresh air down in the nether regions. There’s not much drawback at all. It’s also way easier to pee in public. The Scottish may have been on to something.

Maybe when William Wallace yelled “Freedom” it was a double entendre?

Despite the ups and downs of what critics and fans feel about To Wong Foo, it made good money at the box office and continues to be a popular cult classic. For one, it was the first big movie ever about drag queens and the story goes there was a bidding war between Amblin Entertainment and Disney for the script, with Amblin winning out in the end. To really cement the deal in his head, Spielberg handed the screenplay to Robin Williams (who had just played Mrs. Doubtfire a year earlier) who read and acted out the script to the famous director while the two were on a plane. Pure magic, however I think Williams was so hilarious he could have done that with Manchester by the Sea and received a gut busting response.

Once the movie was picked up, they had to find the lead. This led to another huge response as many a-list actors showed up dressed in drag for the audition. Some fo the big names include Willem Dafoe, Robert Sean Leonard, Kyle MacLachlan, John Turturro, James Spader, Viggo Mortensen, John Cusack, Matt Dillon, Alexis Arquette (who is said to have taught Dafoe how to “tuck” during the auditions), and Rob Lowe.  

And who is Wong Foo? Writer Carter Beane told Today Online “God! Because you have to thank God for everything,” he said. “You have to be grateful for life. You just have to stop where you are and say thank you for everything.” So there you go.

In case you’re wondering about the rest of the ridiculous, long title, the three characters, in their travels, carry a picture of Julie Newmar, the original Catwoman, with them. Va va voom. I guess we’ll all have to see the movie to get the entire gist.

To Wong Foo (TFE! JN)

1 oz. White Rum

.75 oz. Mango Calpico

.5 oz. Jamaica Gold Rum

.5 oz. Peach Pit Noyaux

.25 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

.25 oz. Lime Sherbet

.25 oz. Simple Syrup

Something fresh, something from the larder. Great quaffer. There needs to be some type of garnish or maybe not. I don’t know. I’m moving in the next couple of days and I’m totally fried. Also, yeah, first time I’ve used just basic simple syrup in a while, but it works.