'Guys & Dolls' classic cocktail returns

Anytime a James Bond movie comes out, all of us drinks writers immediately pounce on what 007 is drinking in his latest flick. But classic plays and films rarely change their drinks menus despite many revivals.

A good example is “Guys and Dolls,” the classic musical comedy about gamblers and their gals that debuted on stage in 1950, was made into a movie in 1955, and since then has regularly returned to the stage.

The latest revival is the Broadway show scheduled to open in New York on March 1, starring Oliver Platt and Lauren Graham as Sky Masterson and Sarah Brown.

In the play, they travel to Havana, Cuba, where Sarah orders a Dulce de Leche cocktail.

The folks at Bacardi have jumped on this opportunity to remind consumers about the drink that now has survived more than a half-century. And, of course, they'd prefer it be made with their own products.

Here's the recipe for a Dulce de Leche:

1 ounce Bacardi Superior Rum (or any good rum)
½ ounce Dark Godiva Liqueur (or any other dark chocolate liqueur)
½ ounce sweetened condensed milk

Shake all ingredients very well in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Garnish with a pinch of ground cinnamon and shaved chocolate.

The movie version of "Guys & Dolls," by the immortal writer Damon Runyon, starred Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons and Vivian Blaine.

Runyon, a New York sportswriter-turned short-story writer and poet, wrote a series of stories under the umbrella name "Guys & Dolls" in 1932. Two of them, on which the play was based, were called "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure."

Runyon (spelled Runyan at birth but changed later due to a typographical error he kept) was known for being very specific about drinks in his work. He frequently mentioned the Tom & Jerry, a hot holiday drink, in his short stories.

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