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Hawk Shot Mug

This is one more from the series "Mugs I Will Never Drink Out Of."

What would you do if you were in Moscow in the coldest months of the year? (Cue up the music to "Dr. Zhivago".) This mug, possibly from the 1970s, may hold the answer. It is a promotional ceramic mug from Smirnoff, the Russian vodka brand that has been distilled in the United States since 1934.

On the bottom of this mug is a recipe for a drink called the "Hawk Shot." All I can say is that it must get pretty cold in Russia. How I wish I had a camera to take a picture of your face when you read the ingredients of this mixed drink.

Update: While suffering through a week-long nasty cold, I decided to find out if a Hawk Shot had any redeeming qualities, particularly in curing the common cold. I mean, there has to be some justification for this drink, don't you think? The day I felt the worst, I left work early, and on the way home I stopped at the liquor store in Union Station. Got myself a bottle of Stolichnaya vodka (much better than Smirnoff, IMHO) and another of Drambuie (in case the Hawk Shot didn't do the trick).

When I got home, I mixed up the Hawk Shot, leaving out the twist of lemon, so I could try the drink with and without it. After the first sip, I realized that this was perhaps the worst drink I'd ever tasted...something like greasy vodka. To be fair, I tried a second sip with a lemon twist, and incredibly, the drink tasted even worse. It was then that I poured the entire drink down the kitchen drain. What a waste of good vodka!

This experiment was performed as a public service to my readers. Do not try this drink, I'm warning you! Thank goodness I had the Drambuie. While it does not cure the common cold, it tastes a million times better than a Hawk Shot.