The Moon, our planet Earth’s only satellite, has for centuries possessed an undeniably enormous cultural importance, whether considered as the heavenly body that it is, a divine being, a home to various gods and goddesses, or the ultimate target in the Space Race (and, thus, a key to victory in the Cold War). In all its phases and librations, the Moon, which affects Earth’s tides and most likely provided our planet with its axial tilt and metal deposits, has also inspired the cocktail world for a long time (and we’re not talking about moonshine, folks). Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge has been no exception to this; in fact, we have a number of drinks – the Moonglow, the Pale Moon, the Blue Moon – that obviously pay tribute to the “cold-hearted orb that rules the night.” This month, however, we want to highlight a lunar-inspired drink that’s also quite seasonally appropriate: our September Cocktail of the Month, the Harvest Moon.
The Harvest Moon, predominantly cranberry-flavored with subtle hints of pineapple and peach, is one of our many hurricane style drinks, and it obviously celebrates the Harvest Moon, the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox. The Harvest Moon (the full moon, not the drink) rises right around the time the sun sets, allowing farmers to work later into the night by the light of the full moon during the fall harvests. This year it falls on September 16th, but don’t worry: just because the actual full moon happens in the middle of this month, you’ll still be able to partake of our Harvest Moon cocktail all September long.
We here at Bryant’s find that it’s especially fitting for the Harvest Moon to be our September Cocktail of the Month not only because of the upcoming full moon, but because cranberries, Wisconsin’s official state fruit, have been continually harvested every September and October in this state since 1860. Wisconsin produces more cranberries than any other U.S. state, and more than half of the world’s supply. Needless to say, because of its tart cranberry flavor, our Harvest Moon is very particular both to Bryant’s and to Wisconsin, and unlike any other “Harvest Moon” cocktail you’ll get anywhere else, mainly because our Harvest Moon doesn’t seem to be an adaptation of any well-known or classic cocktail like many of our others are.
Trust us: there are plenty of cocktails out there named the Harvest Moon, and even just a little cursory internet research will result in dozens of results. The most obvious historical precedent for any current cocktail named the Harvest Moon (ours included, perhaps) would probably come from the December 1934 issue of Esquire Magazine, which listed the top ten most popular cocktails at the time. Along with such standards as the Daiquiri and the Old Fashioned, included on this list was the Harvest Moon, consisting of applejack, lime juice, and orgeat. And, while that sounds delicious, and probably has unfairly gone by the wayside, that’s a remarkably different drink than ours. We can only assume that, despite the drink’s popularity at the time, that Harvest Moon just didn’t reflect the specific agricultural associations we have with harvests here in Wisconsin, and Bryant’s wanted its Harvest Moon cocktail to have an unmistakable local touch to it.
Stop in between 5pm and 8pm Sunday through Thursday and become a lunatic for the Harvest Moon for just $6 all month long.
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