For months, Donald Trump and his surrogates have been a seemingly endless source of despair-inducing discourse. But once in a while, a Trumplet will say something so indisputably funny that we have no choice but to laugh. (See here, here, and here.)
In the wee hours of Nov. 7, Trump surrogate Scottie Nell Hughes let a mazel tov cocktail fly.
Hughes was slamming Democrat Hillary Clinton for associating with the rapper Jay Z at a concert to get out the vote.
“One of his main videos starts off with a crowd throwing mazel tov cocktails at the police,” said Hughes.
“What is a mazel tov cocktail?” You might ask. One could only assume she was referring to a Molotov cocktail, a DIY grenade made of a glass bottle, flammable liquid, and a cloth wick named after Vyacheslav Molotov—not the Hebrew expression for congratulations and good luck.
But really, aren’t we all kind of ready for a mazel tov cocktail? We’ll take it.
Here’s a recipe that makes good on the jammy, concord grape flavor of Manischewitz, an inexpensive and rather cloying Kosher wine that’s ubiquitous come Passover. Turns out, you can reduce this stuff to a syrup that makes a respectable, autumnal Champagne cocktail. Think Kir Royale, with grape instead of raspberry, and a little scent of rosemary on the nose.
Two cups of Manischewitz concord grape wine
1 bottle of Champagne (Jay Z’s Ace of Spades if you’re feeling flush)—or a prosecco, cava, or other sparkling white wine will do
Rosemary to garnish
Pour two cups of Manischewitz into a saucepan. Bring to a boil at medium-high, then lower heat to a simmer and reduce to about one cup (about 20 minutes). Let cool. You will have leftover Manischewitz syrup for future Mazel Tovs!
Pour one-half ounce (one tablespoon) of cooled syrup into the bottom of a champagne flute.
Top up the glass with Champagne or sparkling wine. (Pour slowly for a beautiful color gradient.)
Rub a sprig of rosemary between your fingers to release the scent, and drop it on top.
Mazel Tov!