[FIND] Vice

Thomas Sullivan Magnum

Okay, so you either love him or hate him. There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of, “Well, he’s alright.” Either pure affection or pure vitriol. Wherever you stand, it’s clear that Magnum has earned his place in history. (I hate to admit it, but I fall into the adoration column. Seriously, I grew up on this show. It is, in large part, responsible for me being a private investigator today. Seriously…does that make me a geek?)

Magnum, our self-effacing hero, was one of TV’s most likeable characters, which is, some would say, his biggest flaw. There was no real “dark side” to Magnum. He was simply a hapless

gadabout who spent his days solving mysteries and hanging out at the King Kamehameha club with his two best pals, Rick and TC. When not on the job or at the club playing volleyball or surf-paddling, Magnum frittered away an inordinate amount of time at what can only be described as theworld’s coolest bachelor pad, Robin's Nest, where he continually agitated and annoyed Jonathan Quail Higgins (aka - Higgins, Higgy-baby, etc.).

No man has ever come close to doing as much for the Hawaiian shirt as Magnum. His shorts are still the unrivaled gold standard for men’s summer fashion. And the Ray Ban Shooters sunglasses…well… they’re on the way back. As for style, let us just ponder the one accoutrement that we all remember best: the Ferrari.

Aah, the Ferrari 308 GTS, tag # ROBIN 1. That candy-apple-red-steel-bodied-mid-engine-rear-wheel-drive babe-magnet. (Trivia: Due to Selleck’s rangy 6’4” frame, all of the cars used in the show had to have the seat cushions removed and the seat rails repositioned as far back as possible…and still his head sticks up over the windscreen.)

Magnum’s fondness for cigars and Coop’s beer are well known, but there were enough umbrella drinks in his hand over the 8 seasons Magnum, P. I. was on the air to consider Magnum a bit of a cocktail man as well, which brings us to the fun part…pairing Thomas Sullivan Magnum with a cocktail.

The Cocktail

We turn once again to our resident expert in spirits, Josh Habiger, manager of The Patterson House, Nashville’s very own speakeasy. Josh says, “Well, the man is living in Hawaii, so I had to go with something tropical.” Unable to find a concoction that, of its own accord, was worthy of Magnum, Josh created this month's tipple, the Jungle Bird (named after the bright red bird pattern on Magnum’s Hawaiian Shirt. Editor’s note: I actually own one of these.)

“This is a riff on a Cuban drink called a ‘Hotel Nacional,’” says Habiger, “subbing out the classic apricot brandy for a bit of Saigon Cinnamon syrup, to represent Magnum’s time in Vietnam.” Habiger calls this, “The perfect drink for a perfect Hawaiian day.” Here’s the recipe. Stay thirsty my friends.

The Jungle Bird

2 oz. Flor de Cana 4yr Rum

1 oz. Fresh Pineapple Juice

.75 oz Fresh Lime juice

.5 oz Saigon Cinnamon Syrup

.25 oz Simple Syrup

and 2 dashes of Regan's Orange Bitters #6

Place all ingredients in a shaker, add ice, shake, and strain into a rocks glass over ice.

[FIND] VICE

Assignment: Pair a cocktail and a cigar with a fictional PI

Subject: Joe Mannix

Quote: "If you're not gonna pull that trigger immediately, mind if I have a cigarette?" From the episode, "To the Swiftest Death"

Joe Mannix paved the way for all of the TV private eyes we grew up with. He was tough, bull-headed, good-looking, and had a flair for cool cars and fantastic sports coats. We can see traces of Mannix in Rockford (think bright plaid and patterned sports jackets). Magnum took the cool car theme to a whole new level, but it was Mannix who first pulled surveillance in a hey-look-at-me-stand-out-in-a-crowd car.

A Korean War veteran, Mannix knew how to maintain a level head. Whether he was careening down a dirt road in a snazzy convertible or engaged in gun-play with mobsters in ill-fitting, wide-collared, poly-blend suits, Mannix was solid. He’d readily throw a punch, rely on a hunch, and more often than not eschew technology and gadgets for a good old confrontation.

This rough-and-tumble Armenian-American detective was, in short, what every woman in the early seventies wanted, needed. And yet, despite the passel of hot polyester-clad babes that strolled in and out of his life, Mannix, it seemed, was a bachelor’s bachelor, doomed to fly solo. Sharing his most intimate moments with his trusty and (as the website thrillingdetective.com puts it) “oft-kidnapped” secretary Peggy.

Mannix put a modern face on the private eye of the postwar-noir era, bringing the fictional detective into the seventies with a clear nod to the genre. Mike Connors, the actor who brought Mannix to life, once said that somewhere out there "Mannix is still working...There was a decency and a dignity about the man."

Assignment: The Cigar

Operative: Scott Partridge, General Manager

Uptown's Smoke Shop

4001 Hillsboro Road

Nashville, TN 37215

Pairing: After giving the matter a lot of thought, our cigar expert Scott Partridge said, “I would pair him up with a CAO GOLD VINTAGE.” Partridge, general manager of Uptown’s Smoke Shop in Green Hills, argues that the CAO Gold Vintage is possibly one of the best “smooth, medium-bodied cigars” on the market. Like Mannix, the Gold Vintage is dressed to attract, but built tough. Partridge describes the Gold Vintage as having “a silky wrapper that entices with a leathery pre-light nose. Each pull delivers layers of buttery notes backed by a definitive spicy core, attributed to the Habano seed-filler tobaccos from Honduras and Nicaragua.”

Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m on my way over to Uptown’s to pick up my CAO Gold Vintage this afternoon. Maybe, we’ll run into each other. Or maybe I’ll see you, and you’ll never even know I was in the room.

Assignment: The Cocktail

Operative: Josh Habiger, Manager

The Patterson House

1711 Division Street

Nashville, TN 37203

Pairing: Josh Habiger has earned his chef chops in venerable eateries around the world. Prior to taking the reins at The Patterson House, he worked the kitchen at The Fat Duck in London, cooked at Craft in New York, and refined his skills in molecular gastronomy at Alinea in Chicago. He’s a chef, a scholar, and knows his way around a bar. Habiger says, “I believe that Mr. Mannix should be paired with a Rusty Nail cocktail.” He describes the concoction as, “a simple drink containing a blended scotch that is sweetened with just a touch of Drambuie.” Habiger goes on to say that, “Mannix is known for his appreciation of drinking scotch neat, but this little elixir will round out the corners of the whisky and demonstrate the beauty of balance in a cocktail.” Nicely said.

Habiger’s Recipe: Mix 2 oz of your favorite blended scotch with 1/2 oz of Drambuie in a large mixing glass. Stir for about 20 seconds to get the drink cold, then pour into a chilled glass. If you prefer it on the rocks, just build the drink in the glass. Either way, garnish it with a lemon twist and enjoy it while reading your favorite spy novel.

Get yourself to The Patterson House sometime in the next two weeks. We know a guy there, name of Josh. Tell him [FIND] Investigations sent you.

[FIND] Vice

In the next several issues of THE Monthly Ledger, we’ll be running a guest column called [FIND] Vice.

We here at [FIND] Investigations occasionally enjoy our vices. For lead investigator THH, it’s the rare cigar. Investigatrix KDG appreciates the beauty of a fine, hand-crafted cocktail. So we’ve joined forces with two of our favorite local businesses to help us, and you, explore our respective vices with knowledge and artistry.

The Cocktail –

Mission: Pick the perfect cocktail to complement a fictional Private Investigator.

Operative: Josh Habiger, Manager

Venue: The Patterson House

1711 Division Street

Nashville, TN 37203

Tuesday – Sunday 5pm to 3am

615-636-7724

Qualifications: Chef Josh Habiger, an alumnus of Fat Duck in London, Craft in New York City, and Alinea in Chicago, will apply his considerable talents to the task assigned. He’ll be pairing a cocktail with a PI for the next several months. Be sure and sign up for The Monthly Ledger to get the latest in Vice.

The Cigar –

Mission: Choose the perfect cigar to fit the character of a fictional Private Investigator.

Operative: Scott Partridge, General Manager

Venue: Uptowns Smoke Shop

4001 Hillsboro Road

Nashville, TN 37215

Qualifications: Scott Partridge will, with the help of Joe Zike, select a cigar for our PI of the month. Is he qualified? Well, Partridge is manager of one of the World’s Top 12 Tobacconists according to Forbes. Nothing more to say about that…

Drop by any time.