This Day in History–RIP Ol’ Blue Eyes

May 14 1998, International recording star and Academy Award winner Frank Sinatra dies of a heart attack shortly after the airing of the final Seinfeld episode.

Sinatra had an outstanding career -Academy Award winning actor (From Here to Eternity), a nomination for Best Actor (The Man with the Golden Arm). Winner of the the Presidential Medal of Freedom (by Ronald Reagan in 1985) and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997. Sinatra was also the recipient of eleven Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Trustees Award, Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

As a member of the bratpack, his partying we legendary. 

Frank  drank expensive red wines, and mixed martinis for his friends on the set of "Ocean's Eleven." And, he never forgot a pal's favorite drink (according to Sinatra's old friend Ed McMahon). But his own drink was a simple, but exacting mix of ice, Jack Daniels Tennessee whiskey and water. "This is a gentleman's drink," is how he described it. "This is nice." He called it "The Black Ass of Jack Daniel," on occasion.

The Black Ass of Jack Daniel (Frank’s Way)

1. Use a leaded crystal glass, if possible. Sinatra was a fan of elegant glassware, and built a voluminous collection. He believed that good glassware brought out the best in any booze.

2. Drop four cubes---no more---into the glass. Sinatra would pick out any more cubes than four with a spoon, and admonish the bartender that he wanted to drink, not skate.

3. Pour two fingers of Jack Daniels over the ice---no more. His bodyguards would tell bartenders "Don't try to be his friend by mixing it heavy. He don't like it like that." Sinatra once described a drink too heavy in whiskey as "Sammy Davis in a glass."

4. Fill the remainder of the glass with a quality still water, like Poland Springs. Sinatra drank water only as a cocktail mixer, never for refreshment, or even as a back to a cocktail. "I'm thirsty, I'm not dirty," he would scowl.

5. Allow the drink to settle for two minutes. Sinatra would drink martinis right on pouring, but believed that allowing a mixed drink on the rocks allowed it to settle, and brought out its subtleties.

6.Drink your Black Ass of Jack Daniel Sinatra's way. He did not hold cocktails by the rim, and infrequently set them down. He would cup them in his hand, insulated by a cocktail napkin.

 

With such great quotes as

• “Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy.”
• “Basically, I'm for anything that gets you through the night - be it prayer, tranquilizers or a bottle of Jack Daniels.”
• "You gotta love livin' baby, 'cause dyin's a pain in the ass."

it’s easy for him to be one of our favorites.

So beloved was he, that the night following his death, the lights on the Las Vegas Strip were dimmed for 10 minutes in his honor.

Frank, you were unique in each and every way.  Here’s to you…..You did it Your Way