CHECKER'S MARTINI
No Silly, It's
Not About the Game - It's About A Dog ...
and a COCKTAIL! Read on!
September 23rd is
now recognized as Checker’s Day. Most people might immediately
wonder why we have a day delegated to a simple board game and the
fact of the matter is we don't - or if we do it's not September 23rd!
Checker's Day -
note the apostrophe - actually refers to a dog, a
Presidential Dog no less. You see, in on September 23rd, 1952,
President Richard M. Nixon made his famous Checkers Speech in which
he refers to a gift of a little black and white Cocker Spaniel:
“One other
thing I probably should tell you, because if I don't they will
probably be saying this about me, too. We did get something, a gift,
after the election. You know what it
was? It was a little Cocker Spaniel dog ... black and white, spotted,
and our little girl Tricia, the six year old, named it Checkers. And
you know, the kids, like all kids, loved the dog, and I just want to
say this, right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we're
going to keep it.”
~ President Richard Milhous Nixon
In honor of
“Checkers” – who sadly went to the Rainbow Bridge in 1964 -
here is my CHECKERS MARTINI. Unlike politics, this cocktail really is
black and white!
CHECKERS MARTINI
INGREDIENTS
3/4 Oz. Coffee
Liqueur
1/4 Oz. Dark
Crème de Cacao
1-1/2 Oz. Half &
Half
Ground Espresso
Beans
DIRECTIONS
Dip the rim of
your cocktail glass into some of the coffee liqueur and then into the
ground espresso beans. Chill the glass in the freezer.
Pour the coffee
liqueur and the dark crème de cacao into the glass.
Take a bar spoon,
turn it upside down and hold the tip against the inside of the glass
bowl then gently pour the half & half over the spoon onto the
coffee liqueur and dark crème de cacao.
Allow this to
settle for a few moments and the layers will settle down to their own
levels.
Serve up with the
story about the late Checkers the Dog.
Updated August 2026
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY
