This Drinks With featured in the June issue of Australian Bartender
Interviewed by Edward Washington
This month’s Drinks With needs little introduction. Yet on the same token – it’s Dan Aykroyd so how can we not talk it up! This is the man who helped defeat a giant size Stay Puft Marshmellow Man in Ghostbusters and sang some sweet tunes behind chicken wire in The Blues Brothers. He’s also behind the recently launched Crystal Head vodka, so we thought it was a prime opportunity to talk to one of Hollywood’s icons.
You’ve worked in bars I believe? What was your experience as a bartender like?
I’ve never been a professional bartender however serving drinks has always been a part of my entertainment career. Starting with my first bar in the basement of our row house in Ottawa, Canada I discovered the joys of having a place to hang-out. My friends entered this sanctum by sliding down the coal chute. There were two barber chairs and a 1950s style Formica home bar counter that was four feet long.
Next came 505 Queen Street East, our private after-hours key club which we ran for actors, restaurant staff, streetcar and bus drivers, off duty police and anyone who needed a drink in Toronto after 1am. The entire Second City cast used it as their personal spot. Gilda, Marty, Murray, Levy, Candy everyone.
At Saturday Night Live, John and I needed our own place to throw the after-after party. The corner of Hudson and Dominick was chosen, site of an old longshoremen’s bar. It was picked for Harley parking first and as our blues bar second. When we did the Blues Brothers movie in Chicago, of course it was necessary to have a place where the crew could unwind after our night shooting. We took over an old house which had survived the Chicago fire and had great times there. In 1994 we started House of Blues. These were my first actual licensed bars. There are now 13 of them across America.
What’s your cocktail of choice?
My current favorite cocktail of choice is – The Roman Head: 45ml Crystal Head Vodka, 90ml fresh tomato juice, dash of Tabasco, squirt of lime, drop of Worcestershire sauce plus one large celery stalk with peanut butter in the hollow embedding a carrot.
Do you have any favourite international bars you like to visit?
By far the greatest bar in the country is Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop on Bourbon Street, New Orleans. Following close for great times and a unique experience is The Iron Horse Bar in lower Manhattan where waitresses dance on fire, and put customers on a swing above the bar.
Tell me about Crystal Head Vodka and your involvement with it?
My three partners and I started Crystal Head Vodka in 2008. Many people think of vodka as a product you make, and then sell. They look for the most efficient and profitable ways to do this; for them, vodka production is commerce and utility.
We believe in something different. We believe that vodka is (or should be) the ultimate pure spirit. We believe that Crystal Head represents the closest that anyone has come, to achieving that ambition.
The difference between most vodkas and Crystal Head you will notice upon uncorking the bottles. Most vodka will smell slightly like perfume, Crystal Head smells like vodka should: a slightly sweet alcohol fragrance. Our tasting notes for Crystal Head are: sweet, vanilla, dry, crisp with a kick of heat off the finish. In devising this pure product we could only put it in a vessel which reflected our company’s spirit of enlightened thinking about beverage alcohol. Our replica of the Mayan Crystal Skull was perfect for this purpose.
Ok, Ghostbusters was such a uniquely creative film – what was it like working on that set and with those guys?
Bill Murray, Ivan Reitman and Harold Ramis were all friends with me before we started the movie. Working with them is always like being with family.
You had a big influence from blues growing up – is it still something that stays with you today?
Jim Belushi, the blood brother of John and I have an active concert touring schedule. We play frequently and have a great time doing it. We will keep playing until we are no longer able to dance then I’ll quit even though it’s possible to sing blues sitting down.
When you launched Elwood and Jake Blues of the Blues Brothers did you realise you’d created such an enduring act? How’d it all start?
It started in Toronto, Canada at the 505 Queen Street East after hours bar when John came up to recruit talent for National Lampoon’s Radio Hour. We were sitting in the bar listening to Straight Up, a record by the Downchild Blues Band. Then and there John and I decided to start the band.
Why has the Blues Brothers remained such an iconic and important film?
The movie holds up today and makes top 100 lists because of the true classic musical stars who performed in it – Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, James Brown and of course Otis Redding’s guitar players Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn. To have the visuals associated with these songs is historic and meaningful.
How’d you get interested in the paranormal and what do you say to skeptics?
For all questions about my interests in the paranormal I refer you to my father’s book History of Ghosts. Skeptics are essential in the pursuit of truth especially when paranormal events may not turn out to be that at all. There are hoaxes and climatological causes. Skeptics can seek these out and help determine true anomalies from untrue ones.
We’re doing a pretty good job of messing up planet earth’s environment – why would UFOs want to visit us anyway?
My theory is that these beings are visiting earth because it may well be the most beautiful planet in the multi-verse. Primarily they are tourists but are also up to other less benign activities.
Dan, sincere thanks for you time – finally are you coming to Australia any time soon?
If Crystal Head Vodka is embraced as the bartenders’ friend there and people begin responding to the cleaned-up taste and our beautiful Mayan skull bottle then I am definitely coming to Australia in a gratitude tour.