Despite selling more records (over one billion) than anyone else in history, and being instantly recognizable around the world, Elvis only played three concerts outside of the USA; all of them in Canada, and the first of them right here in Toronto, on April 2, 1957.
His gyrating, swivelling hips were censored on TV; he perfected the lip curl, trademarked “thankyou, thankyouverymuch” and invented the Vegas residency. He rocked a jewel-studded jumpsuit and laid down karate moves onstage. He loved you tender, yet stayed at the Heartbreak Hotel.
Still, many remember Elvis mainly for his food choices: fried pickles, peanut butter and banana sandwiches were among his favourite snacks, as was the Fool’s Gold: 1lb of bacon, one jar of peanut butter and one jar of jelly nestled inside a loaf of margarine-slathered French bread. The King also kept his fridge constantly stocked with vanilla ice cream and orange juice
Elvis played that Toronto show wearing the gold lamé suit that 50,000,000 Elvis fans would surely recognize; the one that made him look more than a little like a creamsicle. Maybe that’s the reason that he never wore that suit again, but we took that suit, and his love for vanilla and orange as the inspiration for this month’s Ides. And so we present this Orange Creamsicle Pastry Sour, a tart ale with lots of orange juice and vanilla character, like your favourite popsicle; a beer with which you’ll likely want to keep your fridge constantly stocked.
