Today’s DOTD - Drink Of The Day - is the Armistice Cocktail inspired by Armistice Day, also known here in the U.S. as Veterans Day, celebrated every year on Nov. 11.
The holiday is commemorated every year to mark the armistice, or temporary peace treaty, signed between Germany and the Allies of World War I. The intent was to shut down the fighting while a final peace agreement was formulated. That armistice took effect at “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918 - hence why it’s observed on November 11.
Communications then weren’t what they are now, so the fighting didn’t actually end at 11AM, and instead went until nightfall. The armistice then had to be extended from its original 36 day term to complete the Treaty of Versailles. That’s the peace agreement that ended World War I. Sadly, that treaty was not as iron-clad as many then believed, and its failures led to the rise of of Hitler, the Nazis, & World War II.
The first Armistice Day was proclaimed by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson on November 19, 1919, one year after the end of the war, to commemorate the cessation of hostilities. The U.S. Congress officially recognized it as “Armistice Day” through Congressional resolution in 1926, and in 1938 made it an official federal holiday through Congressional action.
Initially, it was a remembrance holiday to honor the veterans of World War I, though after World War II, Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower expanded it to encompass all U.S. military veterans, signing the bill making that change official in 1954.
Veterans Day is now a federal holiday dedicated to honoring all who have served in the U.S. military, recognizing their patriotism, service, and sacrifices. It is a day to thank & celebrate living veterans for their service and contributions, unlike Memorial Day, which is a solemn occasion to remember those who died in service.
In Europe, Great Britain, and the British Commonwealth nations, it’s a formal federal holiday still generally referred to as Remembrance Day, and is marked there with single red poppy flowers. The most common public practice of the day across all nations who honor it is to observe two minutes of silence at 11 AM every November 11. Parades & other celebrations of living service members are also common.
In the U.S., an annual memorial service is also held every Nov. 11 at Arlington National Cemetery, featuring a wreath-laying ceremony, often hosted by the president, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Our own Shawn “Smith” Peirce, is in fact a veteran of the U.S. Navy, so to him, and to all living Americans who’ve served in our armed forces, we say a special “thank you” today, by raising a celebratory glass - today, our Drink Of The Day, an Armistice Cocktail.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’re going to need for this drink:
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