28 Days of Soul Food: The Weekend Edition

Mixologist Lynn House and I discuss the great Ella Fitzgerald’s vast cookbook collection, her passion behind it and more.

Jazz legends Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan have been two of my favorite artists for as long as I can remember, so I was thrilled when celebrated mixologist Lynn House requested to honor them during our weekly LIVE! Culinary Series episode on Instagram.

Because it’s Black History Month, House wanted to pay tribute by creating two cocktails based off “Black Coffee,” a silky, soulful jazz tune made famous by Vaughan in 1949. Ella Fitzgerald covered the same song in 1960.

While I was doing a bit of research for the episode, I found that Fitzgerald was an immense food enthusiast. She collected a vast number of cookbooks, and many of them were soul food related. What really intrigued me was the fact that she read them like you’d read a romance novel. She was obsessed with every recipe and all the details that went into each dish.

Because Fitzgerald was diabetic and had heart issues, however, she never cooked any of the recipes she loved so much. Reading and discussing them among friends was enough to satisfy her appetite. Her collection boasted 300 cookbooks, and they’re on permanent display at Harvard University’s Schlesinger Library, which features 12,000 cookbooks by collectors as well as women authors. I could only find one cookbook title from Fitzgerald’s collection, which you’ll find right here. I will be delving into more research about her cookbooks, which I will post here during Women’s History Month in March.

In the meantime, check out the full conversation with Lynn House where we discussed the rich history of these jazz women as well as House demonstrates her cocktails.

Divine Coffee (a tribute to Sarah Vaughan)

Ingredients:

3 oz hot coffee 

2 oz whipped cream infused with Old Fashioned bitters (blend whipped cream with a touch of sugar and 3 dashes of Old Fashioned bitters)

1 1/2 oz Evan Williams Bourbon

3/4 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram

Build spirits and coffee in tempered coffee cup. Top with whipped cream. Finish with grated allspice.

Fitzgerald Flip (A tribute to Ella Fitzgerald)

Ingredients:

3 oz La Colombe Vanilla Latte

2 oz Carolan’s Salted Caramel Irish Cream

3 dashes Bitter Truth Creole Bitters

1 whole egg 

Shake all ingredients without ice, then add ice. Shake vigorously and serve up. Add three drops of bitters on top as garnish.

[Cocktail photos by Lynn M. House]