Tradition.

The Triple Crown...personally, I like to think of this as something Queen Elizabeth wears when she and Phil are eating dinner off a tray while watching, Downton Abbey.

But Queen E can have a seat at the back of the room, because the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont are everything-Triple Crown. 

Still, there are little jewels to be had in all three races that have nothing to do with horses or diamonds.

Let's talk tradition and the official cocktails of the Triple Crown.

First up:

The Kentucky Derby-Mint Julep

​Mint leaves
Superfine Sugar
Seltzer Water
Crushed Ice
Bourbon

I put my  money on this one to not Win, Place Or Show as a great cocktail. In fact, I bet it may be the worst cocktail ever concocted. So, let's just go ahead and dismiss this one and move on to the next race which has a much more exciting sounding libation.

The Preakness-The Black-eyed Susan

Orange/Pineapple Juice
Vodka
Rum
Orange Liqueur
(Use your own discretion on amounts)
Shake and pour over ice.

Although this is the traditional and official Preakness cocktail, there are several variations when you search for recipes. Named for the flowers comprising the blanket adorning the winning horse, my mates mixed this and that together, using the general recipe as a guide, and it was...delicious. 

Cheering on the gorgeous horses running in the mud at the Preakness this past weekend, the Black-eyed Susan cocktail landed firmly in the Winner's Circle.

Now, cocktail tradition on the final leg of the TC (Triple Crown) gets dicey.

There is always ONE jewel in the crown that just HAS to be loose.

The Belmont-Belmont Jewel

The Belmont, it seems, has refused to stick to tradition. Maybe they get huffy about racing last, but they are all about being rogue when it comes to cocktails.

First they had the White Carnation (vodka, orange schnapps, soda water, orange juice, cream, orange slice) then they switched to the Belmont Breeze (this has too many ingredients to even discuss) and now it is the...

Belmont Jewel

1.5 oz Woodford Reserve Bourbon
2 oz lemonade
1 oz Pomegranate Juice
Orange zest

Shake vigorously with ice and serve in a rocks glass with ice, granish with an orange.

Held in Lamont, New York, on June 11, the Belmont will wrap up the Triple Crown and we may just conjure up one of these jewels.

I am betting it will be the White Carnation in our Winner's Circle.

I freely admit I am NOT a television person to any degree.

Don't get me wrong, I don't judge anyone who spends hours, and hours, and hours on the sofa, clutching the remote in one hand and a beverage of choice in the other.

Let the eye-glazing begin!

Movies are more my thing. However, I am known to binge-watch favorite small-ish screen programs...from Downton Abbey to Breaking Bad (I'm random), with abandon.

Junk television?

Sure, in small doses.

When I say junk, I don't mean HGTV (well, just a little). Without any shame, I have watched all the episodes of the short-lived, So NoTORIous. Not to EVER be confused with the legendary movie, Notorious.

So, judge away, kids. I understand, but Loni Anderson owned that series.

Anyway, on most days and nights, music is what happens in our abode. Thankfully, this works for my compadre in entertainment.

However, today, I saw a small clip of a movie with that actress, Elizabeth Shue. Without a doubt, you remember her. She starred in the unforgettable, Adventures in Babysitting (which was cinematic greatness, BTW), then she ditched the kiddies and got all whorish in Leaving Las Vegas.

You will never be nominated for an Oscar for babysitting rowdy kids in a movie. Being a prostitute? You bet. Just ask Jane Fonda. There are probably others, but I am not going to bother checking. Whores, tramps and thieves...get the gold!

Listen, it all worked out for Jane, but Elizabeth did not win. It was an honor to be nominated...and then she sort of blended into the background in the world of make-believe on celluloid (a cool term I wanted to toss in). I mean, she is still working, but without much fanfare.

All of this brings me to my point (again, I do have one): Why, after an Oscar nomination or win, do so many stars seem to vanish or become almost invisible?

I mean, Meryl, and others remain in the spotlight, but where, for instance, is Helen Hunt these days?

See?

Random, but you are going to Google Helen Hunt, aren't you?

Good, see ya there, because I'll be searching for Liz, Helen and now Paul Reiser, before I search for Mad
About You! on Netflix streaming.

See, I do watch junk television!

Candice Bergen turns 70 today, and I think we should just all bow down to her brilliance.

Yes, she came from privilege, I will admit. But, she did have a dummy/puppet-thing for a sibling, so I think the Universe did a good job of leveling things out a bit.

My personal CB (I like to think I would call her that if we hung out at some darkened bar, shared sacred memories, sipping a cool martini, while some guy wearing a groovy tux played Sinatra tunes on a baby-grand piano in the corner) favorite cinematic moments include:

*Her horrendous singing, but stylish clothes, in the Burt Reynolds film, Starting Over. When she belts out (using the term loosely), Better Than Ever, it is a comedic highlight (Stephanie Mills sings it for real as the credits run, and I am telling you I like it so much I have it in my Playlist).

*The early Murphy Brown years. It tapered off as time went on, but those early years were yummy to watch. Great ensemble. 

*Stealing the show in that Gwyneth Paltrow bomb, View from the Top. 

*Going head-to-head with Sandra Bullock, Michael Caine and William Shatner in the classic, Miss Congeniality (the first one, the only one that counts).

*Her bit part in the first (and the only one that should have been made), Sex and the City movie.

So, happy birthday to the Queen of Movies (she deserves the title, okay?).

I hope she kept that creepy Charlie McCarthy, just to take him out of his case every now and then to talk trash.

Now, that would make for a super-fun 70th birthday party ice-breaker. If only I had some "people" to contact her "people."  

CB...rock on!!