“The only proper way to judge a man is by what he drinks.” So begins Proof, an honest and well crafted film. Anthony Hopkins as Robert Hunsaker kicks off the movie by pontificating on the relationship between a man and his chosen tipple. As the patriarch of a Tennessee bourbon dynasty, Hunsaker is keen to point out that an honorable person enjoys an honorable drink. “I’ve yet to meet the man,” he explains, “who enjoys both twelve-year old Scotch and twelve-year old girls.” The film contemplates whether men like Hunsaker are anachronisms or whether the twenty-first century has room for honor, tradition and booze straight up.
Hunsaker finds himself at odds with his family about the future of the company and its flagship whiskey, Old Cumberland. His daughter Catherine (Gwyneth Paltrow) earns his ire by steering the company towards mini-bottles of pre-mixed cocktails, something Hunsaker finds as a repugnant as pre-chewed steak. Catherine’s lover, Claire (Hope Davis), further riles Hunsaker by lollygagging around the family mansion sipping Galloping Orgasms.
Out of desperation, Hunsaker embarks on a quest to find the son he fathered thirty years earlier (in a tryst with the daughter of his Master Distiller). His journey takes him though the dark underworld of Hilfiger-clad Schnapps drinkers. The closer he gets, the more he worries. Suppose the fruit of his loin favors a Fuzzy Navel? Or a Rhubarb Cosmo? The possibilities reduce Hunsaker to a sweaty, stuttering mess by the time he discovers his son Cliff (Jake Gyllenhaal) in a waterfront tavern in Gloucester.
All Hunsaker wants to hear is his son ordering a drink with the credibility of a Manhattan, and his offspring rises to the occasion. Cliff looks the bartender in the eye and asks for a Dry Mahoney. A proud Hunsaker fights back tears of elation. Speechless, he holds up two quivering fingers that let the bartender know he’ll have the same. And Cliff turns out to be the perfect drinking companion, a raconteur who spins tales of big game hunts on the Serengeti and lusty romps through Bangkok’s pleasure domes. For another generation, at least, the Old Cumberland distillery will be in trustworthy hands.
DRY MAHONEY
ingredients:
* 2 _ oz. whisky (Gentleman Jack or Old Cumberland)
* _ oz. dry vermouth
Lemon peel
Mixing instructions:
Stir all ingredients (except lemon peel) with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist lemon peel over drink and add to glass.
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