Inspiration by Cold Duck

When I was a little girl, I remember there being a great deal of talk about "cold duck" in our house. The conversation went something like this: "Here, have some Cold Duck!" Or, "Yes, I got so drunk on Cold Duck", said my elder sister of nineteen years, " I thought it would only be appropriate for me to crawl onto the table and quack (at the restaurant)- so I did."

 She doesn't drink much. Good thing.

Can you imagine?
"What are you in for?"
"Quacking." 

 If one had one of those days, Cold Duck was the cure. If not Cold Duck, then definitely valiums. (My father owned a pharmaceutical company, giving him easy access.) And if not valiums, than phenobarbital. If not phenobarbital, than one must stoop to Papst Blue Ribbon Beer, only if the Coors were gone. Everyone knew, however, not to combine valiums, phenobarbital and beer.

This could result in an involuntary trip to the asylum on the other side of town- as my brother could tell you, after he went violently crazy and the cops found him hiding, all horror movie-B like, in our attic.

Perhaps some of you remember Little League Games, Girl Scouts, sleepovers, and family sing-alongs. Well, good for you. That was not my childhood.

I was well versed, by age nine, about drugs and the various unpleasant interactions.

Interestingly enough, I was always encouraged never to use street drugs. Those drugs, my mother snobbishly said, "Are what idiots do." Uh. Okay.

Entrepreneur Chick finds that:


"Cold Duck originated in Germany, where it can be traced to the common practice in Bavaria of mixing cold, sparkling Burgundy with bottles of previously opened Champagne. This mixture was knows as kalte ende (cold end). This custom kept the opened bottles of champagne from being wasted, and it also provided people with a tasty beverage at the same time. Over time, the name became transliteraeed to kalte ente, which translates to cold duck. In 1937, the owner of the Pontchartrain Wine Cellars in Detroit, Harold Borgman, invented his own beverage based on this Bavarian custom.




Cold duck experienced a sizable surge of popularity in the early 1970s, being a very popular wine for parties and gatherings. With it's soft concord grape base, Cold Duck is mixed with a combination of sweet red and white wines. The original American Cold Duck combined one part of a California red wine with two parts of a New York sparkling wine. This exact recipe varies today. One of the best known brands of Cold Duck is André, from the E&J Gallo Winery, which uses Concord grapes for their recipe. In 1971, only four short years after André Cold Duck was introduced to the public, the E&J Gallo Winery was selling two million cases of the wine every year. Like many white wines and sparkling wines, and unlike most red wines, Cold duck is best served chilled. It goes great with party hors d'ouvres, like cheese and crackers or olives in a pastry crust."

Yesterday, I decided to try some retro-funk, pre-wine cooler, Duck. And you know something? It was just great!

Everything looks pretty maganable to me today as I've clearly developed a business plan and life plan; "A", "B" and even "C".

And for that, Duck, I sincerely thank you.