August  17

Robert De Niro's Birthday
 

Robert De Niro was born on August 7, 1942 in – where else? – New York, the city which spawned many of his most iconic roles.

De Niro is known as one of cinema’s premiere tough guys, but he began acting in a school play as the Cowardly Lion in a bid to overcome his shyness.

As we all know, the Cowardly Lion found his courage and so did De Niro, eventually ditching the classroom for the screen with 1963’s The Wedding Party (1969). Although it would not be released until ’69, it caught the attention of producers, and De Niro’s career really started with (a) Bang the Drum Slowly in 1973.

Also in 1973, De Niro started a lifelong collaboration with acclaimed director Martin Scorsese (“Marty” to his friends) with Mean Streets. A few years later, De Niro would star in Scorsese’s iconic Taxi Driver (1976), a film forever linked with both men’s careers. Inarguably one of the most famous lines in all of cinema history, the “You talkin’ to me?” monologue, was actually improvised by De Niro – the script simply said “Travis speaks to himself in the mirror.” There are a few competing theories as to where the line originated, but one thing’s certain – it’s De Niro’s now.

After Taxi Driver, The Godfather Part II (1974) and other such seedy underworld roles, De Niro feared being typecast as mobster and sought out more comedic roles. These led to his successful turns in franchises like Analyze This and Meet the Parents.

De Niro has also directed several films and founded the Tribeca Film Festival, America’s own answer to Cannes. Versatile and Volatile, he truly is one of cinema’s most passionate actors. But De Niro isn’t just passionate – he also inspires insane levels of passion. In 2007 British TV auction house announced that it was going to auction off the kidney stone that Robert De Niro passed in 1981. Although De Niro’s agent was unable (or unwilling) to confirm that it was in fact the actor’s kidney stone, the auctioneer estimated that the stone would fetch a cool $4,500. Why not celebrate your love for De Niro in a somewhat less obsessive way by enjoying The Kidney Stone Cocktail.

This cocktail is a triple-threat although somewhat obtuse tribute to the legendary actor.  The peach liqueur is a reference to the infamous peach martini which is a specialty of the house at Robert De Niro's Beverly Hills restaurant, Ago. The Red Bull is a tribute to his film Raging Bull (1980).  Now here's the more obtuse reference - the Angostura bitters refers to the title of the book, What Just Happened? Bitter Hollywood Tales from the Front Line, upon which his 2008 film What Just Happened is based.

 Kidney Stone Cocktail

1. Pour peach liqueur into shot glass till half way .
2. Pour Red Bull into shot mixing the liqueur together
3. Shake Angostura bitter bottle gently, doing roughly 5-10 drops or until a top layer is formed.
   (careful not to use to much bitters).