February 18
John Joseph Travolta's Birthday

John Travolta as Vincent Vega and Jackson as Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction(1994)

John Travolta, noted actor, singer and Scientologist, was born on February 18, 1954.

Travolta rose to prominence as Vinnie Barbarino, the dimwitted but likable guido of television’s Welcome Back, Kotter. Soon afterward, Travolta began landing more roles in movies – particularly ones that showed off his enviable dance moves/ Saturday Night Fever (1077) and Grease (1978) and those all-singing, all-dancing icons of the late seventies, propelled Travolta to the forefront of the national consciousness. Travolta was a bonafide hit – at least for a while.

In the mid-eighties, Travolta’s career took a serious downturn as he starred in a number of movies that were critical and commercial flops – including Two of a Kind (1983) and Perfect (1985). This string of failures kicked off a slump that wouldn’t be broken until 1989. In fact, it took a rather dramatic case of casting against type – in Look Who’s Talking (1989) and its sequels, Travolta played a baby. A pretty far cry from Danny Zuko.

It wasn’t until 1994 that Travolta’s career really got its groove back, however. Playing the very smooth, very funky hitman in Quentin Tarantino’s seminal Pulp Fiction brought Travolta back to the big time. Tarantino cast Travolta in Pulp Fiction only because his first choice, Michael Madsen, chose to appear in Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp instead. Travolta allegedly accepted the role a bargain rate (sources claim either $100,000 or $140,000), but the film's success and his Oscar nomination as Best Actor made it the role of a lifetime and the best possible investment in his career.

Since then. Travolta has starred in a nearly innumerable string of movies, from the heartfelt (Michael -1996) to the horrible (Battlefield Earth-2000). He’s been a loan shark, a terrorist, and the president. Effortlessly charismatic and multitalented, Travolta is a staple of modern film.

To honor one of Hollywood’s most prolific leading men, what better role to celebrate than the one that saved his flagging career? The Pulp Fiction cocktail.

Pulp Fiction Cocktail

Ingredients

2 shots cognac
1 shots sour apple liqueur
2 shots apple juice

lemonade
apple slice

Instructions

1. Shake first three ingredients together with ice.
2. Strain into a highball glass half filled with ice cubed .
3. Top up with lemonade.
4. Garnish with a fresh apple slice.