July 18
Richard Charles Nicholas Branson's Birthday

 

Richard Branson is a flamboyant British billionaire that has built his company (Virgin) into one of the world's biggest brands It all started when the dyslectic Richard dropped out  of school in 1966 at the age of 16 to start a magazine called Student. The publication was run by students and designed for students, and Richard   sold sold $8,000 worth of advertising in its first edition.. In 1972, he opened a chain of record stores, Virgin Records, later known as Virgin Megastores. The first album of Virgin Records went on to sell more than five million copies. At the age of 27, Richard signed The Sex Pistols to the Virgin Records label after the group was turned down by every label in Great Britain.

Richard's Virgin brand grew rapidly during the 1980s—as he set up Virgin Atlantic Airways and expanded the Virgin Records music label. Branson's Virgin Group now holds more than 200 companies in over 30 countries including the United Kingdom, the US, Australia, Canada, Asia, Europe, and South Africa. He has expanded his businesses to include a train company, a luxury game preserve, a mobile phone company, and a space tourism company, Virgin Galactic.

Richard is also known for his sporting achievements, notably the record-breaking Atlantic crossing in Virgin Atlantic Challenger II in 1986, and the first crossing by hot-air balloon of the Atlantic (1987) and Pacific (1991). He was knighted in 1999 for his contribution to entrepreneurship, and was listed as the 212th richest person in the world according to Forbes' 2010 list of billionaires, with an estimated net worth of approximately $4 billion.
In England,  Richard has rock star fame. His endless stream of famous friends and connections, enormous wealth and alluring charm have made him a huge target for women everywhere. However, Branson is also known for his volatile temper which he parodied in a 2007 appearance on the Colbert Report when in what was an apparent fit of anger, threw a glass of water on host Stephen Colbert who retaliated by throwing water on Richard Branson.

So what better way to celebrate Sir Richard's birthday than to toast him with a Screaming Virgin Cocktail while watching him in the 2004 remake of Around the World in 80 Days as Balloon Man?
 

Screaming Virgin Cocktail

  
   
Ingredients
 		  
4 tsp Sambuca
4 tsp Baja Rosa
1 ounce + 2 tsp gin		 2 tsp dill pickle juice
1 oz Lemon Schnapps
Crushed Ice		  
   
Instructions
 
Mix the above ingredients. Use lime soda to fill the rest of the glass.

© 2011 Gordon Nary and Tyler Stokes