The Infamous Chilton
In honor of our latest tee that features the Chilton, I wanted to share some fun info about where my inspiraton came from!
The actual quote came from a conversation with a friend (shout out Ashley S.) where I was trying to get her to come out and play couples golf with a group of us. She said she didn't think she would be that great at it to which I replied-
"I'm just there for the Chiltons"- of course I had to make it into a tee!
For those who don't know a chilton is traditionally a vodka club soda drink, classic recipe here:
Some Texans will argue that you must use Texas vodka (like Titos) and Topo Chico in place of generic club soda. I personally love A LOT of lemon in mine and prefer it to be a bit cloudy with lemon juice. Also, a little trick from my bartending days: throw a pinch of salt on the ice before you squeeze the lemon, then pour the vodka over the "seasoned" ice for extra flavor before adding the club soda.
Speaking of which, I bartended through much of college and once received a $100 tip for my chilton making skills. It was a customer I wasn't even waiting on I was just making the drinks for their server. He came by to high five me and put the $100 in my tip jar. Looking back, maybe he had a few too many! I am a self-appointed Chilton expert, even though it is a relatively simple drink to make!
When I turned 21 my family & I went to NYC on family vacation. I was so excited to order a cocktail at dinner and to my surprise the Russian waiter had no clue what a Chilton was.... gasp! That was the first time I realized how regional this cocktail is. Rumor has it, it was the creation of a Dr. Chilton who ordered it at the Lubbock Country Club on the regular. Although this has never really been validated, the LCC bar & grill is named Chilton's because of this.
There are lots of ways to make a variation on this, I will post links to a couple from my friend Megan at The Zesty Bite. I haven't tried the rose recipe yet but it's on my list!
https://azestybite.com/rose-chilton/
https://azestybite.com/ruby-red-chilton/
However simple or complicated you choose to make it the Chilton is a great addition to your summer drink line up!
Cheers friends!