Pink Squirrel: A Wisconsin Original

Wisconsin is the birthplace of many notable inventions that benefit humankind, including the typewriter, the supercomputer, the electric guitar, and modern toilet paper. But perhaps our most important contribution to the culture at large is the Pink Squirrel.

This supper club favorite first came into being at Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge, Milwaukee’s premier destination for drinking in the dark since 1936. (Okay, it started as a beer hall but pivoted to mixology in the 1940s because the town wasn’t short on places to grab a cold one in those days.) Bryant’s now boasts a menu of over 450 drinks but with apologies to the Brain Buster, the Pink Squirrel is their most notable.

A Pink Squirrel consists of two fancy-sounding ingredients and one Dairlyland staple. You mix white crème de cacao with crème de noyaux and heavy cream. Then, hit it with some nutmeg on top.

It was originally made with ice cream, but that was eventually replaced with heavy cream in most places, making the drink less milkshake-like and more cocktail-y. One notable exception is Bryant’s, who keeps it real by still using ice cream.

With the holiday season now upon us, there should be ample opportunities to visit your favorite supper club — or Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge itself — and indulge in this iconic Wisconsin creation. Tell them you’re celebrating your heritage and maybe they’ll give it to you on the house. But they almost certainly won’t.