Probably 9 out of 10 people will think of the Tom Hanks movie when they see the word “Gump”. For me, it has an entirely different first impression. I grew up reading the Wizard of Oz books by L. Frank Baum (who happens to have been born about 20 minutes from the GSN offices). In the second volume of his 14 book series, the main character Tip escapes from the Emerald City via a flying sofa to which is attached a Gump’s head. Now the Gump is kind of like a moose, and this one had been shot by a hunter and his head mounted on a plaque on the wall. The Gump’s head was brought to life by means of a magical powder. I won’t say more in case you want to read the book for yourself, or see the rather dark Walt Disney film from 1985.
So, anyway, what is a Brandy Gump? The original drink hails from The Savoy Cocktail book. After doing extensive research, I can only come to two possible conclusions. 1) The drink references a long running newspaper comic, “The Gumps” or 2) It hails from the name of a Yale University musical theatre group. Perhaps both.
The drink is pretty simple, and quite tart. Drinkable, but not necessarily a keeper.
Brandy Gump Cocktail
1.5oz brandy
0.75oz lemon juice
0.25oz grenadine
Shake with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.
The Gump from Walt Disney’s “Return to Oz”.
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