Here’s a fantastic post by the one and only Ricky Riccardi. To my knowledge no other 20th Century genius ever provided such an intimate (not stage managed) window into their life — but that was Pops! Given the description of Slivovice (see link below) it might as well be a legal version of Skokiaan, the eponymous tune of course brilliantly covered by Pops.
Louis sounds very relaxed and friendly. But there was something else present that made for the relaxed atmosphere: a bottle of Slivovice plum brandy Armstrong brought back from Europe earlier that year. Slivovice (now known as Slivovitz) is still around as an online search quickly shows. Louis and Lucille both testify early on about the powers of Slivovice. They warn Dan and Jack that it’s pretty much going to knock them on their asses. Dan and Jack are up for the challenge, so the bottle of Slivovice is cracked open.
manwithoutqualities 