I had a hankering for a classic movie. The Lady Friend had seen it, but long ago, and didn’t remember most of it. The 1954 Disney version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, starring James Mason (who is THE MAN), a pre-stroke Kirk Douglas, the toad-like Peter Lorre, and some foreign guy named Paul Lukas.

Based on the 1870 novel by Jules Verne, it’s a fantastic movie, with some amazing special effects, especially considering it was filmed in the ’50s. Allegedly, it was the most expensive movie ever made at that time, due to budget overruns, incredible sets, and large amounts of underwater filming. The special effects and set design is top notch. The story is set in 1868, so everything has that steel riveted Victorian-era steampunk look to it. The film won two Academy Awards for Art Direction and Special Effects, and was nominated for a third in Film Editing.

The movie implies that the Nautius is powered by some sort of atomic reactor, making it the first nuclear-powered sub. In reality, submarines in the 1860s were pretty useless, and had an annoying predilection towards sinking and drowning everyone on board. Whoops. However, the world’s first ACTUAL nuclear submarine was named the USS Nautius, and was launched in 1952, likely while the film was being produced, drawing parallels between fiction and reality. USS Nautilus could travel faster and farther while submerged without the need to reful as often. It became the first submarine to travel under the North Pole, and is now a museum ship in Groton, CT.


Which brings us to the drink of the week.



The Nautilus

– 2 oz tequila (I used Familia Camarena blanco)
– 2 oz cranberry juice
– 1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
– 1/2 oz of sugar syrup (I used agave syrup)

Shake like a South Seas squall and pour over arctic ice in a highball glass.
Drink like a fish and submerge into an underwater adventure.


Despite the wiley tequila in there, it’s fairly well-balanced and tasty. Familia Camarena is on the sweeter, lighter side, and doesn’t have as much of the smokey essence as others. The cranberry wasn’t too overpowering, there’s a nice lime tart, and the tequila doesn’t punch you in the face as in many agave cocktails.