KJL's TV Dinners: "I Love Lucy" Vitameatavegamin Recipe - 70th Anniversary Special!

"Hello, friends! I'm your Vitameatavegamin girl. Are you tired, run-down, listless? Do you poop out at parties? Are you unpopular? The answer to all your problems is in this little bottle, Vitameatavegamin." 

Seventy years ago, on October 15, 1951, television history was made when the first episode of I Love Lucy premiered on CBS. I have shared my love for the show numerous times on the blog. Allow me to share a story: In 1996, a mother was shopping at Kmart with her two-year-old daughter. Sitting in the seat of the shopping cart, the little girl exclaimed, "I kissed Bill Holden! I kissed Bill Holden! I kissed Bill Holden!" 

I Love Lucy episode, "L.A. at Last" (photo/Pinterest).

Her mother paused, realized what her daughter said, and started laughing. Her daughter was quoting from "L.A. at Last," a famous episode of I Love Lucy. It was at this moment that the woman knew her daughter would become an I Love Lucy fanatic, just like herself. Who was her daughter? 

Me. 

I was destined to be a fan of I Love Lucy. From a young age, I grew up watching and loving the show. I laughed along to the timeless comedy: When Lucy drunkenly recited the Vitameatavegamin commercial, when Lucy and Ethel attempted to wrap candy on a fast-moving conveyor belt, when Lucy stomped grapes in Italy, when Lucy and Ricky welcomed a baby boy into their family (being the first television pregnancy), etc. 

(photo/WallpaperUP)

When I was in high school, I became more interested in learning about the behind-the-scenes production facts concerning the show. The innovations in I Love Lucy (green-screen effects, multi-camera filming, the invention of reruns, etc.) brought lasting changes to the television industry. I Love Lucy made a difference in more ways than one. 

Now, 70 years later, the sitcom's legacy persists. More and more fans are being introduced to the comedy, the characters, the entertaining situations, and the clever, creative writing. Fans bond together over their love for the show. Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel are relatable, realistic characters that feel like friends. When I'm watching I Love Lucy, I'm watching my friends and neighbors. Whenever I am sick, sad, or need to be cheered up, the characters are always there for me. I can depend on the show. 

I Love Lucy cast (photo/Wikimedia Commons).

Laughter is the best medicine and I Love Lucy is the perfect medicine. It has made millions of audiences laugh for 70 years, and I am confident this will never change. I Love Lucy is forever a part of history...and our hearts. 

And I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Vitameatavegamin Recipe

While thinking about a recipe to make in honor of the 70th anniversary of I Love Lucy, I had several options. Then, I thought of an iconic drink associated with the show: Vitameatavegamin. In the famous episode "Lucy Does a TV Commercial," Lucy Ricardo accidentally gets drunk while rehearsing a commercial for Vitameatagamin. The "healthy" medicine doesn't taste very well at all. It doesn't taste like candy, but because it has 23 percent alcohol, Lucy eventually starts to like it as she "spoons her way to health." Of course, she does! 

This scene is brilliant because of Lucille Ball's comedic timing. The actress could act drunk better than anyone else. She was hilarious, and this scene is one of the many reasons why I Love Lucy is considered an iconic television sitcom today. Lucy's sales pitch for Vitameatavegamin is legendary. 

The famous Vitameatavegamin scene in I Love Lucy (photo/EGP srl).

This version (inspired by Jenn Fujikawa's I Love Lucy Cookbook) isn't nearly as potent, but it will still give you quite a kick! This is essentially a robust Bloody Mary with garnishes of lettuce, carrots, bacon, tomatoes, and lime wedges. You can't have Vitameatavegamin without plenty of vitamins, meat, vegetables, and minerals. 

So, if you're tired, run-down, and listless, try this fun recipe for Vitameatavegamin. Join the thousands of happy, peppy people! 

FOR THE GARNISHES: 

• 1 strip bacon
• 1/4 tsp. brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 to 3 cherry tomatoes
• 1 lime wedge
• 1 lettuce leaf
• 1 carrot

FOR THE DRINK: 

• 1 lime wedge
• 2 Tbsp. table salt
• 2 c. ice cubes, divided
• 1 c. tomato juice 
• 1 1/2 oz. vodka (or less, depending on your preference)
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Run a wooden skewer through the strip of bacon. Sprinkle with brown sugar and black pepper. Then, fry the bacon in a pan over medium heat until the bacon is crispy. Place the cherry tomatoes and lime wedge through a toothpick to make another skewer, and set aside. 

Rub the rim of a glass with the lime and dip the rim into a dish of table salt. Fill the glass with one cup of ice. Put the rest of the ice in a cocktail shaker (or a mason jar) along with the vodka, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, lime juice, and black pepper. Shake well and then strain the drink into the glass. 

Garnish the drink with the cooked bacon, lettuce leaf, carrot, and skewered cherry tomatoes and lime wedge. Hopefully, this will spoon your way to health! 

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This post is dedicated to the show I have loved since I was a young toddler. I am so glad I grew up loving I Love Lucy. It was the best show to watch as a child, and I still laugh along like I am watching the episodes for the first time. It never gets old. It's timeless. 

Seventy years later, I Love Lucy is still beloved by millions. It truly makes me so happy to be a part of the show's legacy. 

Lastly, this post is also dedicated to my mother, who is my special I Love Lucy buddy. She is the Ethel to my Lucy. From when I was a little girl quoting lines in the middle of Kmart to now, we have bonded over this show. This will never change. 

Just like I Love Lucy's legacy. 

-KJL-