The Paramount at Blu
When Brent Conley was growing up, there was no shortage of Tang in his house. His father worked for General Foods, the company that makes the orange-flavored breakfast drink favored by astronauts and children of the 1970s. Even after his father left General Foods and started his own advertising firm, Tang was still a client. "There was always lots of Tang and Shake 'N' Bake in the house," Conley wistfully recalls.
So when Conley, now a bartender at Blu, was coming up with a drink to pay tribute to the newly restored marquee of the nearby art deco-influenced Paramount Theater on Washington Street, he naturally turned to his old friend Tang. The Paramount sign, which is visible from the bar of Blu, is aglow with about 7,000 lights, many of them as orange as the drink that bears its name. The sign is lighted on weekends and special occasions.
"The drink is definitely healthier than a Cosmopolitan," says Conley. "It has vitamin C and calcium. And, since we're located in a health club, people appreciate that."
CHRISTOPHER MUTHER 