On this day in 1976, the undefeated and undisputed heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed, fought Rocky Balboa at the Philadelphia Spectrum. Creed’s scheduled opponent was injured so he gave the local underdog a chance to fight him in the ring, and because Creed didn’t think Rocky was a threat, he wasn’t taking his training seriously. Rocky knocked him down in the first round (the first time Creed had ever been knocked to the floor). Creed has superior boxing skills, but Rocky packs a strong punch and he keeps coming back for more. After 15 grueling rounds, Creed is declared the winner by split decision, which was a perfect set-up for the rematch in Rocky II.

“Rocky” launched Sylvester Stallone’s career with a bang. The low-budget indie film was the highest-grossing movie of 1976, received 10 Academy Award nominations, and won three of them including Best Picture. The leads all delivered iconic performances including, Sly Stallone, Burgess Meredith, Carl Weathers, Talia Shire, Tony Burton, and Burt Young.

Music Du Jour: Rocky Soundtracks Playlist

Films Du Jour:

• Rocky (1976)
• Rocky II (1979)
• Rocky III (1082)
• Rocky IV (1985)
• Rocky V (1990)
• Rocky Balboa (2006)
• Creed (2015)
• Creed II (2023)

Miscellaneous:

• Stallone wrote the first draft of Rocky in three days
• Weathers and Stallone rehearsed the Balboa-Creed fight for four weeks
• Butkus, Rocky’s 140-pound Bull Mastiff, was Stallone’s real-life dog
• When Gazzo (Joe Spinell) sucks on his inhaler, he was actually having an asthma attack ─ that wasn’t in the script
• Here’s a T-shirt for Mick’s Gym
• The 9-foot Rocky statue at the Philadelphia Museum of Art is still visited by tens of thousands of people every year

Snacks du Jour: Philly Steak Sandwiches

Cocktail Du Jour – The Italian Stallion

• 1 oz Campari
• 1 oz Aperol
• 5 oz Lemon juice
• 5 oz Simple syrup
• 2 oz Prosecco

Shake all ingredients (except Prosecco) in a cocktail shaker and strain over ice in a whiskey glass. Add Prosecco. Garnish with an orange wheel.

Mocktail Du Jour – The Italian Stallion Mocktail

• 1 oz Lyre’s Italian Orange
• 1 oz Pentire Coastal Spritz
• 5 oz Lemon juice
• 5 oz Simple syrup
• 2 oz nonalcoholic sparkling Brut

Shake all ingredients (except sparkling Brut) in a cocktail shaker and strain over ice in a whiskey glass. Add sparkling Brut. Garnish with an orange wheel.

A non-alcohol Aperol spritz premix would also be appropriate.

Beer Du Jour

American Lager: Budweiser, Miller, Coors, Michelob, Yuengling, Anchor, Busch, etc.

Wine Du Jour

Any Creed Wine label or Italian wine 

Use freshly squeezed citrus in your cocktails and mocktails when called for – It makes such a difference! Here’s a reliable and inexpensive juicer.

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Photo credit: “Rocky Balboa” by SDWelch1031 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.