The Division Bell

The Story

The Division Bell is the fourteenth album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released on 28 March 1994 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and on 4 April by Columbia Records in the United States. The Division Bell received mixed reviews, but reached number one in more than 10 countries, including the UK and the US. In the US, it was certified double platinum in 1994 and triple platinum in 1999.

The Division Bell deals with themes of communication and the idea that talking can solve many problems.

Longtime Floyd collaborator Storm Thorgerson provided the album artwork. He erected two large metal heads, each the height of a double-decker bus, in a field near Stuntney, Cambridgeshire.^[30] The sculptures were positioned together and photographed in profile, and can be seen as two faces talking to each other or as a single, third face. Thorgerson said the “third absent face” was a reference to Syd Barrett.  Ely Cathedral is visible on the horizon

 In the Studio radio host Redbeard suggested that the album offers “the very real possibility of transcending it all, through shivering moments of grace”. Songs such as “Poles Apart” and “Lost for Words” have been interpreted by fans and critics as references to the estrangement between Pink Floyd and former band member Roger Waters, who left in 1985; however, Gilmour denied this, and said: “People can invent and relate to a song in their personal ways, but it’s a little late at this point for us to be conjuring Roger up.”

The title refers to the division bell rung in the British parliament to announce a vote. Drummer Nick Mason said: “It’s about people making choices, yeas or nays.”

We say Yea! to this.

The COCKTAIL

The Division Bell, an agave-and-Aperol-fueled Last Word riff from veteran bartender Phil Ward, was among the first cocktails to put mezcal on the map in the U.S. 

When Ward opened the now-shuttered Mayahuel in New York City’s East Village with Ravi DeRossi in 2009, American consumers mostly associated agave spirits with Margaritas. But Ward had been experimenting with agave-spirit cocktails for some time at nearby Death & Co., where in 2007 he created the Oaxaca Old Fashioned, a twist that swapped out bourbon in favour of a split base of reposado tequila and mezcal. When it came time to open his own place, Ward decided to go all in on agave, putting 20 tequila and mezcal drinks on Mayahuel’s first menu, including the Division Bell. The name pays homage to the Pink Floyd album of the same name, which Ward says he listened to on repeat while he was constructing the bar.

The Recipe

What you need 1 ounce mezcal (preferably Del Maguey Vida) 3/4 ounce Aperol 1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur (preferably Luxardo) 3/4 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed What you do  Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Express the oils from a grapefruit twist over the drink, then discard the twist. Garnish Grapefruit twist Serve Sour cocktail glass