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Liam Payne investigators say they are trying to reconstruct the star’s final hours
Officials investigating the death of Liam Payne in Argentina said Tuesday they are trying to reconstruct the former “One Direction” star’s final hours as experts scour cell phones, computers, photographs and videos from security cameras.
Payne’s father, Geoff Payne, has been updated about the investigation by the head of Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office, according to a news release. Geoff Payne has been in Argentina since the weekend, when he visited the hotel where Payne fell to his death.
The prosecutor’s office told Geoff Payne that toxicology reports are still pending. Another study to see if Payne was ill at the time of his death is also being conducted. Those tests, done as part of Payne’s autopsy, must be completed before the singer’s body can be released, officials said.
The investigation into the hours before Payne’s death remains ongoing, the prosecutor’s office said. CBS News previously reported that police were dispatched to Payne’s hotel in response to an emergency call about an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol” who had “thrown himself from the balcony of his room.” Officials have not confirmed if Payne intentionally jumped or fell by accident. Investigators have said his room was a mess, with what appeared to be narcotics and alcohol among broken objects and furniture.
Liam Payne via Snapchat/via REUTERS
ABC News and TMZ, citing anonymous sources familiar with the preliminary tests, reported a cocktail of drugs called “pink cocaine” — which contains methamphetamine and ketamine — had been found during a partial autopsy, but officials have not released any results from preliminary tests.
The prosecutor’s office said it is conducting analysis on electronic devices from the scene, and that “numerous statements” have been taken from hotel workers, medical professionals, and others linked to Payne.
The prosecutor’s office noted in the press release that any information about Payne’s death will only be released through its official channels.
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Nowadays, what makes a martini a martini? Robert Simonson, who wrote a book about the martini, said, “It’s funny: it’s strict and loose at the same time.”
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Everyone seems to have an opinion about the cocktail: “Ingredients, proportions, garnishes – it’s all subject to debate,” Simonson said. “I’m a purist. I would think it needs to be gin and vermouth. But I’m willing to bend and say, ‘Okay, vodka and vermouth as well.’ [However,] if there’s no vermouth in there, I don’t know how you can call it a cocktail.”
Simonson says the martini was probably named after a vermouth company. It was invented in America in the 1870s or ’80s when bartenders mixed gin with vermouth, a fortified wine made with herbs and spices. “It’s a very big player in cocktail history,” he said.
In the early 20th century, the “very-dry” martini became very-popular: Ice cold gin or vodka, garnished with a lemon twist, or an olive, or an onion, but only a little vermouth (or maybe not even a little).
Samantha Casuga, the head bartender at Temple Bar in New York City, says the reason why many people might not want vermouth in their martini is because, for years, vermouth was stored improperly. “It should be in the fridge,” she said.
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Casuga’s classic martini is two parts gin, one part vermouth, with a twist of lemon. She suggests that you probably shouldn’t order it the way James Bond does – shaken, not stirred. Casuga says she’s always stirring, but some people like the show behind the bar when a bartender shakes their cocktail. “Definitely, people love a good shake,” she said.
People also love to have a martini made just the way they want it. But Casuga understands why they might be so specific: “To have your own preferences, not only listened to and then executed, is, like, that’s luxury itself.”
Writer Robert Simonson says that a martini can also add a little luxury to your Thanksgiving. “It actually makes very good sense for Thanksgiving,” he said. “It will whet your appetite for the meal to come.
“There are very few American inventions more American than the martini. So, an American holiday, American drink.”
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Story produced by Mary Raffalli. Editor: Remington Korper.
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