Oppenheimer and his connection to New Mexico
Los Alamos Home of the Atomic Bomb
I love exploring and learning new things. At the moment, I’m up above the Arctic Circle and have had a heck of a time getting service. Who knows how long I will have it so here’s the next post.
I’ve been looking forward to the new Oppenheimer movie but have been out of the country since it was released. As I’m sure you know by now, it focuses on the life of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer who was one of the main scientists involved in the development of the atomic bomb. I’m not sure what all is in the film, however I am 95% finished with the book the movie is based on, American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. So I think I have a decent grasp on Robert Oppenheimer’s story.
The state of New Mexico is a large part of Oppenheimer’s story. From his Perro Caliente ranch, to the location of “Project Y” in Los Alamos, and finally culminating in the detonation of The Bomb at the Trinity Site near Alamogordo.
I intend on covering more about how New Mexico is involved in later posts. This time I want to share some information about Los Alamos, the city on The Hill. I fell in love with this city when my son had an internship at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and purchased property there. Not only does it contain lots of history, it is in a beautiful natural setting.
Bathtub Row
The homes on this street were originally built for the Los Alamos Ranch School and were adapted during the Manhattan Project for use by scientists. The street got its name because they were the only homes in town with bathtubs during WWII.
Oppenheimer House on Bathtub Row
As you would expect, Oppenheimer’s home where he, his wife Kitty and two children lived while working on the Manhattan Project was on Bathtub Row. The home is held in a life trust by the Los Alamos Historical Society, and planning has begun for when the home is open to the public. In the meantime, it is a private residence, and the family who donated the home to the Historical Society may live there as long as they desire.
Oppenheimer House - LOS ALAMOS HISTORY
“Oppie’s” Famous Martini
J. Robert Oppenheimer was said to have existed on “martinis, coffee and cigarettes” while he was working on the Manhattan Project. “Oppie’s” nightly parties at his house on Bathtub Row were legendary and it is said that many important formulas were scrawled on cocktail napkins there. While the US Government tried hard to supply him with what he desired, it was still difficult to get supplies to the remote lab “on the hill”. Some of his requisite supplies were gin. Oppenheimer developed his own martini recipe that used only a dash of vermouth, as well as lime and honey.
Oppenheimer’s Martini Recipe
4oz Gin
Smidgen of Dry Vermouth
Lime Juice
Honey
Stir the gin and vermouth with ice until chilled. Then strain into a chilled martini glass (Oppie’s freezer was full of them) whose rim has been dipped in equal parts lime and honey.
I can only imagine the famed scientists assembled toasting “To the confusion of our enemies!”
The Los Alamos Museum Shop sells Oppenheimer Martini Glasses. They are etched on one side with the likeness of Oppenheimer and on the other side with the martini recipe. At the time of my visit in 2020, the cost was $25 for one or $80 for a set of four. The shop is located at 1050 Bathtub Row adjacent to the Fuller Lodge.
Next Time
If the internet becomes more accessible to me in the next week, I hope to provide an outline of the Manhattan Project itself in my next post. It changed the world forever and ended World War II.
I wonder if Oppenheimer's martini can bestow physics aptitude. There's only one way to find out!