Here’s to Alcohol: A Ranking of Literary Cocktails

Gin Austen from "Gin Austen" by Colleen Mullaney

I picked the titular cocktail from Gin Austen: 50 Cocktails to Celebrate the Novels of Jane Austen. It uses gin (naturally), rosé, sage, lemon and bitters to create a slightly tart beverage. Being no professional in any kind of food or beverage preparation, I may have added just a bit too much lemon, combined with using a low quality rosé. I was pleasantly surprised by how much the sage comes through. I also had to use standard aromatic bitters since I couldn’t find any orange flavored bitters as called for by Mullaney's recipe. But I paired the drink with crackers and cranberry goat cheese, which really evened out the taste and made it less sour and more enjoyable. Another caveat, I’ve never been a huge fan of gin. On the second round, I reduced the amount of lemon and upped the amount of bitters in the mix for a more pleasant result.

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Emily Drink-inson from "Women’s Libation!" by Merrily Grashin

Women's Libation!, if you haven't guessed already, focuses on cocktails that celebrate feminist icons. This includes quite a few literary greats, such as Dickinson, but also 'Margarita Atwood' and 'Anne Sexton the Beach.' The Whiskey Cranberry Smash modeled for Dickinson was tasty, but I couldn't really find the cranberry (maybe I didn't muddle for long enough). It's also probably more of a fall drink, but pleasant enough in any season. There was an attempt on Grashin's part to tie the cranberry component to Massachusetts, where Dickinson was from, but I think we have to face facts that this is more of a beverage for people who enjoy a Whiskey Cranberry Smash than avid fans of Dickinson's poetic works. Not saying there can't be overlap, of course.

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Photo by the author of Emily Drink-inson

The Acerbic Mrs. Parker from "Under the Table: A Dorothy Parker Cocktail Guide" by Kevin C. Fitzpatrick

Dorothy Parker was a woman who, when told that President Coolidge had died, replied, "How can you tell?" It shouldn't really surprise anyone who's encountered her candid quips that this was a woman who liked a drink, and made up rhymes about it. Under the Table is not just a cocktail guide, it's also an enjoyable jump back through time to the Algonquin Round Table and popular culture in the 1920s and '30s. The Acerbic Mrs. Parker has its own history outlined, as does every beverage included. If you're fascinated by the Roaring Twenties, this is the cocktail book for you. Unfortunately, my pantry wasn't quite up to some of the vintage recipes, and I've bookmarked quite a few for later. If you decided to give Gin Austen a try, however, you should already have most of the ingredients for the Acerbic Mrs. Parker.

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Brandy Hot Toddy from "Literary Libations" by Amira K. Makansi

Something I felt Literary Libations: What to Drink with What You Read got right was not to pretend to be reinventing the wheel by creating new names for existing cocktails, but to come up with literary pairings. It's a simple but effective idea. After all, what could possibly go better with a reading of Wuthering Heights than a brandy hot toddy, or an absinthe with your Kafka? A perfect book to keep on your shelf for a little guidance on what to read next, plus some extra enticement in the form of what you'll enjoy while you're reading it. 

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A Midsummer Night’s Beam from "Tequila Mockingbird" by Tim Federle

And now we get to Mr. Federle, whose book seems to be a perennial favorite for the front table at independent bookstores and gift shops. I didn't own the correct highball glasses to make my Shakespeare-themed mint julep prettier, but honestly, it was a really pleasant drink that was easy to make, refreshing on a summer evening and would be absolutely perfect before a Shakespeare in the Park performance. The name is really just a pun with no real connection to the Bard that I can think of, but the simple and satisfying cocktail gets an A+.

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