Books & Booze: a seminar
Okay, so that’s not the actual name of the seminar I recently attended. The real name was “Three Sheets to the Wind: Cocktails in Literature.” This fascinating talk, presented by University of Rochester professor Nora Rubel and mixologist/English teacher Evvy Fanning, was part of Rochester Cocktail Revival 2015. Here’s the seminar description from the RCR website: “How closely is alcohol linked to genius? Would we have The Sun Also Rises or The Movable Feast without the daiquiri, and would Gatsby adore Daisy if he had fewer mint juleps? The watering hole in The Clockwork Orange serves Moloko-Plus – try it. And what about the unfortunate characters born before cocktails – what would Hamlet drink? Sample all of the literary cocktails before choosing your favorite.”
Nora and Evvy took turns introducing various cocktails, giving an appropriate literary context for each drink. We then got to enjoy samples :)
The Hemingway Daiquiri
The Vesper, from Casino Royale
“My Pinn” from Lolita
What would Hamlet drink, if cocktails had been invented in his time? A Negroni, of course!
The Missouri Rattlesnake, inspired by Gone Girl. Yes, it has a hidden twist.
What’s your favorite book/cocktail pairing?
